God's goodness was so apparent today, in the serenity of the quaint and picturesque countryside vineyard, picking grapes under the Tuscan sun; in the smile of new friends and the fellowship with preexisting ones; in the simple pleasure of good food and great conversation; and in the blessing of being able to have this whole experience.
Even though there are always people here, it's easy to feel lonely and miss friends and family from home, but God has been just as faithful in providing friends and comfort during all the ups and downs that I have already had here as He was at home in Washington.
The ten days here in Florence so far have been so much fun, but today was an especially blessed day of group bonding and enjoyment of God's creation and the company of one another. We left around 8:30 this morning and drove 30ish minutes out to the countryside, to a small family-owned vineyard. There was no big factory or hired workers, just a home with a garage-sized building that houses the 'wine-processor'/other equipment. We walked the rows of grapes and picked (and ate) for a few hours, and then were able to watch the grapes be de-stemmed, squeezed, and the juice flow through a smallish hose right across the patio to the 'garage/shed' where it is then put into barrels and aged for 15 years. We stayed there until the late afternoon, and then a group of us went out for pizza at a local place (followed by gelato, naturally), and went for a walk - around 10:00pm it was finally cool enough to walk outside without breaking a sweat :)
Travel plans were made today as well, and I am excited for my upcoming trips: Cinque Terre next weekend, the Amalfi Coast the weekend after that, followed by a weekend in Venice. The next weekend is the 'Educational Field Trip' to Sicily, then I'm going to London with a group of people, and then the whole house goes to Pompeii for an optional field trip (all expenses paid). I love Europe!!!!
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