The Travel Medley

Again, after comparing hostels and hotels and Airbnbs, we found a great deal on Airbnb and booked.

FYI, Airbnb is now telling me that my referral link gives you a free $35 on your first booking! Not sure if that’s a limited time promotion, or if that’s just their new deal, but that’s $15 more than I told you in my last post. So if you’re new to Airbnb, use my link, sign up, and get those dolla dolla bills, y’all.

Coming from Rome (and our tiny studio apartment), this place felt like a MANSION.

Here’s the front door, because I have some sort of obsession with European doors and their weirdly placed doorknobs that don’t actually twist.

We were on the top floor of this building. (Penthouse, baby!) And this fancy place even had an elevator… which we used exactly one time, because it was a tiny glass box that went reaaaallllyyyy slowly and made a creaking noise and also made me legitimately fear for my life.

So after you peek in the elevator to make sure there aren’t any trapped people trying to claw their way out, and then definitely climb the stairs because it’s safer, you go in the door, and there’s a cute little entryway.

Oh hey, #AccidentalMirrorSelfie.

Then, turn right around that corner to find a bedroom with a comfy bed – which was NOT even a bunkbed or a sofa bed! (I’m telling you guys, we got super fancy in Florence.)

(Okay, but it was actually two twin beds pushed together. That’s okay, we’ll still take it.) And don’t even get me started on that lamp! Because how can a lamp that emits pink light not also emit total #LUXE? We were stylin.

Next, here’s a section of the bathroom. The most notable thing in this picture is the shower. If you’re trying to determine whether there’s any glass (or other type of enclosure) around that shower, let me save you the trouble. There is, in fact, absolutely nothing. 

Which seems super minimalist and awesome. Until you try to take a shower. Because then you get to play the Shower As Fast As You Can To Try To Keep The Bathroom From Being Flooded With Two Feet Of Water game. And that, my friends, is a game you will never win. Trust me.

Here’s the toilet, with dual flush action and even a little cleaning strip wrapped around it. Next to that is the obligatory bidet. I know that all Europeans use those guys, but I can’t help but be a little skeptical. I usually find myself giving them quizzical side glances while sitting on the toilet, like “Why are those such a thing here? Should I actually use it instead of just giving it furtive looks while I pee?” One day, I’ll be brave and give it a shot.

For now, let’s continue to the living room.

Natural light, a couch, and a picture of a cat. That’s pretty much all I ask for in life.

The kitchen was cute too, and had all the essentials for a simple meal. Not a single place we’ve stayed has had an oven (due to hella expensive energy costs in Europe). We’ve gotten pretty good at stove cooking though.

There was also a big table! For meals. And writing blog posts. And scoping the internet for Beyoncé videos.

Our host left us a map, a bottle of wine, and lots of little snacks! 

And we all know that snacks are the quickest way to my heart, especially when Nutella is involved. And I will never turn down a free bottle of wine.

So this apartment was pretty great! Cheaper (and nicer) than the hostels in the area, freaking huge (compared to our place in Rome), cozy bed, swanky pink lamp, picture of a cat, and SNACKS y’all.

I really love staying in an Airbnb apartment and feeling like a local for a week. Except for maybe the Japanese gameshow style of showering. Which is truly an impossible task.

But I never even found any dead bodies in the elevator, and did I mention the SNACKS???

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