Making Up For Lost Time

So since slacking for almst a month, I would say in the past week I have been a champ about actually writing. Mostly because I am actually in Perugia and not travelling around Perugia. So since today was absolutely beautiful I spent some of it outside until I was forced in by the cloudy cold and my Italian homeword. The weather here definitely reminds me of home because there is no climate, just unpredictable weather.

This next portion is really devoted my mom and dad, but anyone who wants to shower me with gifts upon my arrival back the US is welcome. Last night I had a dream and in this dream I went on a shopping spree at Target to buy those little drink packets you can mix in with your water. I was unaware that I missed these little things, but since waking up I have been craving the sugar free grape kool-aid single serving pouches. So this got me thinking, what would be things I would love for there to be when I got home? This is not to be a downer, because honestly I would choose Italy over any Crystal Light packet. So mom,please take some notes...

1. Obviously, Single serving drink mixes.
2. Tide Total Care Laundry Detergent
3. Ice cubes
4. Biolage Volumizing Conditioner
5. Iron Suppliments
6. A belt
7. A new car (totally worth a try)

On another note, during me spending some time on the beautiful steps of Perugia I actually got a lot of journaling done and here are some things I came up with:

I think somewhere, there is an old Italian woman inside of me. I get no greater joy than to realize there is beautiful weather outside and push open our shutters with all of my might (this of course, is something I picture little Italian women doing). I would personally like to challenge anyone to find me a more beautiful sight than a sunny day in Perugia. An old Italian man once told me that in nice spring weather I would want to sit on the steps of the church until my cheeks were red and burned. He was right. Springtime is coming and I couldn't be more thrilled. I had a friend actually tell me last night that although she was sure that she would come back to Italy later in life, she wasn't sure that she would come back to Perugia. This, to me doesn't make sense. I think this might be where that Italian in me comes into play. Italians are usually very rooted in their hometowns and rarely move from them. To be honest, I haven't been rooted to a single town in a while. My heart is in so many places, it only seems natural that part of it stay in Perugia as well . Some of why I love Perugia reminds me of how I fell in love with my college. While I could say I just ended up in both places and ended up liking them, I think that might be an understatement. My best friend and I always used to make fun of Presbyterian College and call it a cult in high school. We did such because everyone who went there said they loved it, but no one could tell you why. Now that I go to PC, I can tell you some qualities about it that I like, but cannot really give one solid answer of why I love it there. Perugia, to me, is the same way. It isn't that we have a Colosseum or giant famous sculptures, or grand sights to see. I think that those things are nice, but it isn't why the cities that have them are great. What Perugia has to offer (at least to me) are many things that are not traditional. Perugia offers Italy's fourth ugliest cathedral, one famous fresco tucked away in the city, town characters that can always make you smile, and places that make you feel at home after only a short while. Now, I realize I am biased, but these things all sound appealing as a place to live. It never gets old going on a walk and seeing the panoramic views around the city. I sure hope this won't be my last visit to Italy, but surely not to Perugia.

In the meantime, Psychology is calling my name. I want to get my work done so I can enjoy tonight with friends and (hopefully) a sunny day tomorrow.

I fall more in love everyday.

So literally, I am in love with Perugia. You can ask my friend Kelsey, as she probably heard me say it about 987988 times on our walk today. There is nothing more beautiful to me than this small town on a hill. Today, her and I literally walked around to see what we could find. There is something charming about getting lost in Perugia. We walked anywhere and everywhere and I saw the actual University of Perugia today, after 2 months, its about time I did. The school is a lot bigger than I expected, but the exterior is really beautiful.

Before and after our walk, we spent some time on the stairs. I know I have written about the stairs before, but honestly I have a love of them. There is something about sitting on the steps in the sunshine and just watching life happen before your eyes, as corny as that sounds. Some of my personal favorite sights on the steps include small children chasing pigeons, parents chasing their small children chasing pigeons, unknown dogs wondering around, and seeing friends and family meet up. I want to live on these steps, but as far as I can tell as long as at night time it remains a popular drinking place amongst college kids, I do not want to wake up surrounded by the remains of someone's rough night. There is something peaceful about them and majestic even if I am the only one who thinks of these stairs in that light. Not to mention, the stairs true highlight, I believe they are the only porportionate stairs in the entire city. Italy is not known for its easy staircases.

So I realize that I mention food alot when I write, but mostly because it is something I am asked about a lot living in Italy. So I thought I would share about a very special resteraunt I ate at with my food class this week. Not that I am fortunate enough for my teacher to take us all out, but once a month he picks a place and the first 5 students to respond get to go and have him buy us drinks and side dishes with our meal. I got to sit at his table for this one and it was incredible, probably the best food I have had thus far in Perugia. The place is technically an illegal restraunt because by law it does not exist. When you go you fill out a form and you join the association for the rights of the elderly. By doing so you are joining the "club" and can eat there. Not sure how this works, but basically the little Costa Riccan lady doesn't pay taxes, the food is cheap, and I now have a membership card. The food is phenomenal, she is known for her guacomol which is just cut up and marinated avacado and tomato. I personally have tried the farfalle there which is little bowtie pastas with pine nuts, shrimp, basil, and cheese. HEAVENLY. Also she cooks everything herself and the potatoes, if you get them, you can actually watch her stick in the fire while you are waiting. For side dishes they have wonderful baked potatoes seasoned with salt, pepper, and olive oil - and if you want it, a little gorgonzola cheese. Also, I would recommend the grilled zuchinni and eggplant. Please do not get concerned about me eating all of this in one sitting ,it was more of me trying everything. Anyways the place is precious, and called Osteria del Tempo Perso, which translates literally to "Lost Time." The name is correct because with a group of 8 people, countless amounts of food, and 4 liters of wine, we never noticed we were there for almost 4 hours.

Tanti Aguri, Italia!

Well, today is a big day for the tiny country of Italy and the Italians are very proud. It is the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy! While Italians are very locally oriented and love their home towns, today is a day for everyone to celebrate Italy as a whole. It is actually interesting because Italy is a fairly young country, only unified in 1861 and has a very long past. There are Italian flags everywhere and every store display is themed Red, White, and Green. These displays include shampoo bottles, lacoste shirts, and furla bags. Needless to say that Ireland may have St.Patricks day, but today belongs to Italy.

On a side note, today I watched the Amanda Knox movie. If you are unfamiliar with this story, it is about the murder of a college student that happened right here in the little town of Perugia. It is actually a really sad story and the fact that there is lifetime movie about it is a little disturbing. I did enjoy getting to see some scenes from around Perugia during the movie, even though not all of them are here. Basically like all lifetime movies, it was a little sappy (fantastic) and for the most part poorly acted, which makes for a good dinner and movie night with friends. Hayden Panettiere was a super creepy lead role, which I guess when they are trying to portray a murderer is a good thing. Regardless, it is sometimes hard to remember that this event actually did happen and there are actually trials about 5 minutes from my apartment every Saturday and I live about 2 minutes from the University for Foreigners she attended.

In general, if you asked me right now, I would tell you that Perugia is the most beautiful place on earth but this week has been pushing my limit on crappy weather. Perugia is beautiful, but in the rain I would place it on the list of sad places on earth. Not that anywhere is fun in the rain, but I feel like since I am in such a wonderful place, all rain does is keep me from seeing pretty things. Perugia needs to step up its game because I need to go sit on the steps and be in the sun.

Pictures from about the past month of my life.

Me About to Feed Molly Fish

National Gallery


Just Because Mary Poppins Fed the Birds, Doesn't Mean You Can

ICEBAR

Tower Bridge

Emily and I in the London Eye

Me By the Monte Carlo Casino Garden

Part of the Italy Float at Carnevale in Nice

Me And WATER

Carnivale Decorations in Nice

(Still technologically challenged on flipping)

A Beautiful Church near Placa Massena in Nice

Notre Dame

The Eiffel Tower Lit Up On My Birthday

Me in the courtyard of the Louvre

I am the worst blogger ever.

So really, if there is a worlds worst blogger, it is me. But in my defense, I am living in one of the most beautiful places in the world trying to remember that I am a student and also trying to see as much as I humanly can during five months without going broke.

I will try to break this up so its not ridiculously overwhelming, but a lot has happened in the last couple of weeks.

PARIS

• Since last wrote I am one year older, on the 18th of February I turned 20. Not only did I turn 20 which is arguably the most boring birthday ever, but I think I might have made it one of the most memorable birthdays for myself. I woke up at 5am the morning of my birthday and flew to Paris with three of my friends. I feel like not that many people can say that they got to get into the Louvre for free on their birthday or see the Eiffel Tower light up at midnight. It is really interesting for me, at least, that unlike any other birthday where I enjoy spending my time having it be about me, I chose to make this one for me. I did get one present to actually open on my special day and that was a precious travel journal from my friends I had come with. The next day we got up early and went back to the Eiffel Tower to travel up to the top of it, strolled down the champs elysees, climbed to the top of the arc de triomphe, and went to Notre Dame during mass. We also eventually found the Hard Rock Cafe of Paris so Marie and I could buy Tshirts, but that was a struggle in itself. It was amazing how quickly the entire weekend went by, but it was absolutely fabulous and I cannot believe how beautiful Paris was. I wish I spoke more French, though.
  

There is a small break in my travels for midterm week which was ridiculous mostly because you have no idea how hard it is to study in Italy. Absolutely little to no motivation involved. Alas, I did well on my tests and they weren't that bad at all.

SPRING BREAK
NICE

• The first part of my spring break I spent in Nice, France. It was the most needed dose of water ever being right near the ocean was the perfect way to spend a vacation. Luckily, we happened to stuble upon Nice during the Carnivale season which means that it was perfect for the five year old in me. All of the decorations for Carnivale were so extravagant and huge and there was confetti EVERYWHERE. Especially in our hostel floor upon our arrival after the big parade. The parade was so much fun, Emily, Molly and I met some man who asked me if I needed a new hat and when I said no, proceeded to dump confetti all over me. Not to mention the extreme amounts of confetti that he threw on us all during the parade for two hours and when he got his hands on some silly string, that was all over us as well. It was amazing how the whole Carnivale season brought out the kid in everyone and everyone seemed to be friends and just want to douse each other in tiny bits of paper that seem to multiply. The parade had a theme of the Mediterranean this year which meant that all of the floats represented different things to do with the Sea or various countries. So naturally, we got excited to see the Italy float and we now have a general idea of the Italian stereotype in France: Pinocchio and a woman with giant rotating boobs sitting on a pizza delivery vespa, accompanied by a bunch of crossdressers. It was so funny, I have so many pictures from all of these floats. Some other unusual parade highlights were: a caveman running around with a blow up cavewoman and a float with Israel and Palestine giving each other a high five. For future reference confetti reproduces and is still being found in our apartment.
• Besides just the Carnivale activities, which I am still in absolute awe of, we did do other things. One such thing was a day trip to Monaco. Monaco was rich, beautiful, and a little bit rainy, but it was still really nice. We walked through the Grace Kelly memorial garden which was interesting because it actually looked different from the last time we were there and there were awkward naked sculptures. We also walked around the casino, but seeing as I am not 21 yet, I am still not allowed in the famous Monte Carlo casino but I think I can live with that. We walked around the harbor and ate sandwhiches while looking at some of the most amazing and expensive yachts I have ever seen. We walked up the hill and saw the changing of the guards at the palace and then walked around a beautiful childrens playground and garden. Also, as a side note Monaco is home to what I believe to be the worlds largest Seagulls.
• We also went around Old Towne Nice and went to the top of the Chateau which had some amazing views. One of the highlights was the trip on the little train. I am such a child that I talked my roommates into riding on this touristy little train that took us all around Nice and made fun little train noises. Needless to say I was in heaven.
• Lastly, one of the most fun things to talk about on trips: food. My goal on trips is to try to eat things I can't normally and also currently-to eat cheap. So I consumed shrimp on several occasions, something I haven't quite braved myself to do in the landlocked region of Umbria yet. Emily and I fell in love with a wonderful Chinese restraunt called Pai-lin and found one of the foods I miss from home: shrimp chips. For those of you who are unfamiliar, one of my favorite places in the world to eat at home is in Conyers called Baan Thai. Baan Thai has introduced me to these wonderful little rice chips that taste like shrimp and they are 1 euro for a bag and you can find them in any chinese place in Nice, France. I also ate a fish burger, which was amazing. And lastly the greatest food find in Nice: SOCCA. The worlds most magical food is socca. It is the classical food of Nice and is made on these big copper dishes and made in a wood stove. It is made from nothing but chickpeas, olive oil, and flour, best accompanied by black pepper. We found it in one of the fair areas, and all I can say is that I wish fair food in America was just as delicious.

SIDE NOTE: The airline that we flew to all of our destinations was called easyjet, but do not let this name fool you. There is not much easy about it. Other names that you could call easyjet are complicatedjet, cattle hearding, or everyonerunforyourlives jet. It is one of those discount airlines where you have to fight for your seat....and your life. You know you might be in trouble when your boarding ticket says in all caps: IF YOU DO NOT GET TO THE GATE ON TIME, WE WILL LEAVE YOU.

LONDON

• After another fun easyjet flight that we could've missed because the police didn't show up for border control in Nice on time, we finally made it to London....or atleast another set of border control. Considering the fact that Italian customs are a joke, it was interesting actually being questioned as to why I was in a particular country. No worries, the guy even appreciated my sassiness when he asked who I was traveling with and I pointed and told him "those lovely two ladies behind me." We finally got to our hostel after catching the very last underground about 1am London time which is 2am Italy time in order for us to pass out and call it a night. The next day we woke up early and decided to forgo the tube and walk to Parliament to meet up with my friend Kevin who was interning there. It was probably one of the main highlights of the trip becuase on our walk we passed Buckingham Palace, the Natural History Museaum, the Victoria and Albert, Westminster Abbey, and countless parks before meeting up for our tour of Parliament. Parliament was very nice and if our buildings for US government looked that beautiful, CSPAN would be much more interesting. After wandering around Parliament, we went to the Parliament bar and had a government subsidized beer which also for Me, Molly, and Emily was breakfast. After that we went on to our next adventure to the London Eye. Although it is painful to pay how much it costs to ride on the London Eye, about 18 pounds which is right at $30. But well worth it, I loved the London Eye and actually got a phone call from my Mom while on it. The views were spectacular, and as always, I was super excited to be near water. Our last adventure for Wednesday was the London Ice Bar. It is this crazy little bar made completely of ice where you have to wear these heinous blue capes and gloves just to be able to stay warm-ish and hold your cup that is made of solid ice. It was a lot of fun and although we were exhausted, we took lots of rediculous pictures and had a great time. Side note: I have no concept of how degrees Celcius convert whatsoever. I was told that it was negative 7 degrees Celcius to which my response was "Isn't that like -40?" Not one of my most proud moments. I also left out that we also went to the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge Wednesday too as well as Trafalgar Square, and attended a service at St.Pauls so many things in one day.
• Thursday was a lot of fun and devoted somewhat begings our devotion to art and museums because they are free and fun. We went to the Tate Britain to start off our day which was very nice and had a lot of hands on things which the teacher in me loved. They had a room where people could sketch copies of different famous sketchings and Emily and I now or atleast did have art on display there.
• We also went to the Victoria and Albert Museum and saw tons of beautiful things from all of the world. We also made a friend who works there named Oliver that learned all about America from us. I have convinced him to visit Atlanta because he has been disappointed in some of the touristy things he's seen in the US. I hope he comes and I see him. We also went to the natural history museum which brought out the child in me, yet again. Emily and I had a wonderful time in the dinosaur section and I had a fun nerdy time in the Human Biology exhibit. We also went into a Sex exhibit there which had too many graphic pictures of turtles and giraffes, and it almost ruined penguins for me. Another on of our fun museum ventures was to the Tate Modern. I think that having an Art History major for a roommate has really made me appreciate art more and especially modern art. Not to mention there were some good Picasso pieces there as well as some Andy Warhols.
• Our food and drink adventures in London were a lot of fun and since London is a lot bigger than Nice, it opened up a lot more options for us to find foods we wanted and were missing. Emily found humus, which was a big deal and led to us buying some from a grocery store everyday. Also, we got to have FISH AND CHIPS. Which was amazing and we even got Molly Toolan to eat a bite despite her irrational fear of fish. We also got to have the experience of a night in a pub, which also happened to be one of my friend Julianne Crew's favorite pubs in all of London. I had some amazing Lamb meatballs and the three of us all fell in love with Strongbow. Sidenote: we have found a small Irish pub in Perugia that serves strongbow now, life complete. One of the other big food highlights of London, particularly for my roommates was finding a Chipolte which is basically like a Moes or Barberitos. It was a delicious thing considering when I think about foods I miss from America, they are mostly Mexican or Asian...so a burrito was a good choice.

All in all spring break was fun, especially when we realized we couldn't take the last bus home back to Perugia from home and would have to take the very last train before having to be stuck in Rome for the night. We had a lot of fun minus being exhausted and even managed to go out for a little bit on Saturday night minus severe sleep deprevation and me having a travel panic attack on the airport shuttle.

I think atleast for now, I am sticking with small trips around town minus my trip to Seville at the end of the month. There is just so much to see around where I live that I don't want to neglect little Umbria. This weekend, however I will be going to see a sorority sister in Florence and am very excited!

Will post pictures soon! Sorry for my jumbled ADD thoughts!