European Chocolate Festival

So, since I am currently awaiting the arrival of the entire Taylor (and now Murray) clan and Ellen is off galavanting in the east (you should all get REAL excited for that blog post, I can't wait to hear about all her adventures), I figured that now was as good a time as ever for the next post.

This week in Perugia (formally the home of Amanda Knox) is the European Chocolate Festival. Yes, you read that correctly. EUROPEAN CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL. Last Saturday, Ellen, Kassie, Kait, Hannah, David, Conner and Harry and I all hopped the train (along with -I'm pretty sure- all 6,000 of the other American students in Florence) and headed to the (COLD!) north of Italy to indulge ourselves a little in the deliciousness known as European chocolate. Needless to say I was unprepared. Chocolate and chocolate related things were everywhere in the city. Vendors selling cioccolato caldo (milk, dark and white hot chocolate), chocolate covered fruits, chocolate shots, chocolate kebabs (the most creative dish from the whole festival), chocolate crepes, baci (Perugian chocolate kisses), and of course all different kinds of just good old chocolate blocks. After exhausting ourselves eating chocolate and dancing to the Cioccolato song (a song for the festival that played constantly throughout the city) we had lunch at a very cool pizzeria owned by the most precious old Italian man. Energy renewed we got back out there and downed some more chocolate and bought plenty to take back to Florence with us (well maybe not plenty, sadly Ellen and I ate all of ours by the next day). Then it was back on the train and straight into a chocolate coma. Best festival ever.

Welcome to Perugia!

Pumped up about some chocolate!

Seriously that's just a large column of chocolate that he's shaving.

First purchase of the day! (chocolate covered apples)

Chocolate covered bananas

Cioccolato Caldo

This is Kassie dancing to the cioccolato song, ain't she cute?

Baci!

XO

Chocolate crepe!

Chocolate shot!

Perugia

Tour Guides Out the Window

Dear Confused (myself included),

I have spent the last 45 minutes trying to upload pictures. Things I could have done instead: 1) studied for my religion midterm, 2) studied for my literature midterm, 3) done my Italian homework, 4) gone shopping, 5) attempted to find warmth somewhere in this country, 6) actually written the text to go along with the pictures. Sadly none of this happened, and now I have to take above mentioned midterm (see #1). But no worries, we are halfway there and afterwards (when I should be doing #2), I promise to organize these pictures and tell you all about them. I will even forgo #4 for this, though it will probably happen simultaneously with #5 (no heat until Nov. 1st, what??). So no worries, friends, and wish me luck!

Romeo, oh Romeo

So last Saturday in true "Ellen and Miriam take a trip" fashion, Ellen and I along with our friends headed to Verona. (after racing through the Santa Maria Novella station for a near miss with our train- David and his still injured leg hobbling along after). Verona is incredible. A small city with quaint architecture its streets are broad and beautiful. While it does have its fair share of tourists (over 1600 Japanese tourists at Juliet's house each year, according to dear old Rick Steve's), the crowds are much more manageable- none of the overwhelming tour guided groups of blonde mohawked, graphic tee wearing Germans, or iPod in their ears, Abercrombie decked American students that you get in Florence. The town has actual trees (hallelujah!) and a whole district of designer shops, a coliseum, Roman ruins, a central market full of fresh fruits, a Dante statue, a castle complete with costumed vendors (sorry no pictures of the castle, my camera died) and of course is the home of our favorite star-crossed lovers. After a full day of sightseeing we left Verona with full stomachs, sore feet, fun pictures and sadly no Romeo. But hey we're only half-way through our time in Italy, he's still got plenty of time to come find us right?

Third largest Roman coliseum

The gang: Clara, Anna Claire, Kait, Kassie, Ellen (with little Ricky), David and David

Us in front of the ....

Casa di Giulietta

Didn't see any letters to Juliet but there was plenty of "Amore" graffiti

David and Juliet

Me, Ellen and Clara on the infamous balcony... Clara is actually performing the balcony scene to the applause-giving crowd below

Making our (free) hand-made monogrammed card to commemorate our trip

(Sorry you didn't get one David, but like the guy said, "Just for the girls")

At the central market!

The oh-so-serious Dante (oh yeah, have Ellen and I mentioned we live next door to the 'Casa di Dante'?)

Roman Ruins

The pied piper of Verona

Towers and..Nada

If you haven't heard and/or guessed, we have become quite the jetsetters. Maybe not quite the European variety you are picturing I'm sure (although you should scroll down and read about our glamorous Parisian weekend if you haven't already), but jetsetting none the less. Trains, planes, and automobiles--we have done it all. And by all, I mostly mean Pisa, where we have spent more than one occasion stuck in the train station (this disaster necessitates a blog post of its own...get ready for THAT saga).

Besides the train station, it turns out Pisa is known for a few other things. Things, meaning this kinda famous, slightly crooked tower, and...that's about it. Turns out there's not actually much to do in Pisa. Despite the lack of activity, we came, we saw, we took cheesy touristy pics (unfortunately wont load...will try again later!), and we conquered. Maybe not on the top of my must-see Italian lists, but a fun, relaxing day trip nonetheless!

Mary Haley tries out the Italian train system for the first time!

The group!

Pushing it over? Or holding it up?

The famous tower and a flawless sky

A little more leaning-ish.

Afternoon napping in actual grass (this is a big deal)

Beautiful sunset over Pisa

Which, okay, we watched from the ground. Thanks for taking one for the team, David and Conner!