La fine della settimana e adesso

Ciao!

I've got more pictures to upload and more updates to give on life in Perugia. I miss you all and hope everything back at home (or wherever you are!) is going well.

A recap of this past weekend (la fine della settimana, for those who don't know):

On Thursday night Mallory arrived in Perugia at the quite creepy train station just outside the historic part of the city. Normally it wouldn't have been quite so creepy, but being anywhere by yourself at night in most parts of Europe isn't such a great idea, and Perugia is no exception. Luckily Mal made friends with some awesome Aussies on a month-long "summer" tour of Italy, and they protected her from the strangers lurking nearby. After we took a taxi to the city center, we dropped off the luggage and headed to Al Mangiare Bene for some yummy calzones-- and somehow we both managed to finish ours, despite their enormous size. Then, after walking around the city a bit at night, we bought a bottle of wine and hung out at my apartment for the rest of the night.

Friday we set our alarms for 11 so we wouldn't sleep through the whole day, and took a walk down past the Universita per Stranieri and stumbled upon a museum of sorts while we were searching for a creperie. The museum was basically a big tower with a few small exhibits about the history of Perugia, and a pretty great view of the city/countryside at the very top. Unfortunately it was very, very windy and cold that day, so it wasn't quite as enjoyable as it would have been otherwise. After the museum, we finally found the crepe restaurant and finished off some savory crepes.

For the rest of Friday we strolled around the city taking pictures, window shopping and eventually buying gelato at Augusta Perusia, where I vow to become a regular. This place makes the BEST hot chocolate. It's more like hot fudge than hot chocolate, really, but it's just incredible. Their gelato is homemade, and they also sell chocolates and other goodies, all prepared by the husband and wife duo that have owned the place for nine years. I stopped back again yesterday for more hot chocolate. I just can't resist going there.

Friday night Mal and I met up with some of my friends from my program at a 5 euro apertivo at La Tana Dell' Orso, a local bar. FYI, La Tana Dell' Orso means bear cave. The apertivo was a great deal-- it included a glass of wine along with an all-you-can-eat buffet of quiches, pasta, vegetables, nutella and a bunch of other delicious food items. After that, a few of us went to LunaBar for a nice relaxed night of sipping cocktails.

Saturday two of my roommates, Mal and I took the minimetro to the Saturday market, which was actually a lot different than I expected. It was held out in a big parking lot, and it was huge. But it was much more industrial, if you will, than I expected. The stands were very repetitive. You'd see a bunch of similar looking hats being sold on one row, and then the next row you'd see the same hats being sold by a different vendor. It wasn't like everything was handmade, or even cheap for that matter. Also, there were fewer produce stands than I'd expected. A couple booths sold meat and cheese, but the sight of a chopped open pig carcass didn't leave me feeling very appetized. I'm glad we experienced the market, but I don't know that I'd go back.

Later that night, overloaded on carbs and pasta dishes, Mal and I decided to go out for, of all things, sushi. Yep, believe it or not, after one week I've already had my fill of the all-carb diet. Although right this second I could really go for a pizza or some pasta-- but that's a different story. The sushi I had saturday, spicy salmon I think it was, definitely satisfied my senza pane (without bread) craving.
After sushi, we drank some wine and explored the city some more. Lots of fun memories from that night.

Sunday I woke up bright and early for the Arcadia day trip to nearby Lago Trasimeno, where we watched a pasta-making demonstration and learned about sustainable agriculture. The place was called an agriturismo, but they are basically a community center that puts on programs for the community and lets people volunteer by farming and cooking the local produce. We were served an "interesting" meal for lunch. The homemade olive oil on bread I can't complain about, and the local Umbrian beans on bread were pretty good, too. But a strange piece of meat was slopped on the plate alongside the other two mentioned dishes. It looked like someone had sewn together eight different parts of some kind of animal, without cooking it, and placed it on a plate. We were also told that another mysterious slice of bread was covered in lard. Yep. I took a bite, just to be adventurous. I did not, however, touch the funky slab of meat. I guess Italian food isn't always what people picture it to be. Olive Garden might need to revamp its advertising.

Because I have to run for lunch soon, I'll throw in a few last words now. Yesterday was the first day of real classes, and I like all of the ones I'm taking so far. The professors are really enthusiastic and want us to learn. I think creative writing (about nonfiction travel, no less) will be perfect for me, and I'm excited for Italian cinema, too. Yesterday I also discovered a library right near my apartment, where I can sit down and attempt to read newspapers in Italian. There were *zero* Americans there, which I loved, and I was able to enjoy some peace and quiet and practice my Italian.

I'm still trying to find my niche here in Perugia, but I think I've really figured out what my goals are for this experience over the last week. Coming here made those goals even more clear for me than when I was back at home planning the semester. Even when it's difficult or scary, I'm going to try to remember what I'm here for and pursue the things that matter the most to me.

Well...I promised pictures, but I've got to grab lunch before I skype with my parents, so you'll have to wait until at least later today! A dopo!