Nobody Knows the Truffles I've seen!!

Lame title? Possibly.

A 2 week long festival dedicated to European Chocolate? Coolest thing Ever.

This weekend, I headed to the town of Perugia for the annual European chocolate festival. Getting there was quite the process ( 2 coach buses for 2 hours- because one broke down; a 15 minute bus ride; a 15 minute train ride; walking up a large hill), but finally we arrived! Woo, Eurochoclate 2007.

The first part of the festival is held inside, and by inside, I mean in an old castle!! With the medieval atmosphere embracing me, I walked through what can only be described by a chocolate paradise. Room after room and every hallway in between was filled with chocolate of all kinds! Different experts set up their stands hoping to sell you their prized treats, all made with skill, delicacy, and pure deliciousness. The different regions of Italy and then other European countries group together, showing all visitors what they consider to be the finest chocolate around. After looking around the first few rooms, I ran back to a display that I could not get out of mind. Pieces of the thinnest wafer cookies ( they resembled potato chips!) dipped in swirls of white and milk chocolate. They packaged together in a clear gift back and tied with a beautiful cream ribbon, so clearly the 8 euro left my wallet faster than you can imagine. I am trying to savor every bite, but have a feeling they will go quickly!

Despite the beauty that was the town of Perugia; it's breathtaking really and the amazingness of being surrounded by chocolate, my next purchase was much needed. The weather was freezing that day, about 40 degrees! Up to the point, it has maintained a temperature of around 70 or 80 degrees, so I spent the entire day feeling like I was back in New England with my multiple layers. Hot chocolate was a must, and it was like nothing I have ever had here. Italians idea of hot chocolate is really just liquid chocolate. Picture a Hershey bar being melted right into your cup, ready to slide down your throat to warm you to the core and fill your taste buds every desire. Move over SwissMiss!

The next thing I bought was a present for someone else, but I am going to have a steal a bite when they open it. It was a cute little pie server, with a slice of chocolate on top! The best part was the chocolate looks like creamy milk chocolate, but apparently is its flavored like vanilla! Yummmmmm.

It was a great day of exploring and fabulous Italian pizza with chocolate tempting you with every footstep taken. Yes, I can eat a pizza by myself- don't judge! The weather was freezing, but luckily a band hit the streets walking up and down while blasting away on their saxophones, banging the drums, and blaring the tuba encouraging visitors like myself to follow their lead down the street. Once in a while they stop, and the crowd would gather around dancing and clapping to the music, truly just thankful for the joy they were bringing to the streets. At one point, a woman tried to drive her car down, but no one paid any attention as the band rocked on and the celebrations continued! I hope she wasn't in a rush, but really even without the band there is no way she could have maneuvered the crowds in her Smart Car

Ok so more pictures

Sampling our hot chocolate!

Sar and I re-enacting the boy and girl who are the advertisement for the festival... and you can kind of see the beautiful view!

Rocking out in the streets of Perugia! Do not, repeat not make fun of my hood. It was cold!

A little bit of fun after the end of a WONDERFUL DAY!

and peace.

Molly

Um guys.. who is Lui?

Ok Ok Ok! I've been really bad about this whole blog thing!! I am NOW updating about my trip to Ischia, even though it happened like the first weekend in October... yikes!

So that is Ischia! Hiiiii Ischia! It was a wonderful weekend. I've thought many many times the past year about what going abroad would be like and never did I imagine my time being spent on the beach. My roommates and I took the train to Naples( and somehow got put in first class woooohooo) after grabbing paninis from this wonderful place in Termini Station. Seriously, they are so good! The train was about a couple of hours and upon arriving we hunted down Tram #1 and where to find tickets, to take to the port. The tram delivered us the port, using its "ahooogaa" sounding horn to scream at the people that filled the busy streets of Napoli. The port was filled with huge cruise ships which was really fun to dream about, but we headed on a smaller ferry off the Isle of Ischia! The ferry took a little over an hour, and unfortunately for me I'm now apparently prone to boat sickness. I could not wait to get off. A short bus ride later and we arrived at the Forio port and main piazza in search of the The Ring Hostel.

Easily found, we immediately liked the staff ( and their mention of free Internet and breakfast) and we took off to the beach! A crazy photo shoot followed as we just acted silly enjoying the sun and the HUGE waves. The water was warm and the waves were wonderful. I enjoyed myself immensely. We later retired back to the hostel to prepare for dinner. The owners of the hostel also own a restaurant on the island and they offer rides there to the guests every night around 8pm. ( Pretty much they are guaranteed people to go to their place!) We met in the lobby and ran into a bunch of other students at AUR and all journeyed over together. And by "journeyed" I mean 16 people in a very small van! I should also point out that the streets in Ischia are more like alleys and rarely can a person even walk by a car in the middle. They are EXTREMELY narrow. Needless to say, no roller coaster will ever be thrilling after this ride. Our driver Lorenzo loved every second, especially when he exclaimed," Uh-oh the police! Duck!" Every twist and turn had me scared, but also laughing hysterically as I was thrown around in my place sitting on top and squished next to others. I don't think I have laughed that hard in months, which was very refreshing and much needed. The restaurant was absolutely amazing too. Every dish was home-made fresh and we lingered for about three hours getting to know one another. It was literally the best food I have had in Italy so far!

Ischia is a very relaxing, pay no attention to time type of place. The silliness continued with this "family pyramid" in the restaurant. ( I'm still not sure why it was called that) As you can see I am struggling to stay with the weight on my back and collapsed just a few moments after the photograph was taken bringing others down with me! Lorenzo then took us for death ride number 2 back to the hostel and we walked down to a bar inthe main piazza. We were a little hesitant with the lack of people there, but the piano man ( plus synthesizer) soon broke into some great hits including I will Survive, YMCA, All Night Long, and Frank Sinatra's My Way ( a karaoke hit around the world I hear!) so it ended up being great fun. We stumbled home tired and happy and ready for a full day in Ischia.

Unfortunately, the next morning I was not feeling well, I seem to have a virus every other week here! :( My roommates left for Negambo- a hot springs resort with natural and man made pools heated with the heat of the volcanic fluid that formed the island itself. I started to feel better in the late afternoon, and being very very brave and independent found my way there all on my own ( where to buy the ticket, where to get the bus, where to get off the bus, where the place was- it was such a process!) Anyway woo go me! It ended up being great fun and the quote of the day is when they were talking about "Lui"and I went along with acting like I knew him. I eventually asked Um guys, who is Lui again? and They stared at me dumbfounded as the reminded me that it is the pronoun for He. Clearly, my Italian is not fantastic. The night followed much like the evening before, minus no bar visits because we wanted to get up early to explore Ischia. The next morning, we shopped around the main piazza before boarding our hydrofoil boat back home( more expensive, but must faster and no seasickness=worth it!)

A Few final pictures for you:

All and All, it was a fun getaway and I'm really glad I went. Updates on my weekend in Pompeii, Capri, and Sorrento coming soon! :)

miss you all!

xoxo

Molly