Saturday, October 17, 2009

candy-coated


our tour guide at bologna university in a room where they studied corpses


eataly, seller of fine books and food. beautiful, really.










for Mama



well-hydrated



eurochocolate festival: first stop, sachertorte



i tried roasted chestnuts for the first time. and i love them.


nut roasters



willa's hunk



nutella-filled-crepe artiste

cioccolata calda: italian hot chocolate, not something for the weak



chocolate kebab. duh.


tip of a monstrous iceberg



vendor


marzipan with dark chocolate and a walnut, thoroughly enjoyed


peruvian goods


chocolate puppy




we belong here.

In a whole-hearted attempt to overlook upcoming midterms, we embraced local adventures this weekend, only a mere bus or train ride away. With our program, we visited the small, yet well-paved city of Bologna, an hour outside of Florence. And after our roundabout tour wherein I forgot all mention of historical relevance, Willa and I enjoyed the simple sweetness of window displays and autumn sun. However, and I say this quite fervently, one of the shining moments of my time abroad (and potentially my time on Earth) was our blessed trip to Perugia, Umbria: host city of the infamous Eurochocolate Festival. It was like walking into a personal childhood dream, stumbling into countless quantities of beautiful sugary edibles, and falling effortlessly into a delectable delirium. With what seems to be winter’s early arrival here in Italy, we were all wrapped up and pink-nosed, making our taste-testings all the more enjoyable and holiday-spirited. Be it endorphins or sugar-high, it was pure happiness.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

enheartened


hostesses

maxwell took me on a rowboat ride in wonderful retiro park

palacio de cristal: i'll live here one day

rattail in my future frontyard

mission accomplished

Daddy, look- madrid likes middle-eastern style

:)

at the real madrid/utah jazz game. they're from utah, america.

scary pooh

chueca

white gurl in her room

they are very good to me

Samanther, Jennica, and Ellie’s Señora opened up the doors of her beautiful home to me this past weekend: meals and snuggling time included. The girls and Maxwell were outstanding tour guides as they pulled me in and around metro stops, museums, shops, and squares. And even though I was challenged (to put it simply) by the Spanish lifestyle, I subtly settled into a surprising sense of home. I find it difficult to describe, but my time there seemed to have nurtured a subdued hunger. It gave me open sidewalks, tall trees of the prettiest green, sweet silence, and the warmth of those kind souls I have been missing. I love Madrid.

Monday, October 5, 2009

city mouse country mouse



first impressions

overwhelming alley

willa sampling some gnarly limoncello

bakery case

produce from an obscure alleyway

naples is known for its nativity scenes: miniatures for days

first look at positano

i like it when vines do this

heavenly colored water

souvenirs for my friends...the men, not the shirts

Mama, i thought you would have liked this church

thee coast

greetings


truth serum

fierce

font of great discussion

lights

on our way back from dinner

positano in the morning

A little inner-country travel: this past Thursday, Willa and I started off the weekend visiting Naples, served to us with a healthy dose of gloomy weather, city smog, and Neapolitan locals. In short, the city was a bit too city for my suburban tendencies, so our next day's trip to Positano, a small and steep beach town south of Naples, was much welcomed. Our hostel sat atop almost tropical-looking and overgrown greenery and overlooked deep turquoise waters, and when combined with the misty rain, made for an alternative yet picturesque postcard. And being as quaint and charming as it is, the teeny town couldn't fulfill our sunkissed-deficiency, and we headed back to Florence in the morning. Another highlight of the past week was that I was able to see my beautiful Mama and Kimee for the first time in over a month via the magic of Skype! I loved it and hope to see Baba and Sierra very soon. After actual schoolwork this week, I'll be in Madrid, Spain to see some of my favorite rascals.