Blogs from Umbria, Italy, Europe - page 35

Today we went to Assisi and saw the church of St Francis and the tomb of St Francis. It was a free trip because there is an Italian boy, Filippo, is interested in my roommate Sarah. He called a friend of his to also drive, so we had two cars for the two Italian boys, and five American girls. Shannon stayed in Perugia because she went to Assisi with her parents before everyone else from the program got here. It was a really beautiful trip, and really nice to have the boys show us around. After we got back from Assisi (it's only 20-30 minutes away by car) we went to dinner at a place called Eden. It was as much wine as we wanted with a pasta dish (prima), salad and bread in between, and ... read more

Today intensive Italian ended with a practical lesson/field trip during our "survival" session in the afternoon. Our professore had us walk down to Piazza Italia (down the pedestrian-only main street from Piazza IV Novembre and check bus schedules and ask a few questions about the bus at the ticket stand. It was very cute, and I always get excited about field trips. Last night everyone went out for an aperitivo (free appetizers if you buy a drink) and to the bars. I wanted to come back, so Shannon walked back with me around 11:30, and I had a very awkward interaction with a guy from Lebanon who is studying at the University of Foreigners. He asked if I wanted to practice Italian sometime, and I probably should have just said I didn't want to because I ... read more

We were sad to leave Rome, but excited to start the 'travelling' part of our tour. We headed south from Rome via Monte Cassino to Pompeii - what an amazing city frozen in time. It was extrememly hot (and some of the yanks whinged like there was something our guide could do!) but we really enjoyed it. We saw some bars (with wine holders), some residential homes (with gardens and everything) and then Luke's favourite - the red light district - complete with beds and even the girls 'menus' written above their rooms! From Pompeii, we continued on to Sorrento for 2 nights. We just loved Sorrento so much - so laid back, yet so charming. We joined an optional tour and had a seafood dinner in a restaurant right on the water - literally - ... read more

I got very lost today, for the first time. It was really good for me. I had to ask a woman for directions. She didn't speak any English, and was also foreign, from the Ukraine. We used what little Italian we had and she helped me a lot. Eventually I spoke to an Italian woman who directed me back to the Piazza IV Novembre, because I knew I could find my way from there. We began classes in Italian today. I like my professore. His name is Francesco, and I think I'm going to learn a lot. It helps that right after class I have to go out to the Piazza and buy a pizza for lunch or whatever it is I need. I had three hours of Italian in the morning, then attempted to find ... read more

The last time I talked to anyone in the United States I sat on the floor in the airport in New York. I recognized that the group of people sitting together who were about my age were probably headed to Perugia as well. They were almost all from Elon University in North Carolina, which was terrifying. The flight was uncomfortable, and I had a hard time sleeping. I think my favorite part was seeing a couple of the boys in my group smile to each other when they heard the stewardess offer wine to everyone with the meal. We made it to Zurich, which is beautiful. I think I'm going to have to visit Switzerland someday, because landing there was a great way to begin a trip in Europe. We flew from Zurich to Rome, then ... read more