Last Thursday and Friday (Feb. 4th and 5ht) we went on a class fieldtrip to Perugia, a hill city located in the region of Umbria, just North of Rome. Along the way we stopped at Villa Lante. It has two huge gardens; one is a more refined, kept up space where the other garden is more wild and free. It was gorgeous here! We all took a lot of pictures of the water fountains, the gardens and the views of the surrounding Mountains.
We then went to Palazzo Farnese, which is about an hour from Villa Lante, but it ended up taking us longer because there were many detours. But this time gave us all time to catch up on our sleep! I think everyone slept each time we were on the bus; which was a double decker bus! It was neat to sit on top level and see over the top of the trucks that drove by. You definitely can see more when you are up higher on the road. It was so beautiful seeing the countryside of Italy and driving the Hill Country. Palazzo Farnese was not that interesting, but it was funny watching the huge double decker bus try to fit down the tiny, twisty streets of Italy. Eventually the driver gave up and made us walk to our destination. After we toured the Farnese family’s mansion, we went to a little family owned store for food tasting. We had bread with three different toppings: olive oil, artichoke dip, and sundried tomatoes. We also had wine and locally grown hazelnuts. Everything was very tasty!
After Palazzo Farnese, we were own our way to Perugia. We ended up getting into the town around 530, and once again had to be dropped off a little ways from the top of the hill and hike into the old part of the city. Perugia is very pretty, and because where we were staying was the older part of the town, we looked out over the newer part and out to the Mountains. After some wrong turns, we finally found our hotel! It was cute, and like every other hotel and hostel, was tucked away in a back alley.
After everyone was settled in their rooms, we were told that there was a 3-course dinner all set up for us at a local restaurant. Boy, they sure did underestimate how much food would be served! The “1st” course was brought out to us was bread with 2 different cheeses, salami and prosciutto, garlic hummus, and barley rice salad. Once that was gone, they brought out another course. We all thought this would count as the 2nd course seeing how they specifically told us it was going to be 3 courses. This round consisted of more bread, something that resembled a mix between a pizza roll and a quesadilla, and mini ham and cheese sandwiches. Also, during this whole time, we have unlimited amounts of wine, which was very delicious! The best wine I have had in Italy. So after this second round of appetizers, came the spaghetti. Seeing how this was the 3rd round of food and it had meat sauce, we all thought this was it. We were all content and happy that the food was so delicious. But to our surprise, the waitresses brought out salad and potatoes and thin slices of pork. The potatoes were deliciously roasted in olive oil with garlic and salt and pepper drizzled over top. These were definitely my favorite part of the meal. And yes, we got yet another round of food after this. This round consisted of pork chops and sausage; both equally delicious. By this time, everyone was starting to moan and not being able to move because we were getting so full. After all this food, they then brought out chocolate pie and coffee. I wasn’t even disappointed that they didn’t have a second dessert option because I was so full.
The next day, we were told our drawing assignments and were supposed to explore the city on our own for 6 hours! We spent the 1st our completing our drawings, but by this time our hands were so cold that we could not even move our fingers. It was definitely colder on top of the hill with the rain coming down. But overall, this trip was a success and got to see some beautiful places I would not have known about if I was traveling on my own.
VALENCIA, SPAIN:
The day after we got back from Perugia (Saturday Feb. 6th) Katie, Laura, Kristen, Kayla, Sadie, Anna, Chase and myself all flew out to Valencia, Spain for our only 3 day weekend. What a great time we had! We weren’t really sure what to expect seeing how we kind of randomly chose the trip because it was relatively cheap and the dates worked with our schedule. I was kind of expecting it to be like Mexico, but I was surprised how much I liked the country. I would definitely go back.
We were also very skeptical about the airlines we were flying with. Once we got through the minimal security and to our gate, we were surprised to see groups of people sitting on the floor because there were like 5 benches for people to sit on. By the time it was time to “line-up” to board, people were huddled around the desk, hoping to get to the plane to get a good seat (no one is assigned a seat, it is first come first serve). We then had to be shuttled to our plane and get on by climbing stairs that attach to the side of the plane. I thought it made me feel like the president or an important person who gets to board from the tarmac. I don’t think the people running from the shuttle to the plane felt that way. But low and behold, everyone got seats next to each other and the flight was pretty smooth; slightly scary at moments but overall it wasn’t too bad. But I couldn’t help to think that the airlines track record couldn’t have been that good because when we landed, people started cheering because we made it safely.
Seeing how Valencia is on the coast, we all wanted to see the beach. The weather was really nice, 65 and sunny, so we decided to try and walk to the beach from our hostel, Home backpackers. Turns out, we weren’t as close as we thought and we ended up finding the beach an hour and a half later! We did walk by the soccer stadium, however. It was neat because someone had just scored right as we passed and everyone was cheering and yelling.
That night we all had Paella for dinner because Spain is supposed to be famous for this dish. All of our meals were good, but fairly pricey for the quality and amount of food we got. We also all had a glass of sangria which was delicious!
The next day (Sunday Feb 7th) we headed out of our hostel relatively early to hit some shops and head to a park created by Santiago Calatrava. It is still weird to me that all (or most) shops are closed on Sundays and most restaurants or cafes do not open until at least noon. So much for a rush for business! We found the park and it was gorgeous! It tops central park in my books. There were so many palm trees, fountains, dogs, rollerbladers, runners, walkers, elderly etc. Everyone was out enjoying the day. On our way to the Calatrava buildings we decided to rent 4 person bikes and stroll around the park for a half hour. Some of the looks we were getting were priceless! I guess seeing 8 American college students ride 4 person bikes would be a site to see!
In this park is also a series of Calatrava Buildings (pictures below). These are simply amazing structures. They are truly revolutionary and inspiring. They bring a whole different meaning to the word ‘modern.’ One of the buildings in the series is called Oceanographic, which is a mix of a zoo and a giant aquarium. There were so many different species from all different parts of the world. We also went to a dolphin show which is always exciting! We couldn’t understand what the announcer was saying but it was still and entertaining show. The entrance fee to get into this place was 20 euro but we all felt like it was worthwhile.
Today (Sunday) we also had extremely good food. It was probably some of the best I have had since I have started my travels. For lunch we found a place that sold Kebap’s. They are like gyros, but with chicken and a slightly different sauce, but boy were they amazing! This meal also came with fries and a fountain coke, which added to the goodness of the meal. For dinner that night we went to a restaurant called Wok to Walk. It was stir fry that was made in a wok and you could pick and choose the different ingredients and sauces, then once it is done cooking they put it in a to-go container so you can ‘walk with your wok.’ It was so good we went back the next day and had it for lunch! I don’t know if it was literally that good or it tasted that good because we had not had that kind of food since we have been in Italy.
Sunday was also the day the Super bowl was on, so all day we were trying to find a place that was showing the game. It was kind of tough finding somewhere, but someone finally told us a bar called Finnigans MIGHT be showing it. So after drinking some wine and relaxing, we headed to Finnigans to watch the game. When we got there, they were showing the game, but they kicked us out at 2 am (which was halftime of the game) because they were closing.
The next day we got up hoping we could go shopping, which ended up being successful! I did not buy anything, but it was still cool to walk through the shops and see the Spanish style, which I personally really liked. It was more relaxed and unique style, unlike here in Rome which seems to be more polished and pristine. After shopping, we had to leave for our plane, which like going to Valencia, was a bit scary at times but we still made it home safely.
I loved Spain. It was nice to get a break from everything being so old all the time and looking at ruins and churches. Even if the buildings were old, they were still nicely kept up and clean. Neither place is better than the other, it was just nice to see a change in the countries styles. I couldn’t complain about the weather either. It was gorgeous! I was able to walk around in a t-shirt and jeans one day and a dress and leggings the next. It was 65 and sunny on Saturday and 65 and cloudy on Sunday but it was still comfortable. My “perfect” weather!
These last couple days have been filled with studio from 9-5 with only an hour break. Talk about a long day of drawing! I am extremely grateful of all my experiences here and learning not only about architecture and the culture, but also about myself and loving it! Some days are harder than others (especially the rainy ones) but this is a great opportunity that I am learning more than I ever thought I would have when I first started this journey. I can’t believe a month and a couple days has already passed. Time is flying!
Enjoying reading your blog.
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