Perugia

Perugia

lunedì 13 settembre 2010

Bus2Alps, thanks for saving me from boredom

Okay, so I know I've been complaining a lot about being bored and lonely, and y'all are probably like "hey, shut-up, you're in Italy". Well, I finally decided to take a stand against boredom this weekend and go off on an adventure. Not that teaching in a foreign country isn't an adventure, but for real Florence is like the "little America" of Italy. You know how they have little Italy in a bunch of cities in the US? Well Florence is the complete opposite. I mean, yes, I do speak Italian on a daily basis, and yes, there are a bunch of creepy Italians still following my scent, but there are also about 100,000 American study abroad students and just as many tourists. So I decided I needed some time out of the city and a new opportunity to meet people. My cousin told me about this company called Bus2Alps because she and her friends (and possibly me) are using them to get to Oktoberfest in Munich. So on Friday after my teachers meeting, I went on their site to see if this site was legit. Well let me tell you, I am in love. Most of you who know me know I love to plan trips. On my blackberry at home I had the kayak app on my phone which I used every day to check flight prices, hotel rates, etc. Well, Bus2Alps offers about 12-15 various trips across Europe, ranging from one day to 11, at very reasonable prices. Every trip includes at least luxury transport by bus, a guide for the day, and a handout about important sites and good places to eat. Longer trips offer extra options, like walking tours, breakfast, and hostel reservations. Well, I decided right there and then to take a trip over the weekend. The only one that was open was a day trip to Venice, which was fine with me because I love it there. Yes, it was my third time going there, but 1 day in Venice is just perfect (trust me, you really don't need more than that). I also made a reservation to go to the Eurochocolate festival in Perugia (home sweet home), and I'm looking into going on this awesome trip they have during fall break to go to Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Paris. Seriously, this site is my new travel addiction.
So I woke up Saturday bright and early and trekked it to the train station, where I met up with my group. Of course, I was the oldest person there, besides Mike, my tour guide, but oh well, I don't have a problem with babies. So we loaded up the bus and spent a nice three hours drive watching "Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist" (kind of cute, way better than "Nights in Rodanthe", Sherry) and chatting. We arrived in Venice to perfect weather, sunny and 75, and proceeded to hop the water taxi out to some of the surrounding islands. So I've been to Venice twice before, but I had never been out to Burano, the island closest to Murano, where they blow all the glass. It is definitely worth the trip. The island is famous for its lace, as well as its colorful houses. For all of my Charleston people, imagine if Rainbow Row had been transported to Italy, been put on an island, and multiplied by hundreds. There you have Burano. So I walked around the island with Mike the tour guide and badgered him about how someone can get his job, because it really sounds too good to be true. After a lovely hour or so, we hopped the ferry to Murano, where of course, the girls went crazy shopping for Murano glass items. I even bought myself a souvenir, this awesome ring that is half the size of my middle finger and is made of swirly white and red glass, like a giant peppermint. After Murano, again we hopped the water taxi and booked it for mainland Venice. We checked out Piazza San Marco, which was full of pigeons and tourists, as always. We walked over the rialto bridge and checked out the grand canal, and we went on a search for cheap food in Venice (which is near impossible, since Venice is probably one of the top 5 most expensive cities I have ever been to). We ended up at a local trattoria, where Mike convinced me, but no one else, to try the local cuisine. I ate spaghetti with squid/cuttlefish that was cooked in a sauce made from the ink of the fish (just imagine black spaghetti with bits of grey stuff in it. Did it look appetizing, no. Was it delicious, YES! I'm happy that with age I have become quite adventurous with food. I love trying unfamiliar things (remember the fried sea creatures Allie?). After dinner, we spent a while just enjoying Venice by night, then we took the water taxi back to Tronchetto to pick up our bus. Overall, a lovely day, where I got to talk to a lot of new people, including two girls from CofC, eat good food, and enjoy the beauty that is Venice.
The next day, I slept really late because I was exhausted, lounged around, then called Mike the tour guide because he had told me about a bar in Florence showing American football on Sundays and said a lot of expats would be there. Well, he didn't pick-up, but I decided to suck it up, get some guts, and just go to the bar by myself. I ended up meeting up with Mike there and meeting a cast of characters ranging from "Cheese", an Australian club promoter, to Tim, an international real estate salesman. Though I talked to a lot of new people, it was a bit like sorority recruitment, with me just going up to strangers, introducing myself, asking them where they were from, what they do, etc. I'm proud that I actually broke out of my funk, and maybe I will continue to just go out and be that creepy loner at the bar, but at least I will meet new people and hopefully start to make friends here. I'm just glad I discovered Bus2Alps and will hopefully continue to meet lots of cool people and experience new places on their tours.

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