The town is also known for it's more expensive shopping, so I was looking for some jewelry and sunglasses, but to no avail. The streets were cobblestone, which was painful for me because I was stupid and wore sandals. The streets are so narrow and winding here in Italy... it is so scary to ride in the wide buses because the drivers go extremely fast and at times can be packed with very little space right between two walls.
After hiking up the hills and streets, Courtney needed a drink, so we stopped at a bar for some water. I was tempted to get a glass of wine, but the menu was a little more pricey than I was willing to pay. We then made our way to a recommended gelato shop. This experience is my favorite so far on my travels here. The gelato man was SOOO great! (He didn't speak any english.) While deciding what flavor to get, I pointed to the "fragola vino" flavor. He brought out a glass and bottle of wine, poured us a glass, and let us sample the wine for free. We were a little confused, but then I realized he was letting us sample the wine that he used to make the gelato flavor I had pointed to. So funny. I bought a scoop in a cone for one euro. He was just so animated and kind... it was a great experience.
I could have just sat around Asolo all day... it is so beautiful and peaceful. All of Italy is, really... it makes me feel so carefree.
Last night after dinner, me, Krista, Courtney, Jaime (all from Tech) , Danielle and Katie (KU) went to the bar at a hotel near campus and ordered some drinks. They were playing American music, which was really weird. I never thought I'd hear lil' wayne in Italy. There were other CIMBA students and some Italians drinking there too, and it was an enjoyable time. The group walked down to the Pizzaria run by Fabio, an Italian man that provides taxi service to a lot of locals here. We ordered pizza and it was great! I love the thin crust and light sauce the Italians use.
Jaime, Krista, Courtney and I are almost done planning our trip to Cinque Terre and Pisa this weekend. I CANNOTTTT wait, it is going to be fantastic. We have found a few great hostels and plan to hike through the five different cities. I had never really heard of Cinque Terre before, but after reading about it, I am thrilled to go. There is a man, Alberto, who works in Paderno, that loves to share his traveling experiences with the students who come here. He is not associated with CIMBA, but they recommend using his services. He has offered to bus many of the students directly from Paderno to Cinque Terre and back for a price similar to what it would cost for us to travel hectically by many buses and trains. He is very kind and speaks English well, and I trust he will be a great chauffeur.
It is hard to find time between class and travels to post, but I am still trying to get into a routine. I plan to set up a photo album soon and post a link on here for pictures. I will talk about campus life and classes (which I LOVE) in a later post. As for tonight, I plan to take a quick trip to Possagno, eat dinner on campus, then go for some drinks with Danielle and Courtney. Ciao!!
