Perugia Chocolate Festival

October 15, 2010

My friends and me by a group of promoters.
They were wearing "chocolate ravioli suits!" ha ha

Today we boarded a bus en route to Perugia, Italy for the European CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL! Can you believe such an amazing event actually exists? I guess I am living in a dream world, right? We arrived in Perugia at around 11 this morning feeling refreshed from a short morning nap on the bus. Like a lot of the cities in Italy that we’ve visited, the main city center of Perugia is built up on a huge hill. Luckily, they have recently installed a tram system to bus you up and down the hill. We boarded the tram and were speedily carried up the hill! It actually felt pretty futuristic, being in a little capsule and flying at high speeds through a tunnel. After the tram, there were a series of escalators to travel up (what a relief to no do any strenuous hiking!). 

Chocolate bananas! So Yummy!  :)

Once in the city center, the atmosphere shifted. There were hundreds of little white tents set up along the street with the most famous vendors in all of Europe showcasing their delicious treats. There was chocolate with nuts, chocolate dipped bananas, chocolate with rum filling, chocolate dipped cherries (my favorite!), gummy bears dipped in chocolate, fudge, cake, warm brownies, any kind of brand name chocolate bar you can imagine, and even hot chocolate to drink. Also, the more odd chocolate tasties: Chocolate sausages, Chocolate ravioli, and Chocolate liquor. There was an entire theme park dedicated to chocolate, complete with a Ferris Wheel, fun house, and other spinning rides. There were contests going on to compete and win huge chocolate bars that were twice the size of a family van. We all quickly grabbed the chocolate we thought looked the most delicious (like a scene from “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”) and ate it, in silence, on a wall overlooking the beautiful rooftops and country side of Perugia. After that, we did it again, then a third time. After the third time, we were feeling a bit queasy so we decided to take a break and explore the town a little bit. We did a little shopping, then sat down and had a nice lunch (real food this time, no chocolate ravioli for us!). After lunch, we did a little bit more exploring, ate a little more chocolate, and then hopped back on the tram to meet our group. Although we had a fairly unproductive day, it was just what we all needed before beginning our intensive studying for midterms (this week! I can’t believe we’re already half way!). What a delicious day! J  

The view from our chocolate tasting spot!
Vellissimo! (Very beautiful!)

A huge "Milka" (brand of chocolate) Ferris Wheel

Chocolate Sausage!
A possible new feature at Hollandale Grocery? Consider it?

A great group of guys promoting hot chocolate and
chocolate ravioli! 

An awkward experience for the day. 

Before we sat down to have a bite for lunch, I decided to use a public restroom. In Italy, you have to pay to use the public restroom, so I dropped my 50 cents in the basket and proceeded to the stall. The woman working in the bathroom pushed a button to open the stall, and there was a loud sound of hydraulics, like she had opened a capsule on “Star Wars” or something (very futuristic town I must say!). I stepped inside the bathroom and the door closed behind me, trapping me in. I looked on the wall and realized I had 88 seconds to complete this task, totally achievable, right?! Wrong! I then looked around for the toilet paper, and unable to locate it, I pressed the button to open the door to ask the woman where it was. The door closed on my head in the process so I pressed the button a second time to open it again. This time she pointed to it, I grabbed a couple squares and proceeded to sit down on the seat, not watching the countdown on the digital clock. Just as I began to relieve myself, a siren begins to sound and the whole entire little space begins to get sprayed down by a sprayer on the back of the toilet. When I say whole entire room, I mean the whole entire room, including me, still sitting on the toilet with my leggings down. I started screaming, as the ice cold water (or toilet cleaner, or sewage water, or whatever it was) misted me down. As this was happening, the door automatically opened, exposing me to 4 people standing in the “lobby area”. I frantically pulled up my leggings the best I could (they were SOAKING!) and ran out of the bathroom as quick as I could. I am a little traumatized from this 88-second ordeal, and am not about to use a public bathroom anytime in the near future. Just thought I would share my “exciting” experience of the day with you! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT GLORIA! :)

I HOPE YOU HAD A GREAT DAY! 

LOVE YOU!