Today we went to Cortona for the afternoon. This is a nearby hill town, and is actually our town's rival because of the controversy over who has more historical Etruscan ruins. We took a bus, which I learned today costs less than one load of laundry in Italy. The bus dropped us off in town, and I was told we were going to hike to the top. I figured it couldn't be worse than Castiglion Fiorentino, and I was VERY wrong. All I can say is I definitely deserved that gelato I had tonight.
We stopped for a bite to eat on the steps of the church in town. We actually found some American students studying in Cortona, and they told us about a discoteca they found - we will definitely have to check that out! They just got to Italy 4 days ago, and start school on Monday.
After our little snack, we started our trek to the top of the hill. We had to take three or four pit stops, but we made it. We also made a furry friend. There was a dalmation running around with a pink bedazzled collar, she was very friendly and adorable and followed us around for a while. At the top of the hill there were great views of Cortona and a nearby lake, although it was a foggy day so pictures weren't the best. We found some grave stones with ancient writing on them, and we used them as a playground.
We hiked back down to catch our bus home, and I found that pretending to be an airplane makes the downhill trip go much quicker. While we were waiting for the bus we went to a beautiful park and played on a playground for a bit. Then we almost got run over by the bus - note to self, do not approach the bus until it is in park with the doors open.
When we got home I decided I should probably do my laundry, since I have literally run out of shirts and have worn the same pair of jeans for three weeks. I had the option of going to the laundromat and paying 8 euro for one load of laundry, or washing my clothes by hand and hanging them to dry outside. Since I have had the influence of one Eric Smeltzer for a few years, I lugged my laundry down five flights of stairs to the outdoor wash room, which turned out to be a sink. There was no hot water, so after my hands went numb I just washed away. I realized after an hour that it was getting dark and harder to see and I really had no idea what I was washing. I would just wash, rinse, throw on the line, and repeat. I successfully washed all my laundry and hung it on the line to dry, even though it was dark out, and now my entire wardrobe is hanging outside under a tent, in the rain....
We had a tasty dinner and played a game of poker and have been fighting with the internet since. There is a chocolate festival in Perugia that the Orvieto group wants us to meet them at, but with all this travel we're feeling exhausted so that probably won't happen. I will be wearing sweatpants for the next couple days while my clothes dry, which is another reason Perugia isn't looking like a good idea.
Cara Marie
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