where the food looked anything but appetizing, yet tasted divine...and on friday they went with us to Perugia to the world's largest chocolate festival...that night i met up with my friend Jodi from Australia that i met in Mongolia last summer...it was so weird/amazing to see her...and so cool that we have been in two different countries together...she brought along her friend Peter...and all throughout i couldn't get over how great it was to be sitting in italy, eating truffle pasta, with two australians, listening to them give me advice on life...life is good...anyway, i said goodbye to Jodi, and Peter, and promised Jodi i'd come to Australia...it is such a blessing to be able to say goodbye to someone who comes from a completely different world and know (or know that it is possible) that you are going to see them again...
friday night, Amy and i boarded yet another overnight train to Brindisi, Italy...where we took a ferry to Corfu, Greece...the train ride, sadly, wasn't uneventful...first of all, we weren't in beds this time...chairs...that "recline" simply by thrusting your knees into the person across from you...we switched carts three times...first, because the window wouldn't shut...in the second car, this man listened to us talk for a while and then said "you like italian trains"...we told him yes, but that we thought it was weird that there were no women...seriously, there was not a single woman on board...he responded with "that's because this is a dangerous train"...super...eventually we all sort of maneuvered around to get semi-comfortable...none of us could really sleep though...and the man across from us kept staring...so, we moved again into a cart with only one other person...we were so happy...but just as we were about to fall into a deep slumber, this crazy man came in talking incredibly too loud...apparently we had taken his seat...so after much confusion, and a very rough translation from the other man in the car, amy and somehow positioned ourselves across two seats...the crazy man talked about his basket of 
mushrooms for about 30 more minutes...then got up and left...i have no idea what he did for the next 6 hours, but we didn't see him until about 8 when he came back for his mushrooms...amy and i decided that he probably had been out with his pig looking for truffles, when they stumbled upon a huge pile of them...they were both (the crazy man and the pig) so happy that they rolled around in the dirt (because the man was filthy) and immediately got on the train, only to realize that his truffles were sadly just typical mushrooms, which is why he was so obnoxious...anyway, we survived the train ride...and then got on our ferry to Corfu...which was great...lots of space to move around...i began my the first harry potter book...and am now helplessly addicted...
now let me preface the rest of my weekend with this...amy and i went to Corfu because four of our friends were already there...they found some spectacular deal at this hostel called the Pink Palace...which is the most widely known hostel this side of the Atlantic...i should have been more weary just going along with it, and not checking it out on my own...but, we arrived to ofcourse, a bright pink building...about 30 minutes outside of Corfu...they took all of the new arrivals down to the "palladium" for dinner...right when i walked through the doors, i was taken back to the summer after 6th grade at Camp McDowell...after dinner, we found our friends and the palladium transformed into a night club basically...and they don't serve water so that you'll buy drinks...it was ridiculous...and there was nothing we could do, but dance...
the next day was already sunday...we woke up and saw Corfu for the first time in daylight from our incredible ocean side balcony...sweet...then we opted out of the popular "Booze Cruise" and instead Amy, Caitlin and i went kayaking...so beautiful...since it was october, the weather was a little chilly...as was the water...no swimming...but we walked on the beach a lot...and picked oranges from a random tree...the booze cruise eventually returned...Cathy, Steph and Chandler informed us that we missed out on the naked cliff jumping...darn...
the pink palace is not just famous for its booze cruises though...every week they have a toga party...complete with pink togas...so before dinner, i helped
everyone with their togas (thanks to my 3 years at camp desoto) and we went to dinner/party...amy and i people watched for a long while...we especially enjoyed this one guy who we nicknamed "dancing sneakers"...but i couldn't stop wandering how we had ended up here...wearing pink togas, watching people who think they can dance pop, lock and drop it, and feeling completely out of place...we couldn't figure out how so many people would be so excited about putting on pink togas...but ya know, sometimes you have just got to roll with it...and so we did...for the second night in a row, just with togas this time...anyway, i don't want to sound like i had a bad weekend...it wasn't bad at all...if anything, it was relaxing...just really not how i had imagined my greece trip going...i wanted to meet grecians, and eat food i can't pronounce and get really lost...so, we left the pink palace early and spent monday in the town of corfu before we caught our ferry back...
we made it home fine...thankfully, without having to ride an overnight train...but good news...we are going to budapest tomorrow on another overnight train...i can't wait to sleep upright again...peace
shout outs...
kimmy...practice hugging me on caspian
becca...BURLEY TOBACCA'
addi...you win the "most excited about a postcard" award...congrats
liz...pa-pardon me...did you just say berries? berries and what else? WUAHHHAA
eli...do the race car, ow ow ow...see you soon
