Me and Ursa in Perugia

The other day my fellow volunteer here on Lake Trasimeno and I set off to Perugia for the day. We walked outside to the most beautiful day thankful to see the small ripples on the lake, the brilliant yellow leaves hanging from the trees, and the simple pleasure of walking around the small village (only 120 people) we’ve called home saying “buon giourno” to everyone we passed.

We decided to take off walking and try our luck at hitchhiking our way 20km up the road to the much more bustling town of Perugia. As luck would have it, we were on our way in no time.

We spent the Sunday afternoon exactly how a Sunday afternoon should be spent in Italy.

We strolled, stopped for a plateful of pasta and wine, strolled some more, coffee break, we continued walking the hills of Perugia, stopped for a pastry, continued and stumbled upon an antique market in the piazza, stopped by what the locals told us is the best gelateria in town for some gelato, continued our walk through town only to find ourselves stopping for coffee once more.

Before we knew it, the day had passed us by, and we had spent the entire day leisurely taking in the town. It was lovely and enjoyable, and I am quite certain this is what the Italians mean when they talk about il dolce far niente – the sweetness of doing nothing.

As we sat and sipped our coffee talking about love, life, travel, and simple pleasures, Ursa turned to me and in her Slovene English accent and said you know, we are so lucky, I think right now our lives are like these Italian cobblestone streets and beautiful terraces – perfect in every way.

I knew she was right.

Perfect Italy. Perfect beauty. Perfect day. Perfect company. Perfect for the fact that we have the freedom to do as we choose.

This year is the first I have spent away from my family during the holidays in several years, and sometimes I tend to forget that for me, this is the most difficult part of traveling. I am very sentimental, and I like being with my family on special occasions. But, it never fails, when I am not there, I find sweet souls that come into my life and I able to call them family for the time we are able to spend together. This Thanksgiving, I was able to share the time with two fellow volunteers that I now call wonderful friends and we cooked our Italian family their VERY FIRST Thanksgiving dinner.

It was all perfect. Full of laughter, new friends, mixed languages, and new experiences.

“We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment but it is transient. It is a little parenthesis in eternity. If we share caring, lightheartedness, and love, we will create abundance and joy for each other. And, then this moment will be worthwhile.” ~Deepak Chopra

I am thankful. So thankful. For my friends and family that are with me for a lifetime, and for the friends that come in and out of my life if only briefly. For everyone I meet, I feel that I take a little piece of them with me.

Pictures from our Thanksgiving Celebration

Part of our feast!

A toast to new friends. Of course, we added some Italian wine!

Even The Italians look The Americans after eating!!

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