On Tuesday, we went to Vatican City. We toured the Castle of Saint Angelo; at the top, there was an amazing view of the city of Rome. The funny part about this area of town is that on the first day, Paige and I walked around the castle and everything and never noticed the Vatican just a little ways off. It's funny how when surrounded in a city of beautiful buildings, some can be easily overlooked. But believe me, once we got closer to it, I was in a state of shock. When they say "world's biggest church", they really mean it. It was fantastic! Inside was so delicately designed. Pieta was phenomenal.
We moved to Florence yesterday, and it was a day of much sleep. It was about a 4.5 hr bus ride from Rome, and I slept most of the way. I did get to see a lot beautiful Tuscan landscapes and traditional homes during the times when my eyes were open. When we arrived at our apartment, we settled in and then had to wait for our Land Lord to arrive for a meeting. There was a three hour span that we had to wait at home for him, and he came 15 minutes after those 3 hours were over! It's okay though because since it's so hot, I spent the whole time sleeping. Our apartment is beautiful though! The living room window overlooks San Lorenzo basilica and market, and to the left, we can see the Duomo. Each of our bedrooms has a bathroom, and we even have a little set of stairs that goes up to a very nice sized terrace! It's great to look over the rooftops and at the mountains in the distance or to sit there in the dark and listen to the city.
It didn't take long at all for me to realize differences between Rome and Florence. I feel much safer walking in the streets in Florence. By safer, I mean, I have a smaller fear of getting run over because the streets are much smaller, so there are much less cars! At the same time though, it can be weird because the men are much more forward here than Rome. In Rome, they would whistle or shout out a "Ciao, bella." In Florence, the men come right up to you and start talking all sorts of cheesy pick-up lines like, "You dropped something...my heart." One man came up to me tonight and put his hand lightly on my arm, saying, "Ciao, bella. You beautiful. I love you." It's so hard not to laugh. Thus far, no one has been rude or violent or anything. They're just funny! I know not to respond to them, but really, sometimes I just want to laugh. Like when we first moved into our apartment, the six of us girls were walking into the building and men on the street were stopping to watch us. "New sexy ladies, here." "Must be models." "Mmm, sexy." Sometimes I just wonder about them. What do they expect us to do, really?
Today, we had our first experience of being sent off into the Mercato Centrale (Central Market- an indoor market that is open in the mornings with all kinds of fresh foods). It was beautiful, really. "Voire dua, per favore." "Basta?" "Si." "Uno y trienta." "Grazie." "Prego." (Excuse my spellings!) I haven't taken any Italian yet, but it's wonderful to put a foreign language to use. Even simple conversation makes me heart smile. The market is chaos. I have learned that you really have to speak up to get what you want. Use your elbows a little, you know? I spent less than ten euro and got enough fruits to last me, hopefully the weekend. I love it. Can we start this in America, please? Kill the manners. Make life a chaotic mass of beauty.
I find myself comparing everything to America. I guess that's supposed to be normal with culture shock or whatever, but it makes me dread the thought of actually having to leave this place. I know that I still have weeks left here, but it feels like I have been here for a long time. I don't know how else to explain it.
Oh my goodness. So I said about the cars being very little and everything. I think those Smart cars are made out of plastic or something. I was walking down the sidewalk, and someone was trying to un-parallel park. It was quite amusing. There was maybe an inch on either side of the car, and the driver backed up, smashing right into the car behind them before pulling out of the parking spot. Instead of smashing, however, the bumpers bent together in a bouncy mesh like the bubbles in a lava lamp. It was hilarious. No wonder all of the cars in town are so scratched up!
There's just something about getting a stamp in your passport when you travel abroad, and guess what? I didn't get one! I'm so bummed about it! Is that a stupid thing to be upset about? I was really hoping to have a goal of filling my passport with stamps before it expires, but how can I do that if they don't stamp?! Instead, I have to pay 18 euro and fill out some Declaration form. I don't want an expensive piece of paper. I want a stamp! Argh!
Okay, I'm done! Anyways, umm, I mailed 8 postcards today, and it cost me 13,60 euro. I wrote them as if there would be a follow up, but I don't know if I can afford one! Ha! If you get one, enjoy it because you probably won't get another!
Tonight, we had a cooking class on the other side of Pointe Vecchio. Our instructor, Fabrizio, taught us how to make fetticcini pasta from scratch as well as tiramisu and a delicious apertivo! At the end, he even gave us a copy of the recipes! There was no way that I would have remembered everything as we went. It was very fast-paced! Fabrizio was impressed with my egg-cracking skills, but not so much on the tomato slicing. I cut big sandwich tomatoes, but he wanted thin, stackable tomatoes. "No bene," he shook his head. Oops! Nevertheless, everything was delicious! We were all so proud of ourselves!
Today, we took a tour of Florence: just a basic walking tour. Near Pointe Vecchio, there is a mass of locks just hanging on one of the roadside barriers. It's beautiful. Our tourguide said, "If you want to lock a love forever, you hang lock and write names on it and throw key in the river. That way, you never lose love." I love it. Maybe I should make one for Italy and me.
Blessings.
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