Obstacle #1: Evidently, that talk Chris gave me about voltage and what international converters will and won't work with didn't quite sink in as well as it could have. After the sparks, the smell of something electrical burning, and the flashback to that bad movie with Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy where he sets the hundreds-year-old hotel on fire, I called the front desk to report my idiotic decision. Try finding a word for breaker in a language that you don't know. He came up right away and reset everything, and he was nice enough not to laugh at me to my face. I must say that this hotel is quite nice, in cost and in quality and service, despite its low cost (about 60 Euros per night).
Obstacle #2: When Scott and I started exploring yesterday, we left from McDonald's (surely our cheapest meal of the trip) which was across from the train station, not from the hotel. And on our way back, we got a little turned around returning to the hotel. So I thought my best bet was to start from Mickey D's and the train station. When I got there, I realized that I didn't know which way we turned when we left. But I thought I knew the general direction of the Duomo, and if I could find it, I was certain I could find the Piazza della Signoria and the Medusa statue.
I was short on time following my lesson in electricity, so I was rushing as much as possible. I passed a lot of things I remembered seeing yesterday, so I hope I was on the right... oh, wait... I saw these things late in the afternoon yesterday... when we were going... back to the hotel... and we were lost. Sure enough, the hotel's road (Via Santa Antonino) was on my right as I rounded the corner and saw the train station.
Obstacle #3: I didn't ask for a map of the city before leaving the hotel. Since I was nearby, I decided to stop and get one. Who would have thought that having a map in a city you're completely unfamiliar with and have already been lost in twice would be so helpful! Yes, sarcasm.
Obstacle #4: I made my way across the piazza and spotted Medusa at 1:40pm. Scott was gone. So I was left to question: Would Scott try to find me, or would he think I would eventually figure it out and go on with his day? I waited until a few minutes after 2pm, and after several men sat down beside me trying to start conversation. Then I confirmed that he had either gone back to the hotel in search of me or gone to eat and wander the city on his own. Either way, I finally knew where I was, knew what I wanted to do and see, and there was no way in hell I was going to walk all the way back to the hotel, especially since there are 1,500 different vias and turns where we could miss one another. When I finally bumped into him, I found out that he waited until 1:30pm, figured I would be ok, and went on with his day. Whew!
In an attempt to get my bearings without using the map as a crutch (or a stretcher), I tried to retrace our walk from the day before, making note of relief carvings and noted (or unnoted) trattorias, which are cafes where you can get quick sit-down service. Osterias are also sit-down, but the meal is much more in-depth and often takes a couple of hours to eat. SACI will be taking us to Osteria ____ on Wednesday night as an opening dinner.
From Piazza della Signoria, I passed the Uffizi (Art Gallery/Museum) where Scott said he planned to spent much of the day. (Note to students: The Uffizi is closed on Mondays.) We're planning to see it tomorrow. I made my way to the Ponte Vecchio, the shops on the bridge across the river.
I played camera ballet with another photographer maneuvering for the perfect shot from the S. Spirito/S. Niccolo side of the river.
Or maybe he was flirting. After a street vendor followed me for 2 blocks asking me my name and if I was single, I stopped noticing the guys who lacked similar determination. If only American men worked this hard!
My most used Italian word has been "no," said firmly without eye contact and without my typical Tennessee twang. In fact, said with a Spanish accent if anything. And I must note that Ms. Poole and Mr. Nichols (Heritage High foreign language department) would be proud of how much Spanish I have remembered, and how helpful it has been.
English: How do you say ___?
Spanish: Como se dice ___?
Italian: Come si dice ___?
Today, I ordered lunch and after-dinner dessert in Italian. Patatine=French fries. Yes, lunch at McDonald's again. That saves money for caprese (buffalo mozzarella and tomatoes); bruschetta with pruscuitto, garlic, and olive oil; and the best pizza in Italy! And yes, I agree.
I Ghibellini. It wasn't far from Dante's home and Scott's second favorite gelado place. He got Amarando (sp?), a cherry mix. I got Frutti di Bosco, raspberry and blackberry.
I found Vivoli's on my own this afternoon, which I'm told is quite a feat since it's very far off the beaten path and almost impossible to find unless you know exactly where it is. And even then, it's elusive. In fact, Scott and I walked by it tonight, and he didn't recognize it until I pointed it out. It is also closed on Monday's, but I hope to visit again on Wednesday or Thursday.
I tried to view the city as a study abroad student would. New, exciting, filled with opportunity, ages-old beauty, and charm. I haven't felt such a strong inclination to purchase a sketch book since I was a junior in college, sitting in downtown Wilmington and tracing the lines on the building fronts with my eyes. I have no doubt they will fall desperately in love with this city, its history, its art and architecture, and its people. They will not want to come back to High Point, but when they do, they will be in great shape.
Italians eat simply, and they walk a lot. Walking is the most common means of transportation. Scooters are the fastest. People walk in the streets wherever they go, and they cast one eye across their shoulders when they hear a scooter coming. It whizzes by, and they step back into the road. Since many sidewalks are only a foot or so wide, it's a required skill.
Tomorrow we will visit the Uffizi and the Academy Gallery (Michelangelo's David is there). Then we will catch a 3-hour train, or 1-hour if it is available, into Rome to visit the American University of Rome (a new HPU study abroad program), the major sites, and tour Vatican City on Wednesday morning. Then it's back to
Florence. We're discussing taking a short bus/train ride on Saturday into the Tuscan countryside--perhaps Siena, Chianti, or Pisa. After being in the city for 2 days I am excited at the opportunity to get out of town.
It's nearing 2am, and I'm wide awake! A side-effect of sleeping late and being so excited that I don't want to miss anything! I will pay for this tomorrow.
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