Frutti di Bosco
Today was a short day. I had every intention of waking up at a decent time and getting a good start on the day. However, when construction workers started jackhammering my sidewalk early this morning, those plans went out the window. It shook my entire building and was even louder than the street sounds I’ve started to become accostomed to. I ended up staying in bed extra long to make up for the missed sleep. To exit my door, I now have to walk across a plank spanning the gaping hole where my sidewalk used to be. I think they’re doing some plumbing work, but I’m really not sure. I plan on wearing earplugs to bed tonight.
Mary and I decided to visit the Duomo today. It was absolutely beautiful, especially the hand-painted inside of the dome. The floor is also very beautiful with many changing patterns. You can climb to the top of the dome, but we’re going to wait for a nicer day because it costs money. That’s one great thing about being here for 4 months instead of just a couple days–we have the luxury of choosing an activity based on the weather.
We also did a little bit of shopping and went back down to the Arno. Tomorrow, we’re planning on going to Fiesole–a small town about a 30-minute bus-ride away.
It was suggested that I provide a new Italian word/phrase with each of my posts. So, the first tidbit is “frutti di bosco,” which means “berries.” It is the (somewhat simple) name of the jam that Mary and I have already become addicted to. I’m thinking I’m probably going to need to bring some back with me, as I’m pretty sure I could get it through customs as it’s in a jar. Which reminds me, I discovered that I accidentally smuggled a banana through the Italian customs. I assure you that it was entirely a mistake, as it had been in one of my bags since. . . I honestly don’t know. At least 5 weeks. And yes, it was pretty gross.
