We’re Not Lost, We’re Just Exploring
Grocery shopping with a dictionary.
Live “statues.”
The Arno River.
Waking up in the morning to the sound of street musicians.
Picking a street and finding where it leads.
Amazing conversations with Mary.
Cooking our first meal—Farfalinne pasta with meat sauce and frozen peas.
So I’ve decided if I really want to look like a local, I need a black puffy jacket with fur trim, tight jeans, boots and a scarf. Of course, I will never pass as a local as I can just open my mouth and it’s painfully obvious where I am really from. Maybe by the end of the semester I can at least take the “painfully” out of that.
Mary and I have decided on our motto for the semester—“I’m not lost, I’m just exploring.” I saw it on a bumper sticker the week before I left the States and I think it’s perfect.
Today was another exploring day. Neither of us are completely adjusted to the time zone yet—we slept until about 1 pm—so the day time was somewhat abbreviated. It was also pretty gray with complete cloud cover. Still, we decided to go down to the Arno because that was Mary’s favorite place the last time she came to Florence. After seeing it, even on a not-so-pretty day like today, I’d have to say I agree. We crossed over one of the bridges lined with gold shops—another thing Florence is famous for—and explored the city on the other side. We found some beautiful streets and views of the city. We will definitely be going back on a prettier day to enjoy it some more.
I’ve been trying to come up with a way to describe Florence. So far, I’ve got nothing. I can say that I love it, that it’s beautiful. But I can’t really give it justice. It’s a city that must be experienced, I’ve decided. Still, I’ll do my best.
Mom asked me yesterday what the most surprising thing about Florence is. I don’t know about most surprising, but one thing that did surprise me—and continues to surprise me—is how clean the city is. There’s practically no litter anywhere. There is graffiti, but nothing like in cities in the States. It’s a really nice change.
Another thing about the city is that it’s really loud. I’ve started to get used to it, but it’s definitely a far cry from my preferred ambient sound of crickets and birdcalls. Still, it’s fun.
I have yet to encounter gypsy children, but I have seen some adults. We pretty much just give them as wide berth as possible—and hold on to anything valuable. I think the ploy that makes me laugh the most are the people approaching you to sign something—I’m sure just so that they can pick-pocket you while your hands are busy. I really hope no one is ignorant enough to fall for it, and yet somehow I think that people are because otherwise they wouldn’t try.
I really love our apartment. It’s small, but not tiny. It actually feels huge after living in a dorm, so it’s another great change. We have a nice sized living room/study area, a kitchen/dining room, a bathroom, and a loft bedroom. It’s really a perfect size for two people. I also love that it’s such a student apartment—mismatched furniture, lots of white walls, random books other tenants have left behind. It’s great. It gives it character. Strangely enough, it’s already starting to feel like home.
Ciao Bella!
3 hours in the Atlanta airport + 8 hours flying over the Atlantic to Frankfurt, Germany + 9 hours in the Frankfurt airport + 2 hours flying down to Florence + 20 minutes in a Florentine taxi + 10 minutes trying to get a hold of our landlord outside our apartment + 5 minutes to lug all our baggage up the stairs
The trip went more smoothly than I could have hoped for. We completely lucked out with 3 seats in the middle of the plane to ourselves, so Mary and I took turns sleeping. It was amazing. The layover in Frankfurt went by really fast—then again, I slept through a bunch of it. I honestly have no clue what I ate for lunch—some kind of meat that was almost like really wide bacon, yet not. The cashier only spoke German so there was no real communication going on.
20 hours after leaving the States, we finally got into our apartment, dropped our stuff off, and set out for an internet café and a grocery store. We were both exhausted though, so we came back soon to shower and sleep in a real bed for a change.
We slept in late today and then went out exploring. We wanted to find the San Lorenzo market, but definitely took wrong turns. About an hour after leaving our apartment, we decided to just do away with maps for a bit and see what we could figure out on our own. And then we stumbled right onto the piazza. We were going to go to a pizzeria our guidebook mentioned, until we saw a couple locals coming out of a tiny shop with really good looking bread in their hands. The shop was run by a very sweet older woman who taught us some Italian (we taught her some English). So, for our first real meal in Florence, we both had a huge slice of pizza. It was very good and I can guarantee we’ll be going back.
We then found the market—which would have been easier if we’d realized it was inside. We wandered around a bit, but we’d gotten there right at closing time, so we didn’t do any shopping. Heading back to our apartment, we realized that we’d passed the market—several times—and just hadn’t realized it. It’s about 2 blocks from our apartment, so that’s probably where we’ll do most of our grocery shopping.
Right across the street from our apartment is the Medici-Riccardi Palace—where the Medicis lived in 1444. Just down the street is the Church of San Lorenzo, the Duomo’s “little sister.” A long block and half away is the Duomo—Florence’s Gothic cathedral built in 1300-1435, more or less the heart of the city.
Today, we pretty much just explored. There are so many shops and stands—and tons of leather goods (which is one thing Florence is known for). Already, we’ve had many little adventures—like getting locked out of our building because for some reason my outdoor key doesn’t work. A couple of very nice policepeople helped us out, though. I had my very first gelato—mint chocolate chip—and it was pretty amazing. The city is beautiful—so many old stone buildings and so much art. We found a park today, so I’ll be able to get my tree fix. I think it’s finally beginning to sink in that I’m actually here. We’re already starting to get a basic understanding of the city around our apartment. It helps that we have 2 very large and visible landmarks (San Lorenzo and the Duomo) so close.
Right now, I am sitting in my apartment listening to someone (probably gypsies) playing music down the street. We have 2 weeks before classes start, so we’re planning on exploring the city for the next week, and then maybe getting out and seeing more of Tuscany. I’m really excited about that, but I’m also looking forward to my classes. Granted, that’s probably because only one of them is really “academic” (Beginning Italian Language, Art History, Basic Sewing Techniques, Video Production and Intro to Italian Philosophy).
