Week TWO

Buongiorno! Happy Wednesday!!

I was walking to the bus stop this morning and tried to think of what I had done yesterday and on Monday and realized that all of the days are starting to blend together which can only mean one thing…. time is absolutely FLYING by. It's frightening. I can't believe I have already been here for 10 days!

Sunday morning I woke up at 10:30 (much to Barbara's surprise), chowed down some breakfast (the normal Special K with yogurt and a banana), and went with Carol to the bus stop. We wanted to go to the Uffizi but, once we got there, realized that it is still tourist season and the place was packed. So instead, we went to the Palazzo Pitti. This palace used to house the grand-dukes of Tuscany (almost wrote ducks) and later the King of Italy. Needless to say, this place is massive!! There are several museums inside and Carol and I only got through two in our three hours there. Also, out back, there are the Boboli Gardens that stretch 11 acres. I can't imagine growing up in that palace and having 11 acres to run around in… The place is beautiful! However, it was about 90 degrees outside with some crazy humidity so Carol and I didn't stay outside long.

One of the artifacts

Another artifact

Another artifact…. All of the artifacts are NOT animal related. Don't know why I only took pictures of these ones...

Outside in the Boboli Gardens

Ducks in the fountain!

Posing with a bush

Of course, after our museum visit, we just had to get some lunch.

Gustapizza from Gusta Pizza

Monday was our third day of Italian class and my first culture class! Italian is going really well. I love learning a new language and being able to see how I've improved throughout the week. I went into the grocery store this afternoon and was able to have a quick conversation with the baker in Italian! I also got really lost in the city without a map and was able to find my way to the bus stop by asking shop owners where I was. Hooray!! Slowly but surely learning the language

The cutest little cupcake my friend got 

My culture class, the History and Culture of Italian Food, is going to be a good one. Our professor is a German man, Dr. Fischer, who believes in punctuality and getting everything done efficiently and quick. It's great. I'm really excited to learn about the origin of traditional Italian food and how the normal 'meal' has changed throughout the past generations. Today, our second day of class, we took a 'food tour' of the city and walked around, visiting some hole-in-the-wall places that look fantastic. We also had a blind test of Italian food! I had no idea what to expect but have been really proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone, especially when it comes to food. Can anyone guess what it is? Strange texture but probably the most tender meat I have ever had.

Professor getting the goods ready for the blind taste test

The mystery meat!!

It's called lampredotto! The fourth stomach of the cow (quarto stomaco della mucca). Apparently you can also eat the first and second stomachs but the third isn't eaten. Once everyone had tried it, Dr. Fischer offered up seconds and you can bet I volunteered. Speaking of branching out food-wise, Barbara toasted pieces of bread and put 'crustini' on it -- a type of ground up meat that is placed on the top with some formaggio. I didn't want to ask exactly what meat it was until after I had eaten it. The texture was definitely different (super finely chopped) and in the end, it was cow liver. I have absolutely zero clue if people eat this a lot in the United States but I have never eaten it before. Woohoo for studying abroad!!

We also visited the Mercato Centrale today on our walking tour. This is an indoor market that has all sorts of vendors with all sorts of food. Here is a pic I snapped of some meat hanging off of whatever contraption that is….. Also if you zoom in, the hooves are still on the leg of the animal. Talk about knowing exactly how fresh your food is and where it came from

Tuesday night I hiked to the top of Piazzale Michelangelo with my friends Gaston and Kevin. This is a hill in Florence that overlooks the entire city. There was an acoustic guitar player singing in the middle of the square and so many people were sitting and listening to him while watching the sunset. It was nice to see everyone pause and just really enjoy the moment. I think that's what I've liked most about Florence -- it's such a different vibe. People are okay with being disconnected from the rest of the world and aren't on their phones 24/7. No one is rushing through crowds or pushing others aside just to get somewhere first. Even on the bus today, there was an older woman trying to get on with her groceries and three other passengers eagerly walked up to her to help her. At dinner, we don't eat and then immediately leave the table; instead, we will sit there for another half an hour laughing about the day's events or talking with each other and catching up. It is so refreshing to be surrounded by this feeling of serenity all throughout the city!

The VIEW

 

Hi

I also had my first gelato yesterday!! I had waited a week to see what places people really liked and turns out the cheapest place so far is right around the corner from school! This could get bad very quickly. Anyways, you can get a cone with two scoops for 1.90 euro... I REPEAT 1.90 EURO. That is cheaper than any panino or pizza I have gotten so far. Also, the mint flavor was superb and I got it with stracciatella -- the chocolate chip ice cream. Yeah, yeah, I know I always eat mint and everyone thinks I'm so boring for going into a gelato shop with 22 flavors and I pick mint and chocolate chip?! But I did and it was heavenly. I'll force myself to try other flavors but the mint is always my fave and I have zero shame

Gelato! On probably the hottest day so far… Perfect combination

This morning we were woken up at 6:10am by booming thunder and lightning. It was kind of fun being snuggled in bed listening to it until I realized that a) I couldn't fall back asleep because of the noise and b) this would mean going to school in the pouring rain. Oh well. Thank you mother dearest for convincing met to bring an umbrella with me so I would have it right when I got here! Thankfully on the walk from the bus stop to school, it stopped pouring and I snapped a quick pic of the river on Ponte Vecchio. So pretty. Also shout out to Sheridan who immediately responded to my text of "Holy cow thunderstorm!" with "WHOA HOLD ON TO YA TROUSERS!!!" Love it.

Whoa nelly

In other news, the bug bites have been insane. Here is my leg after waking up on Monday morning. There are no screens on our windows so you either sleep in the heat or surrender to the mosquito masses. Luckily, I am not alone… All the other Californians are suffering too.

Ah

 I will end this post with these great words of wisdom I passed by today….

Hope everyone is doing well. Xoxoxo ciao!