Made in Italy

Well ladies and gentlemen, I am in Italy! I think it is pretty much everything I expected it to be, though I suppose I wasn't entirely sure what to expect...

So far things have been beautiful here, aside from the many not so pleasant people I've encountered. I suppose this should be understood though, as maybe they're irritated that I can't even pretend to speak their language. I must say though, I am shocked that people think French people are the rude ones!!

I arrived on Tuesday in Venice after a long, wet, bumpy journey from my apartment, to the train from Saint Etienne to Lyon, to the bus from Lyon to the airport, to the actual plane that ended up boarding from a building entirely seperate from the rest of the airport (guess that's what you get for budget travel), to the bus from the plane to the airport (again, budget travelers beware), to the bus from the airport to Venice proper, to the hundreds of stairs and canals and bumpy cute little streets and tiny little alleys that Amanda and I dragged my suitcase over on the way to the hostel. What can I say, I've never packed light...

Though the journey in Venice was rather God awful, especially once it started raining, I was amazed by just how much Venice looked like a storybook. Every turn (and there were a lot of them) brought another picturesque little street, with views of canals complete with Gondolas! Turns out one of my Italian phrases, "Quanto costa una gondola?" (How much does a Gondola cost?) won't ever be used since apparently the darn things are worth something like 20,000 euros.

Our hostel was really more like a hotel room, complete with bathroom, TV, and a towel warmer! Though Italian TV is....interesting....it was funny to try to try to figure out what was going on through the complete language barrier! Believe it or not, we even mangaged to catch a Brewers/Cubs game on TV when we were in Florence!

The next day, we rode on a Gondola (2 minutes is still a ride!), tasted a new fruit, Cachi (Kaki in French apparently), and walked around endlessly trying to avoid the rain! That night, after a delicious dinner, we decided to try to head back to take a few pictures of the main square, Piazza San Marco, at night. However, when we were within 100 meters (whatever that means) of the Piazza, it started downpouring. Being the silly, silly Americans we are, we decided to throw all caution to the wind and enjoy it rather than hiding from it. 10 minutes and about 1000 strange looks later, we were absolutely drenched and stinking of Venice. Though it took my boots a full 24 hours to dry out, it was one of the most memorable moments of the trip so far!

The pleasant outdoor seating at a restaurant along the Grande Canal in Venice.


Anyway, Venice was a wonderful little city, but truth is, there really isn't much to do there other than walk around and ooo and ahh over just how adorable it really is. That, along with the fact that it seemed to rain every time Amanda and I walked over to the Piazza San Marco, is why we decided to extend our visit in Florence rather than returning to Venice to lug our luggage (now I understand where the word came from) over dozens more canals.

We took the train from Venice to Florence on Thursday morning. I am so in love with trains I can hardly even explain it. Everytime I get on one, I am immediately calmed and often lulled right to sleep, just like a little baby. This train was no different. It was almost a 3 hour journey, but the time passed quickly and quite comfortably. Then here we were in Florence, with the city just waiting for us to discover it. And discover it we did. Upon arrival at the hostel, which is really a pretty cushy room just for us with 3 twin beds and TV, we learned that there was nobody there to let us into our room. So we wandered around looking for a phone to let them know that we were sick and tired of pulling suitcases around Florence. They didn't really seem to care, but about 20 minutes later we were escorted to our room, which is practically directly the reception room. So far I've been very comfortable. :)

The language barrier has been interesting. I'm horrified at how little I know, and miss the feeling of being able to communicate as easily as I can in France. Even in France it feels like a major accomplishment when I can get my point across, but here it is nothing short of a miracle. I have learned, however, that to make things plural I have to add an i. For example, espresso becomes espressi. Pretty cute. Also, white is bianco. Also, asking for the price in Italian means I will receive my answer in Italian and have to walk away ashamed that I can't understand. By the time I leave on Tuesday, I'm sure I'll be a pro!

Yesterday was quite possibly the best day yet! We decided that we wanted to try to take a tour of Tuscany to taste some wine. This tour ended up being a full day of driving around the Italian countryside, taking in breathtaking (albeit frightening) views of vineyards, small villages, and homes that belong to some very lucky families from up on the hills.

We visited a tiny fortified town, then a town in Chianti, before heading to the vineyard for a tour and a 'light lunch'. This vineyard smelled beyond wonderful from the first moments there. At the place, they produce wine, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chickpeas, soaps, and much much more. We were lucky enough to sample many of these things during lunch. It was delicious, and the products were spectacular. One thing we tried was truffle oil, which I was nervous about because I've heard that the flavor is really strong, but it was actually really good. We also tried 31 year old balsamic vinegar on ice cream, of all things! Not what I expected, but YUM! The day concluded with a visit to the city of Siena which was probably one of the strangest places I've ever been. It seems that their whole lives revolve around what clan each person belongs to, and whether their horse will win the next race that takes place in the main square. We also may or may not have seen the real severed head and thumb of Saint Katherine. Relics, I think not.

"What the hell is up with Siena?"

Upon our return to Florence, we decided to grab some dinner at a restaurant that wound up being the Perkins of Italy. Not so great, but a good bargain if nothing else!

Today we spent the day walking around Firenze (which truly is constantly beautiful--see below), visiting David at the Academia, eating sweet treats while sitting on the ground, and bargaining with market people. Tonight we hope to see what Florence has to offer as far as nightlife. Should be interesting at the very least!