meals and new friends

full moon over the Duomo • night veiw from Piazzale Michaelangelo • something we happened upon in a random alley on Sunday...for all the RosaLoves people
So we've had an eventful last several days. On Thursday afternoon I went to the HUGE Coop supermarket outside of town with my friend M. It's lovely being able to take a car outside the city sometimes. After parking in the underground parking garage and riding this long moving ramp up up up with our shopping cart, we came into a large indoor mall build around the Coop store. It was about 3x the size of a Publix back home...and complete with one of the largest produce sections ever! We spent almost an hour and a half picking out ingredients for that night's dinner and I also made a separate stack for home (since everything was *literally* 40-60% cheaper than the cheapest store in the city center). We picked out asparagus, tuscan bread, fresh cheese, spinach, some sort of fancy mushrooms, truffle sauce, more fresh cheese, fresh ravioli, avacado, spices, potted basil, and more random things - then headed back to M & G's flat to make a table full of vegetarian tapas dishes! It was so nice being able to have some "girl time" that afternoon, and also great to have a double date making dinner, listening to music, setting the table, and enjoying a long meal with lots of laughs and conversation.

On Friday, our class was reduced to about 1/2 the size and even our teacher was out sick - it seems that the cold I had last week went around the entire class (Chris has been suffering for the past several days as well). It was a great class though with the smaller number of students and it's great feeling that I understand more and more words on the street everyday. Chris wasn't able to come to class either that day because he was sitting at home with the Telecom man! We were told (through an Italian text message) that he was to arrive to set up our DSL line on Friday between 8:30 and 9:30. At 8:28 the doorbell rang - amazing! When I got home from class, Chris was smiling and was happy to announce that *HHHAAALLELUJAH HHAAALLELUJAH hallelujahhallelujah ha LEEaaLUjaHHH!!!* we had DSL!

Saturday for lunch, we were able to finally meet up with Melinda after about a year of email exchanges! We met in Piazza della Signoria and she took us to a small Osteria that her boyfriend had recommended near there down a small alleyway. We enjoyed typical Tuscan dishes of Pappa al Pomodoro (a type of tomatoe bread soup) and an artichoke homemade pasta dish! It was so nice to be able to meet in person and talk about work, moving to and loving Florence, getting adjusted and exchanging recommendations for shops and restaurants around town. Her love for Florence can really be felt by talking with her about even simple subjects. We walked to Gelato dei Neri for a lovely ending to the afternoon - and I also discovered a new favorite of Crema Giotto (a type of toasted coconut flavor). I look forward to meeting up again soon!

Later that evening we were invited to M & G's house again to "take a pizza" (order in) and then go out for J's birthday! We enjoyed our first tasty pizza in Florence. One thing that is so different from back home is that everyone gets an entire pizza to themselves. Each box comes with a plate under the pie, or you just rip the top of the box off and have at it! I didn't quite finish mine, but did enjoy every bite! We then headed to Negroni's to meet several other of their friends (some that we'd met before and several new ones). It was so great being able to talk even more Italian than just one week ago - G's best friend even said "Brava!" to me as he overheard an entire conversation I had with another girl in Italian. We'd met him 2 weeks ago and he said he could already hear improvement! After Negroni's we headed up to Piazzale Michaelangelo for an amazing view of the city at night. The temperature had dropped considerably, and so shivering, we walked to a cafe and several of us ordered ciccolato caldo (hot chocolate). They drove us home and we double-cheek-kissed goodbye and wished G a wonderful birthday...when we walked in our apartment I glanced at the clock in surprise- it was almost 2:30! I still felt wide awake and even stayed up reading for a while. Then I remembered that my pizza had also come with a can of Pepsi, which I drank. I hardly ever have sodas, or caffeine at all...but this one did me in. Also, since there were so many people still out around town when we left to come home, it didn't hit me that it was so late.

Tonight we had our first experience at a kebab restaurant. These restaurants are all over the city, and specialize in middle eastern semi-fast food. The first time we visited Florence we noticed these weird pillars of meat slowly turning 'round and 'round in the windows of these joints and had no idea what it was. And now, after returning to the city, we've never even thought to go to eat there because we somehow imagined that the main dish served was slices of this meat pillar thingy. However, we were invited to join another couple (who I'd "met" through our blogs and who also just moved to Florence recently) for dinner at Turkuaz - a kebab place near our apartment. We went and had a great time meeting Emily, her husband Adam and their baby Giada, along with another friend of theirs and were introduced to a GREAT place to go for vegetarian food! Almost all the fresh dishes were vegetarian and cheap (a lovely combination). Chris had a big falafel wrap and I had some sort of layered spinach and cheese pastry with freshed squeezed oj to drink! We will definitely go back! After that we walked across town for a gelato, then said goodbye and promised to get meet up again soon.

10 things (x2)

One of the new post themes that I want to start is 10 Things _________ (things I've learned about Italy, thoughts I have so far on our move, etc)

Since it's been a week since my last post and the last several posts have been long, update posts, I figured that I'd catch up and go ahead and write the first 2 "10 Things" lists so far. I've had a lot going through my head each day, that instead of being about to expand on any of these thoughts enough for an entire post, I think these lists will help convey some of the random thoughts and ideas- new things I learn, things I like, things I don't like, funny observations, etc.

10 :: Thoughts I've had since our move to Florence
10. I've been dreaming in (partial at least) Italian - or at least what sounds to be Italian to me while I pass people in my dreams...my days are carrying over already.
9. The first week we were here I turned off the shower and opened the small window in the bathroom to a beautiful array of rooftops glowing red tile under the sunset -and to top it off, Italian opera music coming from a distant window...how dreamy.
8. In Italian standards, I have 2 unlucky things going against me - my birthday (the 17th of Feb) and our address is #17. This is an unlucky # to the many superstitious people here. But, a pigeon pooped on me (which is good luck) and my coin that I placed in the mouth of il porcillino fell through the drain openings (good luck again) - so I guess we're even.
7. Three daily necessities that are always in my bag: camera, pocket dictionary, city map.
6. I didn't bring enough comfortable walking shoes.
5. I still feel a little underdressed in general (it's taking a while to get the beach-casual style out of my head) - but I'm slowly adapting
4. I think I've lost some weight (even with eating a gelato every-other day, and lots of bread and pasta) - it has to be all of the walking
3. Watching Walker Texas Ranger dubbed in Italian takes the cake - as if it couldn't get anymore ridiculous.
2. A lot of cows have to die to keep this city going - it's mind-numbing all the leather that we pass everyday...not to mention the 3-inch thick Tuscan steaks for sale.
1. So far (in Florence) we've had the following flavors of gelato: riso, cioccolato bianco, pistaccio, aranciaitto di cioccolato, amoretta con pesche, liquorice, ciccolato fondante, miele e seseme, melondra, noci e miele, tiramisu, caffe', panna cotta, cioccolato messicano con pepperocino e pistachio. YUM!

10 :: Thoughts I've had since our move to Florence #2
10. I've noticed that the majority of people here just walk straight towards you on the sidewalk and I constantly wonder if I didn't yield and step off the curb if we would just run smack into each other. It was worse during our first 2 weeks probably because I looked new to the city and now I'm learning to hold my own - walk with a purpose, and I've noticed that more people step over for me now.
9. The volume of my voice lowered considerably when we arrived because I was timid when speaking Italian in public and I didn't want to be so quickly labeled a straniera (foreigner) at first glance so even when speaking English to Chris in a store I'd be quieter. This carried over even to home and I wish I had a euro for everytime Chris has told me to speak up....it's getting back to normal now...slowly but surely as my confidence rises.
8. The zanzare (mosquitoes) are vicious and I hate them. Chris goes on a killing spree each evening at sundown when we shut the windows.
7. I never tire of seeing the cute older Fiat 500s around town - they are just so quintessentially Italian.
6. Add crema giotto, cassata sicilana, rosa, ciccolatoriso, limone, and nocciola to our list of gelato flavors!
5. Some of worst things ever invented are the articles (parts of speech: "for", "and", "to", "of", etc) of the Italian language- so hard to learn! When we ask, but WHY is that article there in some instances and not in others, the teacher shrugs her shoulders to say that we just have to memorize it because there is no explanation! BOH!
4. I really like answering the phone with "pronto!"
3. Living next to so many people is a different concept (but everyone here seems used to it) - seeing neighbors naked, listening to the kids yell, hearing our upstairs neighbor do God knows what at all hours (we have a handful of possibilities: fight club, playing Wii boxing, Mafia torture room, prostitute house, rearranging furniture, wrestling, playing Sumo, etc - but he seems like a really nice guy when we pass him on the stairs - one day I'll ask him what's up.)
2. I've had to stand on the bed and hit the ceiling with a broom several times without mercy at 2 am
1. I love how International it is here - last night we went out with our friends (one Italian, one Swedish) and met up with another Swedish girl, several Italians and then struck up a conversation with a Frenchman and an Irish guy who is now a citizen of South Africa.

another market. another view.

panoramic of the entire view of the Tuscan countryside
Yet another week has passed and it seems that so much has happened. Our time in Florence is already passing quickly. On venerdi' (Friday) we completed our first course (each class is 2 weeks long with a test at the end to measure competency to move to the next level). We said goodbye to a couple of our classmates who were only enrolled for a "vacation" stay of 2 weeks, and I'm very excited to continue on as we've already learned a lot so far and I scored ottima (the highest level) on our test. On Wednesday, I went along on one of the school field trips in the afternoon to see the Chiesa Ognissanti (All Saints Church) in town. Every week the school offers various activities to participate in, such as day trips, wine tastings, cooking classes, and guided art history tours of sights in town. This was the first activity in which I'd participated, since I felt a little more settled and comfortable spending all afternoon walking around with strangers and struggling to understand the exclusively Italian tour. There were about 12-15 students of all ages that attended and we walked across the city together stopping at a palazzo and piazza along the way as well to learn various historic facts. The church itself was amazing - and houses one of the most interesting ceiling paintings I've ever seen. There were soft gregorian chants coming from a near room, and as I sat in the wooden pews struggling to understand bits and pieces of the Italian being spoken by our guide, I took in the simple, yet overwhelming fact that this was part of my daily routine now. We studied several paintings and Botticelli's grave - then I enjoyed a walk back across town next to the Arno as the sun was setting.

Chiesa Ognissanti • Sant' Ambrogio Mercato • street in Fiesole
On giovedi' (Thursday) I woke up with a headache and slightly sore throat - so I quickly downed some Airborne, but during our second class at school - I knew that I was getting a full blown cold. Friday was even worse, and by coincidence the subject of that day's vocal lesson was health / sickness...so at least I was able to immediately put to use what we learned, because as soon as class ended I asked the segretaria, "Sa dove c'e' un'erboristeria vecino a qui?" (Do you know where there is an herbalist shop near here?) *Note: I'm not sure if this was the perfect way to ask, but she knew exactly what I needed*. I've heard that erboristerie are popular places in Italy to get holistic medicine (and normal OTC meds at the pharmacies are quite expensive). Luckily, there was a quaint shop just around the corner from school, so I walked in with all the new sickness terminology in my head. The room was only about 15'x20' and was packed with dried herbs in baskets, stacked boxes of tea leaves, honey jars, and smelled of earthy fragrant mix of spices, essential oils, and herbs. From the first glance, nothing seems to have a specific place - but everything is in order to the old Italian lady who looks to have run this shop for several decades. It was a wonderful experience as I explained "sono malata - ha qualcosa per mal di testa e mal di gola" (I'm sick. Do you have something for headache, sore throat) and then used a plethora of hand motions to give her a more clear picture. She was about 6" shorter than me and immediately looked like a nice grandma that would cook you chicken soup - she nodded and began to speak Italian to me but used hand motions as well and explained that I probably needed a detox because of just moving to a new environment, adjusting, studying a lot, etc and that's why my immune is low. She'd ask if I understood before continuing and finally we decided on a box of small bottles of liquid herbal mixtures that I drink 3x/day for 5 days. I think my cold has almost run it's course - but I'll look for some excuse to go back to this erboristeria!

bell tower in Fiesole • small church on our walk • wedding car waiting for the bride and groom (there were baskets by the door with rice packets and petals all over the stairs)
On Saturday we tried another popular market in town, Mercato Sant' Ambrogio - a smaller market than the Mercato Centrale which we went to last weekend. S' Ambrogio is mainly outdoors with a just a select number of vendors (mainly meat) inside. There are stalls with clothes, trinkets and then of course fruits, vegetables, cheeses, meats, breads, and plants. It is in a lovely section of town that seems more like a neighborhood rather than in the center with tourists - and we heard little to no English. We picked up a couple house plants, more pecorino cheese, spinach, tomatoes, foccacia bread, and a bunch of uva fragola (strawberry grapes). These are super sweet dark grapes which are only in season during this time of year and they have an essence of strawberry in the taste. Later that day we headed up to the neighboring town, and ancient Etruscan colony of Fiesole. Sitting on a hill overlooking the entire city of Florence, Fiesole is a wonderful escape from the noise of the crowded center below. We took a bus to the town and followed a recommended "walk" around the hilly paths for wonderful views of the valley. We only passed a handful of people on the stony streets - and even came across a wedding taking place at a lovely church in the hills.

view from Fiesole over Firenze (look closely for the rising Duomo)
That night we looked forward to going out for our first pizza in Florence - but were disappointed. Despite all of the wonderful food in this country, it seems that the Italian food that is never what I expect is when we go to a pizzeria...but I'm not done giving it a chance.

a market. a walk. a view.

Mercato Centrale: vegetable stand • dried fruit • cheese counter
This past weekend we were able to explore the city a little more and had a relaxing time away from the classroom. On Saturday morning we went to Mercato Centrale - one of the largest markets in town, it's next to San Lorenzo church and is the indoor food market that many tourists miss even though it is right beside all of the outdoor market tents filled with leather goods, scarves, and souveniers. The indoor food market takes place inside a large building on 2 levels. The first level has meats, cheeses, wines, oils, etc, while the top floor is devoted to endless varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables. It's quite overwhelming but it was a wonderful, colorful experience. It was a little stomach-wrinching to see all of the different types of meat (brains, whole chickens, cow stomach linings, skinned rabbits -some on display split in half, etc). There was even an entire booth dedicated to innards. Chris got kind of sick, especially with the smell of raw meet - so we quickly headed upstairs to the vegetarian heaven! We stopped and sampled the most flavorful concord-type grapes that are only at the peak of ripeness for about 10 more days. They smelled almost like strawberries. Then we chose a bag full of different dried fruits to snack on (ginger, coconut, cherries, and bananas). Next we bought a bunch of asparagus and onions from a very nice Italian woman who we decided we'd like to go back to again - because we'd like to try to go each weekend and find our preferred vendors. Finally we headed back downstairs and bought a pezzo (piece) of fresh pecorino (sheep) cheese!

villa on our walk • outside the old city walls • looking back to Firenze from the "Way of the Cross"
Later in the afternoon, we took one of the recommended "walks around the city" that I'd read about - it led us over the Arno river up to the very steep streets of the Oltrarno neighborhoods, past the old home of Galileo and through the oldest surviving city gate. Then we walked with outside of the 14th century city defense walls to our left and groves of olive trees and peach colored villas on our right, then up over 100 stone steps on a lane called the "Way of the Cross" which has wooden crosses outlining the path with stone inscriptions on each with the cross "stations". When we reached the top of this road, we were just a corner away from the church of San Miniato al Monte - a beautiful church that was founded in 1013 and was stated to be one of Michelangelo's most favorite churches.

San Miniato • view from graveyard • burial sites surrounding church
The view from the courtyard over the entire city of Florence and surrounding hillsides is breathtaking and we enjoyed it more than the famed Piazzale Michelangelo. There are unending rows on the periphery of the church of the most interesting burial sites imaginable - from miniature temples devoted to families, to burial drawers stacked a couple floors high, to large memorials and sculptures. One of the more famous graves is that of Carlo Colludi, creator of Pinocchio. The inside is also very unique and I'd like to go back sometime during dusk when the monks lead a service in Gregorian chant. We also stopped in the monks' shop to browse the homemade homeopathic essential oils, lavender soaps, herbal candies and unique honey varieties - and we brought home a jar of cherry blossom unfiltered honey (a perfect compliment to our pecorino cheese and dried cherries from the market!). We then walked back down the street a couple metres to catch a view of town from Piazzale Michelangelo - which was just a parking lot filled with cars, tour buses, souvenir tents, and a copy statue of David. It does lend itself for a wonderful view of Firenze and many photo opts! But in the future, I'll gladly lead friends to the San Miniato (which luckily, doesn't seem as well known - at least not for the tour buses) for the experience above the crowded city!

view from Piazzale Michelangelo
On Sunday we didn't do too much during the day, but in the evening we were able to visit a small International church service in a building down the road from our apartment. We met several other people from the city and a very nice couple that help to run this ministry. We will return and hopefully build friendships with this group. Later that night, we went out with M & G for an appertivo at a dinner theatre of sorts that is just south of the city. It was a very bustling atmosphere with mostly locals. We enjoyed conversation (some in Italian), meeting a couple more of their friends, eating a large variety of dishes on the appertivo buffet, and watching a variety show of singing, dancing, and comedy (a Mr. Bean look-alike - who was actually pretty funny)! They drove us back home and we said goodbye (complete with the 2-cheek kisses, which we're getting quite good at now) and made plans for Tues night to split up with a guys-night out and girls-night-out (I think we will visit this excellent shop that specializes in chocolates and then head to the cinema).

Well it looks like I'm almost caught up on the updates thus far - and I have several new post themes that I'll probably begin soon...one being to join the "Tour del Gelato" group and start review some of our visits around the city!

our first week of classes

our visit to Santa Croce last week
So last Monday was our first day of Italian language classes at Scuola Leonardo da Vinci. It only takes us about 5 min or less to walk to school and as soon as we arrived we took a written and oral test to see in what level we'd be placed. We knew we'd be in one of the beginner classes, which we were - but it seems that we are on the higher level of understanding in our class in general. It really helped that we learned most of the basics before we arrived. There is a girl in our class that had no idea that the entire class is conducted in Italian, so she looked over at us wide-eyed the first day and mouthed "I don't know a word of Italian". Whoops. Everyday so far we come home saying how much we love our school, the staff, teachers, and the people we're meeting there. We're really having a wonderful and productive time. There are 2 main classes we attend each morning - grammar and conversation. Each instructor is so animated and patient so even while they're teaching Italian in Italian, it works - and actually is helping us just get used to the language more and start to associate an idea or object with the Italian word directly (rather than hearing the Italian word, translating it to English, and then associating the English word with an idea or object). We have about 11 students in class each day (although a couple people have changed classes or started late) and we're astounded at the diversity of nationalities just in our class. The list of nations represented in our small group: Korea, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Iceland, Holland, England, Mexico, Argentina, and the U.S. We were the only 2 from the U.S. until the 3rd day, when a younger girl joined the group (obviously American) - so we asked her if she happened to be from Florida because she was wearing a University of FL shirt. She said, "yes", so I quickly asked, "Where at in Florida?". She said "the Jacksonville area" - we laughed and said we were from St. Augustine! She actually lives on the border of Jax and St. Aug about 20 minutes from our house! Of all the people in class - the only 3 from the U.S. are from right around the corner from each other!

On the first day we talked a bit with the girl (M.) next to us who is from Sweden, (who speaks perfect English). She was so nice and said that we should get together with her and her boyfriend (G) sometime, so on Wednesday evening we made a date and met up for an apertivo at a popular local place, Negroni. Her boyfriend is Florentine and so it was wonderful to be with a local who knew where to go, and tell us about the town. They also picked us up in his car - which was a treat for our legs since we've only walked for the past 3 weeks. They communicate together in English now, but she's learning Italian so they can start speaking together in his native tongue -but we were all able to practice Italian a little during our date. G and Chris hit it off talking about work, because he is a freelance graphic designer, but mainly does websites - so they've already started talking about possible collaboration. M & I have hung out several times since then, including several hours of shopping and chatting on Friday afternoon. Last night we went out with them again and also met 2 more Italian couples, which we had fun trying to speak with as we took in the chic local weekend scene. We've already made several more plans with them because they want to show us the countryside near Chianti, and a town near the sea in Tuscany where his family has a house. We can't say enough of how much of a blessing it's been to already have found some friends (and it's a bonus that they are so familiar with the area as well). I've also talked with Melinda (who I've gotten to know over the past year through her blog - and who has given invaluable support and helpful tips to us as we made the transition) several times since we've been here, and will hopefully get to meet up with her soon!

It is funny how the world is already starting to feel smaller now that we're here because of all the International people we've met, and the connections to home - my sculpture professor from college is Italian and is currently at his home just a little bit from Florence. We've exchanged emails and talked since we arrived, and hopefully can find a time to meet up. Then next month, a couple from St. Augustine who I've mentioned before (they live in Italy for part of each year, and have been very supportive of us and also introduced us to some other Florentines who visited them in St. Augustine) are coming to visit and we'll probably be able to visit their town of Nettuno as well! The first night we were here, we met up with Katie for a quick walk around town and introductions to some of her favorite hang-outs and friends. We'd exchanged emails over the past year from our blogs while she was in Firenze - and our first night here happened to be her last for a while as she headed back to the states. It was nice to finally meet her though, if ever so briefly!

To give an update on the logistics so far - we were able to finally turn in our permesso di soggiorno on Tuesday afternoon after lots of backtracking, phone calls, and prayers! It seemed to work out ok up till now - and hopefully in a couple months we'll get the registered letter in the mail to schedule the final meeting and turn in our photos, etc. We have an appointment for the technician to come and hook up our DSL (hopefully) on Friday the 28th, and work is for the most part back on track (minus the sketchy Internet situation). Our daily routine is normalizing - school until 1pm, lunch then work until about 8pm, then dinner and a nightly outing into town! We've found most of the necessary stores that we'll need in our neighborhood, and I've even found my favorite bakery (something I really wanted to do while we were here was to be a "regular" at some sort of shop where I could get to know the worker). So now I go here each day during break at school to get a small piece of foccacia - and the older man is already recognizing me and we're having (super) small conversations! Chris is still trying to find his "regular" morning bar for espresso. Even after only 1 week at school, we can see improvements in our understanding (and speaking) of Italian - so that's very encouraging! We also had an eventful, yet relaxing, weekend which I'll update about soon...

ciao!

getting acquainted

sun rise from our window with San Lorenzo dome at the left • looking down from our kitchen • view at sunset
So to continue from the last post, we arrived in Florence last Wednesday very ready to finally unpack the luggage that we'd been hauling around for the past week, and set up house in our new apartment...then have a nice last 2 days with my parents strolling around our new hometown. Well, I'll quickly run through what really happened: We got to the apartment which we had reserved (and communicated many times over the last several months with the rental agency about the details) and it ended up to be not at all what we expected. At this point, I had a small breakdown...fast forward to the next day, which was spent getting new Italian cell phone service so we could keep making phone calls to several other agencies that I'd be in contact with in the past, looking at other places, figuring out our budget, crying a little, and FINALLY after a lot of work, picking out a place and finally unpacking our bags later that evening. I pretty much dumped out all the contents so I could hide the duffels from my sight...then Mom and I properly unpacked and put things away while Dad and Chris went to buy groceries. We were so beat from running around all day that we just made dinner at the apartment and toasted to our new home.

Early the next morning, we said goodbye to my parents as they took of in a cab for the airport. Two weeks after leaving the U.S., 8 tired feet, 4 aching backs, 2 plane rides, 1 cog train ride, 1 riverboat cruise, 7 train rides, at least 10 new inside joke phrases, one new (and reunited) family (in Germany), lots of gelati & caffe', one shirt with pigeon poop, 1,272 photos, countless memories, and FULL hearts - our vacation was at and end, and our new day-to-day life was beginning. I sighed as we walked back upstairs and plopped back in bed for a couple more hours.

The rest of that day (Friday) was filled with orienting ourselves with our building, making lists of things we needed to get for the apartment, getting all of our official paperwork organized, and heading to school to begin the days of officially registering ourselves with the government. We can't say enough nice things about our school and the entire staff that we've dealt with there - on Friday we didn't exactly know where to start with our permesso di sogiorno (permit to stay) requirements so we just went to the school (also to see where it was - which it's only about 5 min walk from our door!) where someone got on the Internet with us, printed us out more information and told us which post office to pick up our application. Unfortunately after waiting in line that that PO, they told us that we had to go the main branch - about 15 min walk in the other direction....so, we went there, took a number from the machine (which there are 4 options to choose from depending on what service you are there for - all in Italian, so we took all 4 hoping to talk to the correct clerk from process of elimination). No one spoke English, so we roughly got through what we needed - which wasn't in any of the 5 lines. We opened up our application packets, took 1/2 second look at them and headed straight back to school, b/c they said that someone would walk us through them if we couldn't understand. We then had to stop at a Tabacchiere (Tabacco shop, which sells other things as well as bus tickets and official government tax stamps) shop to pay for a marco di bollo (a 14.62euro tax stamp each to attach to our permit). A super nice lady at the school sat down with us in a private room and spent about 45 minutes going over each line on the application. We seriously don't know how people do this if they don't know the language and government system at an advanced level! She then made all the necessary copies of our passports, etc to attach to the application.

now, pause.

...remember that issue when we crossed into Italy by train but didn't get our visas stamped with the arrival date?! Yep, this is where it gets sticky. The lady from school said that that date and location of the stamp has to be on our application. Since we don't have a stamp (or date or location on entry), she suggested maybe going to the Florence train station's police department and asking if they could stamp it like we arrived that day. *Now also remember this is exactly what we already tried to do in Milan after crossing the border - with no luck* Otherwise we'd have to wait until Monday to turn in the application and put Monday's date b/c at least that's the date on our visa b/c it is the first day of school. We walked to the train station, talked to the police who said that since we have a visa we are "ok for them" - but no matter how I explained what we needed they couldn't do anything. Now we just had to hold our breath until Monday and try again. End of day 1: lots of miles walked, lots of backtracking, only 1 thing done from our "to-do" list, and lots of unanswered questions...but a lovely view from our apartment which always makes us smile!

Duomo at night • Ponte Vecchio reflection • in front of the Palazzo Vecchio
Saturday we tried to sleep in, then went to catch the free shuttle from Firenze to the Ikea just out of town. We spent 3 hours there because that was how long until the return bus left - but it almost took us that long to find everything we needed. We'd never been to an Ikea in the States - but had heard the stories of day-long trips, etc. Now, for those of you who've been to an Ikea - imagine this: going to this massive store for the first time. in a different country. where all signs, catalogues, announcements are in a foreign language. on a saturday mid-day. Yep, this was one of Chris' worst nightmares and he had a minor breakdown at the Ikea cafe' with our filled cart beside us and a melted ice-cream cone on the counter that he refused to eat because he was so mad. Also, he vowed that if we ever need anything else from "that hell they call a store" that I'm going alone. It's funny now that I look back at it, but it was a serious matter at the time :) Finally we returned home and I had a great time setting up house a little more, while Chris went to the cell-phone store to get hooked up on a temporary wireless Internet plan (until our DSL is hooked up). I seriously can't remember what we did on Sunday because my days are running together - but I know I spent a while reading through many of the books about Florence that fill our bookshelf, and picking out one of the top rated gelaterias for us to visit. We went to Vivoli's that afternoon and walked around the square at Santa Croce "Florence's Pantheon" (which houses the tombs of Galileo and Michelangelo among many others)! It was a nice break and a good start to the many outings we hope to have while we're here to explore the city. We sat on the steps to the church watching locals out on a passigiata (almost ceremonial stroll around town), tourists milling amongst the vendors' tents, pigeons look for crumbs, and a group of Italian teenage girls singing and clapping in a group beside the church. It was very Italian and gave me a great welcoming feeling. That evening, we started what's become our almost nightly walk around the city after dark. It's so active and festive every evening and beautiful to see the historic building and art at that time. We sat in Piazza della Signoria for a while and walked past Mercato Nuovo to rub the nose of "il porchellino" and drop a coin from his mouth for good luck.

entrance and belltower of the Duomo • looking down the Arno at the Ponte Vecchio • our visit to Il Porchellino for good luck

End of day 2&3: lots more miles walked, a couple more things off the list, 2 cones and 2 cups consumed of gelato, and big anticipation for our first day of school...

in italia

So...we arrived in Firenze a little over a week ago. In some ways this week has gone by so quickly, but in others it's felt like we've done so much already. We don't have the Internet hooked up in our apartment yet, so we're using Internet points, cafes, and a cell wi-fi plan (which is paid per hour, so our time is limited). Hopefully we will have a regular constant connection in about 2-3 weeks, so my postings will be back to a normal schedule! I know many have been asking for a detailed update on our time so far in Italy (2 weeks so far, but only the last one in Florence), so hold on tight!....here it goes:

the hearts found on our trip • thanks to everyone who have been so supportive during our transition - friends & family - you mean more than you know • thanks mom & dad for your company and help with everything on this trip - it was unforgettable and we love you

Our Vacation Week in Italy
Two weeks ago we arrived in the Cinque Terre with all our luggage after 3 train connections from Switzerland. Now, let me paint a picture: jumping on a train, squeezing past all the passengers, trying to find your seat, and even a place for a backpack can sometimes be a hassle. Now imagine 4 of us, 4 backpacks, 2 purses, and 3 HUGE & HEAVY duffel bags with all of our clothes, books, electronics, etc for the next 10 months, 2 countries, 4 different train stations, 3 connections, foreign languages, and 8 hours. *yep* I almost cried a couple times...well, I actually did cry during one of the rides because we crossed into Italy and the border guards on board did not collect passports, so our visas were not stamped (needed for our permesso di sogiorno - permit to stay- while in Italy...normally a stamp isn't needed when traveling between Schengen countries, but because our permit will be with the Italian government, they have to know the exact day we arrived in Italy). This caused a major headache, and after a trip to the polizia stazione in Milano (the first stop in Italy) and being told that they couldn't help us and we'd have to go back to Switzerland and cross the border again, OR (imagine in half Italian, half broken English with a heavy accent) "Aah, just forget it - it's no big deal. Just talk to someone whenever you arrive in Firenze"! Oh, our first (of many) run-ins with the Italian system of "there-isn't-much-of-a-system-although-we-make-it-look-like-there-is-and-everyone-will-tell-you-different-stories-anyway".

So, I calmed down a little and was determined to forget this blip at least during our last week of vacation...so on to Monterosso, in the Cinque Terre (one of our most favorite towns in Italy). It was wonderful stepping out of the train station to hear a more familiar language around us (at least more than German), and very familiar street. Knowing exactly where we were and how to get to the place we were staying without any map was a great feeling. Dad asked if we should get a cab, and looking down at our tired legs, arms, and ripping duffels - oh, how I wished that we could. "No, they really can't drive here, and especially not to where we're going", I replied as I knew the cobblestone hilly streets and over 128 steps that awaited us. I knew that it would all be worth it though. Finally after we plopped down on our balcony and caught our breath we headed back down the 128 steps from Manuel's Guesthouse, where Chris and I had stayed a couple years before, and had tasty foccacia panini! Chris and I went swimming in the cool Ligurian Sea just before sunset, and as I looked back onto Monterosso from the water, the breath-taking scene overwhelmed me...we were finally in Italy!

The next day was filled with the trying, yet extraordinary, hike between the five (cinque) lands (terre) - Monterosso - Vernazza - Corniglia - Manarola - Riggiormagiore. This was one of the experiences I most looked forward to during our vacation because it's hard to even explain the beauty. Luckily we got a head start earlier in the morning before the sun was completely above the mountains and before the crowds came out. Some of the interesting points of the hike: seeing farmers picking lemons in the morning, being able to view up close vines loaded with grapes, watching locals out for their morning jog (seriously, you should see the ground and stone stairs we are talking about here - "jog" would gain much higher appreciation), getting to say "buongiorno" over and over, seeing a naked woman hanging out on the rocky beach with many other (clothed) family members, having to walk on my tip-toes over part of the trail b/c my heals hurt so bad, changing into flip-flops which actually worked alright over the roads, eating panini on a corner in Corniglia while people-watching, counting a bizillion "holy-spots" (as I like to call them) - mainly homemade shrines to Mary in random doorways, rock caves, city walls, etc, Mom finding a sign for a tea company named "Whittington" (her maiden name), and just being silent as we looked into the glowing, turquoise water!

Chris and I went to the beach that afternoon and felt like we were in the beach scene from TheTalented Mr. Ripley. The beaches here are so much different from back in St. Augustine - more of a communal feeling b/c everyone is on top of each other. As we were leaving, we stopped on a bench in the square as a weekend music marching band festival began. Marching Bands from different regions in Italy came down the road playing as the MJ announced their stats. We went back up to Manuel's to get ready for dinner and could hear all the bands coming up through the town although we couldn't see anything because the roads were too far below us. That night we ate at a wonderful restaurant in the town that was recommended by Manuel's nephew. It was a proper Italian dinner with courses, wine, dessert, and espresso - we all decided that we'd have a nice meal at the end of each city stay.

The next morning we took off for Rome (another fun day with the bags), where we stayed in fellow blogger, Shelley's, holiday apartments At Home Rome in the Trasteverere area of the ancient city. The apartment was wonderful and filled with her special, personal touches that made us feel at home. It was nice to finally meet her (even so briefly) after reading her blog for so long - and hopefully we'll make it back to Roma in not too long and be able to catch a caffe' together. We spent 3 days there and were able to see many of the main sights. The first afternoon after pranzo (lunch), we walked to the Pantheon area (one of my favorite areas of the city) to walk inside this massive structure. We'd borrowed several great books about Rome from the apartment and so we'd stop for mini history lessons outside each site. Next we headed down the street to see the Trevi fountain (packed as usual). Dad threw in a coin over his shoulder so he'd return one day as the legend states. We later found out that you are supposed to throw a coin from your right hand over your left shoulder into the water - but it must work over the right shoulder too, because both Chris and I did it this way 2 years ago - and we came back!

At this point in the trip, daily espresso and gelato stops had become the norm - so after a gelato in the famous square in front of the Pantheon, we headed home. The next day we toured St. Peter's Basilica (after having a picnic in the square where I got pooped on from a pigeon) and the Vatican Museums with the Sistine Chapel as the grand finale. This was a first for Chris and I as well because the first time we visited was the day that the new pope was elected, so the chapel was reserved for the election. Chris and I did a "night walk" through Rome that evening, stopping for dessert in Piazza Navona and then viewing the Trevi at night. Our last full day started early at the Colusseum and Roman Forum, and ended at another excellent restaurant recommended by Shelley - a typical, local spot that is the size of a large dining room with tables packed end to end. Our waitress was AMAZING and we were able to get through the entire evening with almost exclusive Italian. We tried real Roman cuisine - fried, stuffed zucchini flowers, fried artichokes, several types of pasta, and three desserts (tiramisu, marscapone moose, and panna cotta which was the star of the night!).

The next day (last Wednesday) we took a non-stop (thank goodness) train to Florence - and the adventure began (or continued)....

...stay tuned...

benvenuto a italia

Well, today was our first "real" day in Florence! We arrived on Wednesday, but we were still "on vacation" with my parents, and when they left this morning, our new day to day routine started! It's been a crazy whirlwind of events which I'll have to update you on later (b/c we will not have Internet access in our apartment for another 2.5 or so weeks - which completely stinks), so for now it's cafe sittings for us!

The trip was overwhelming (in a good way), but for now, the best way to sum it up is in photos since our last update in Germany (these are from our days in Switzerland and Italy):
• view of the valley in Grindelwald
• in a cloud with a dairy cow (you know...the ones who make Swiss cheese)
• a great poster
• view from our room

• covergirl of the Cinque Terre - Vernazza
• vendor in the Cinque Terre mountain town of Corniglia
• street scene in Manarola
• taking in the Italian coast scenery

• umbrellas on Monterosso
• view from our room
• me enjoying the cool turquoise sea in Monterosso (for all my girls...chris tried to get the "jump")
• yep, I couldn't believe it either - the view from my towel

• some beautiful scenes from the Cinque Terre hike

• mom & dad taking in the Colosseum
• exploring the Forum
• in the Vatican museum
• Trevi fountain at night - our "coin throw" last time worked...because we made it back

• gelato at the Pantheon - one of my favorite things in Rome
• St. Peter's Basilica - minus a pope sighting...but I did get pooped on by a pigeon (which is good luck in Italy)
• evening view from our window
• tree full of olives in the Forum

Thanks to everyone for the encouraging words while we've been gone! We will be in regular contact again with everyone when we get settled soon (and even more when we have better Internet access). Lots of news to come...but for now, CIAO! (we are sitting in Piazza della Signoria, listening to a slightly familiar tongue surround our ears, watching tourists and locals alike enjoy espressos, gelati, and strolls through the cobblestone streets....

a Firenze - our new city- I'm excited to learn more about you...