Market

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Yum yum yum!

Toady during class we went to the Mercato Centrale, which is this HUGE food market in this old building (but let's be honest, pretty much ever building in Florence is old). We went with the excuse of asking vendors (in Italian) about their products, but really it was to get us out of the classroom and to the market. There were stalls of bread, fish, meat, deli meats, cheese, fruits and vegetables, oils and spices, and prepared foods (I think that's all....). It smelled good in a few places, but mostly like fish and cheese (like sharp, smelly cheese), so I lingered by the fruit stands and ran by the fish and cheese ones. I bought strawberries, bread and green beans, all fresh. Tonight it's my turn to make dinner 😊

So YESTERDAY.

We all hiked (it's really not that far, but after living less than two minutes away previously, it's far) to Lorenzo di' Medici, the Italian International Institute. It's about a twenty minute walk from the hotel and a two minute walk from the Medici chapels. After class we had orientation. Yes, orientation for a two week class. It was overkill. For an hour. One guy fell asleep. And may I add that most of us hadn't had lunch yet because class is 9-1 and the orientation was at 1. Not fun. But then a few of us went to the grocery store to buy food for dinner last night (we couldn't go the market because it closes at 2). After a short stop by the room, we ran back to LdM for our tour around Florence. The woman giving the the tour was really good. She was funny and would get those of us who knew random facts (I had a few, of course) to share them and such. That was about two hours, so we were all pretty tired and hungry. We got back to the hotel, and Liana made dinner and I attempted to draw a peaceful landscape that's just the middle ground, no background :-/ Dinner was...odd. We don't have any spices, and the kitchen, really, is just two burners for the stove and a sink that's smaller than the bathroom sink. It's about the size of our closet, which we have to share because there's only one. So dinner. Liana bought pre-breaded chicken (so yummy) and cooked it in our skillet, then chopped green and red peppers and zucchini and tossed it all together. It was kinda bland, but good. Then we watched TV for the first time in over three weeks and fell asleep at 10:45.

Today after the market I came back, did my homework and fiddled around with my computer because in about an hour we're going to the Accademia to see the David (and Michelangelo's other works, which I like just as much, if not more). When we get back I'm going to cook shredded carrots and green beans in the skillet, then mix them in with bow-tie pasta, pesto and parmesan. Simple, but yummy 😊

Another weird thing about dinner last night: we bought parmesan thinking it was a block, but no. It's like Kraft singles. You know, individually wrapped and kinda fake looking. Hopefully tonight I can melt it a little in the pasta and it won't be so odd. Who knows. I'll let y'all know how it goes tomorrow (or maybe Thursday because tomorrow we're going to Siena and I don't know when we get back!).

Much love,
Rachel

P.S. I posted pictures!!!

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Photos

Photo 2
Me on top of the highest hill in Urbino

Photo 3
The Ducal Palace in Urbino

Photo 4
Liana and Me at the fortress in San Leo

Photo 5
Me on one of the two hills of Pennabilli

Photo 6
The other hill of Pennabilli

Photo 7
A group of friends (and me) in Urbino (sorry, I can't see who they are, the thumbnail's tiny)

Photo 8
Me at the winery

Photo 9
A group pf friends in Murano

Photo 10
Burano

Photo 11
Friends before karaoke

Photo 12
Me and SJ at La Baita on an old see saw type thing