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Published: March 26th 2012
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On the steps of the Duomo
Early saturday morning the only people around the Duomo are the locals, a great time to pose for a pic on the steps! 3/25/12
Still no wifi at the apartment and our student center is closed on the weekend so I’m unable to go there and use the internet. I could go find an internet café but I don’t want to pay for it. I think the most difficult thing for me to get used to is paying for almost everything with cash and only getting receipts about a quarter of the time. There is actually a law that a receipt must be provided but it still isn’t done. Because of this I’m having a difficult time keeping a solid record of my spending. Last night I didn’t get a chance to update my spending spread sheet so today I had to calculate two days’ worth and I’m off by 11.38. This might not be a big deal to some, but those who know me well know I like to keep track of my money down to the penny; must be a side effect of working in an accounting office for so long. What seems extra odd to me is the 38 cents since almost everything is an even dollar amount and no tax is added on. I may never find
World's best gelato
The line for the world's best gelato award winner. Although the year they won wasn't mentioned it could have been 10yrs ago for all I know. It was tasty though! it, urg.
So an update on the activities of the past two days. Yesterday was a very long day; I was up at 6:30, left the apartment by 7:30 and didn’t get back to the apartment until 10:30! First was a bus ride to Siena, which is a beautiful medieval city. I love it. Although it is a town made of hills, even the tables outside of restaurants sat on planks so they were level. This is the city that does the Pallio horse races twice a year. Bareback no rules three lap race. People have been seriously injured but no one has died on record. It would be amazing and yet scary to see. On one corner of the track they have to pad the buildings with mattresses incase a jokey gets thrown.
Next stop was San Gimignano a hill town for known for its medieval towers. Although the town itself was interesting to look at, I much preferred Siena. One thing it did have going for it was the world famous Gelatoria. It has actually won an award as the best in the world. I had a scope of caramel and one
Traffic Sign
The some of the locals have decided to decorate this sign. I'm not sure what the sign even means, I didn't see a cross walk. of mixed berry. Delicious! I really wish I could bring some back for my brothers, they would enjoy it. Lots of walking at this stop too, and many hills. By the time I climbed back on the bus I was ready for bed, but that wouldn’t come for a few more hours; I did however get in a nap on the bus ride back to Florence.
Upon our return Michelle and I didn’t have enough time to go home and change before the Gregorian chant performance at Santa Croce that our music appreciation teacher wanted us to attend. It was free so that was nice, but after a long day of climbing hills I knew I would have trouble staying awake. We grabbed dinner at a small snack bar and I made sure to get a coke to help keep me awake. The chanting was beautiful and calming. It almost put everyone in a trance. It also made it difficult to stay awake but we all managed. All five students and our teacher, and of course all the locals who were there. The location was gorgeous too; it was in a smaller part of Santa Croce off of the main cathedral area. After the performance I went straight home and went to bed. A really long day with a ton of physical activity topped off with mesmerizing religious chanting.
Today was a day with no official plans; well we did have our start of daylight savings time, so we lost an hour. I laid in bed until noon, it was wonderful. When I got up I headed towards a carnival that was happening on the other side of town. It was further than I thought it would be but it was worth it. Not for the carnival but just west of it was a great merchandise market full of locals. It took me over two hours to walk through the whole thing. I did get a pair of Italian sandals for 3 euro. A really good deal when compared to what the prices are in the center of town. I also bought a shirt I liked, and a couple of gifts.
After the market Michelle and I went grocery shopping for the first time. It was an adventure; and big shopping trips are not the norm here, we had the most out of everyone in line and didn’t bring reusable bags so we were the odd man out there as well. I may have to invest in one for the couple of months that I’m here.
Classes begin tomorrow! Up first are a culture shock and independent travel lecture then lunch and intro to film. After school we have white wine tasting! Although it is 1:40pm where you are while I’m writing this it is 10:40 here. Time for me to get in the shower and go to bed. Good night, sleep well everyone.
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