Winter Break: Phase III

28 December 2008
Florence, Tuscany, Italy

Although I went to Florence a couple of weeks ago with a fellow au pair for a weekend getaway from Torino, John requested we make a stop there because one of his most esteemed friends had recommended the World's Best Pear Ravioli in some little restaurant. What better reason to go? It sounded a trillion times better than going to see the Uffizi, Duomo, or some other typical, historical reason why a tourist would want to go to Florence. So we went.

After some idle hours eating spinach pastries and experimenting with non-English conversation, baggage doubling as a resting places for our frigid bottoms, we took an intercity train from Como to Florence, perched half-fearfully on unassigned seats in a six person train compartment that made me think of Harry Potter. We played cards on a tiny flip-down table. Afternoon darkened into evening outside. Got to Florence, walked to hostel, met our roommates: a couple of kids from Michigan taking a break from their study abroad in Germany, and a lone Japanese guy with bronze hair. A 16-year-old sleepy boy came from another room into the "lobby" to talk to the receptionist, and we introduced ourselves; learned that he was waking up at 5am the next day to catch a train and then a ferry to Greece. All alone, and had been for weeks. Maybe it was because he looked so, so young that I asked him if he wanted a hug - not in a condescending way, I hoped - and he said yes, so I hugged him. Everybody needs one.

Before heading out for a bite to eat, we agreed that a movie might be nice. I remembered that when I studied abroad in Florence there was a theatre that sometimes featured movies in English; Odeon, it had been called, near the Piazza della Repubblica. Oh-- we almost forgot the pear ravioli restaurant! All he had was the name, La Giostra. That rang a bell, La Giostra... I pulled a business card out of my wallet, and couldn't believe that he was talking about the tiny, adorable trattoria I'd passed when I was here in November! But it was the very one about which his friend had raved, and so we passed by to make a reservations for the following night. It was busy, dimly lit by romantic twinkly Christmas lights, full of interesting looking people and savory aromas. Could hardly wait to come back.

Our movie was horrible, an Italian comedy called "Il Cosmo Sul Como." Don't see it. Don't even think about it.

Next day:

Bought bus tickets to Ljubljana
Coffee and pastry
Climbed the Campanile
Ponte Vecchio
Gelato
Piazza Signoria
Back to hostel to split a bottle of wine and watch a bootlegged movie

Pear ravioli
lots of talk about my time in
florence, the weeks to come, life. we talked about how important it is
to find yourself. what inspires you. i've yet to. he said, those kids
will change you, and at first i was mildly indignant that he didn't
say, you'll change those kids. then i stopped being full of myself and
agreed.
Sleepytime

Belt
Accademmia (David)
Gave my colored pencils to a little Spanish girl
Long bus ride to...