Good-bye Florence Part 1 (4 pics)

Picking up dinner to go from the Darvish Cafe - one of our favorite little places to eat. Yummy... :)

Street artist fingerpainting with pastels on the street. Talk about SKILLS! (Shortly after taking the picture, I tucked in her underwear tag... she said 'gratzie')

A long-exposure night shot of the Ponte Vecchio. Ummm my camera rocks.

Long exposure night shot of the Duomo and Santa Croce.

Igualita a tu mama (just like your mother!)...

I've always known that my mother and I share many traits in common, but Ian has pointed out some new evidence to convince me that I'm just like my mother! Most of the proof comes from situations dealing with trains or buses. I've decided to blog a few of these to humor my mom and to highlight some fundamental differences in mine and Ian's character.
Proof #1: We arrive at La Spezia with only 8 minutes to change trains. I push my way through the crowd, run to the board to figure out which train we need to get on and realize we need to run to rail #1. I tell Ian we have to run, scope out the place, see the stairs that take us underground, and again push through the crowds to get to the train. We arrive at the train when I hear (muffled by all of the other unfamiliar noises and sounds) something about a change of rail for the train in #1. I grab Ian and tell him we have to run to rail #5, back to the stairs, underground, and again pushing against the crowds. We arrive at rail #5, the sea of passangers boarding the train, the whitle blows (which symbolizes the train leaving) and I start to push our way through again (this time using my elbows if necessary). We make our way onto the train which is so crowded that we can't find a seat in our carriage. The train takes off and we look at each other: are we even on the right train? Ian said it would be my fault if we were headed to the wrong place...but, we would have still been reading the departure board if we had waited on him to decide which train to board!
Proof #2: We read the departure board and realize the train leaves in 2 minutes from rail #2. I grab my bag, look for the underground tunnel and begin to run (leaving Ian behind, of course). He catches up as I emerge on the other side of the tracks (still running for the train). The whistle blows and the doors shut right infront of my nose. I turn around (meekly but not defeated) look at Ian's confused face, turn once more and run for the train doors which I try to open vigorously as it begins to slowly move. I gave up. Ian claimed I never said aloud that we would try to catch that train and I just started running around like a lunatic -- I thought my actions were enough communication!
Proof #3: This one just accentuates our spirit of improved communication and collaboration. After the last incident, we agreed that I would have to say something if I decided we would try to catch a train (I couldn't just run without him and assume he would follow). We look at the departure board and the train is leaving in about 5 minutes. I say "let's get on it" so we begin to run. This time, having heard my thoughts aloud, Ian takes the lead as we run. We have to find the stairs, go underground, and find the right rail. He begins to run towards the stairs -- the ones leading us out of the train station. I stop him, take the lead, take us to the right stairs and half way through the tunnel I realized I had misread my watch. We missed the train - by about an hour!
The list goes on and on - we are getting better at this public transportation thing...and in the process have realized that I may truly be 'igualita a mi mama'!

Cinque Terre was amazing!

This is the view of Riomaggiore from our room's terrace. We climbed about 300 steps to get to the top of the hill where the house was located. The first time we reached the top we were exhausted, but it became easier every time we did it...plus the view was a big reward!

This is a shot we took after arriving in Monterosso. We hiked for two hours (approx. 9 kms) from Vernazza to here. The hike was exhilarating -- about 500 feet up, no handrail, narrow dirt paths, and spectacular views.

This is a shot of the coast that we took during one of our hikes from town to town.

Vernazza from the top of a mountain about 30 minutes into our hike. The climb to this point was steep and I thought I'd have to turn around (but Ian insisted we continue on in search of a hidden cove with a unicorn...or a waterfall, whichever was more likely).

Michelangelo's David

We strolled up to the Accademia at 7pm but the line to get in was HUGE so we decided to kill a half hour and come back. When we returned around 45 minutes later we were convinced that the whole museum had closed because there wasn't a single person in the line. Surprisingly though they were still open so we waltzed in happy (Free AND no line - score!).

Now... There are only 4 art pieces in the world that I have seen that truly astound and captivate me. The David is one of them. I mean, there are definitely a lot of fantastic pieces of art out there, but my favorites are not just beautiful or thought provoking. They are breathtaking, goosebump-causing, inspiring, masterpieces of pure genius... well... at least to me they are. :)

Anyway, I figure'd I would say that to display how much I love this piece of sculpture. It's hard to believe that it's a piece of stone. I'm almost expecting it to turn and look in the other direction. Michelangelo's attention to the tiniest detail on such an immense sculpture is astonishing. It's perfect in many ways. And best of all I love the expression on his face. It's like you can see the intellectual wheels turning in his head. He's conjured up the will and determination and now he just has to act. I think it's so above and beyond other sculptures (well, all but one).

After we had viewed the David for a while we found our seats for a live classical music concert that they hold inside the museum for free on Tuesday nights. The acoustics inside there were amazing. They turned the lights down and four classical musicians filled the room up with beuatiful music. That's when Valentina and I started making out like we were at the back of a movie theatre- JUST kidding, that didn't happen-hahaha I crack myself up. Although in my book that would've been pretty cool! Just checking to see if you were paying attention. Anyway- we take a train to Cinque Terre tomorrow morning. Should be fun! Aw man, Valentina might edit this in the morning. haha- ciao

A typical day in Florence (for us)...

First I should note that our trip to Cinque Terre was postponed until tomorrow. It seems the place is packed with tourists on the weekends much more so than during the week, so we revised our itinerary and stayed in Florence for the weekend.
Our typical day is really quite simple and some things have not changed. We still love our sleep more than breakfast and so we typically roll out of bed just in time to dress and walk over to Marcello's house (our Italian teacher). The walk is typically about 5 minutes: left on Ghibellina, right on Pepi, and straight until the end. After our two hour class we head back to the apartment for a proper lunch which often requires a quick stop in the supermercati. This particular supermercati is more like what I would consider a slightly bigger corner convenience shop back in the States. The floor is often filthy (the streets in Florence are very dirty and one drags the mud in) and the lines could be as long as ten people each plus you pay for your plastic bag (as I hear IKEA is doing in the States) or you bring your own. The stop to the market is literally on the way, so our walk home is left unchanged...continue on Pepi, left on Ghibellina and arrive home. Our appartment is across the way from Casa Buonarroti, which was Michaelangelo's house in Florence -- the street and exterior of these buildings show the wear of the years. Cooking lunch can be an interesting challenge if we both need the kitchen area -- we've learned to slide past each other, reach above each other's heads, wait patiently for each other to move first, share the same utencils, and light the tiny gas stove (well, reallistically, only Ian has mastered that last one). I think the kitchen was intended for one chef. After lunch, we usually always take a Florentine nap -- we lay in bed with the windows open, one thin sheet on us, and off we go to sleep for a couple of hours. Now, on a typical vacation one may never consider sleeping an afternoon away and while that was my mentality at first...I quickly realized that Florence was still there when I woke up and that it would be there the next day, too. Plus, I typically wake up to the sound of an Italian conversation taking place outside my window. An Italian family, kids playing, the baker, a couple of workers -- never tourists (they usually whisper to each other), but always a local. Now, after studying, eating, and resting we leave the house for a walk and a visit to some interesting place until late at night when our feet are so tired that they find their own way back home. We've managed to skip the long lines formed early in the morning -- for example, tonight we will go to the Accademia in the evening when it is free and we'll see the David without the heavy tourist crowds (crossing my fingers).

Off to Cinque Terre...

This week in Florence has been great. We visited the Uffizi and the church of Santa Croce (among the more touristy things to do), but ultimately have most enjoyed just sitting around watching life pass all around us. There are tons of street vendors selling knock off purses, posters, watches, and sunglasses lined up in some of the most popular areas. I had never really stopped to watch them and the intricacies that come along with selling illegal merchandise -- until now. It really is quite fascinating and entertaining to watch. Last night we spent about 2 hours sitting on the sidewalk among them, so we were free to watch without them trying to push us into a purchase. They line up their goods on white blankets that can be quickly made into a bundle when the polizia comes by. I wondered how they would know to pick up their goods without it being too late, but it seems there is a communication net that delivers the message to pick up. There also seems to be what we call the "pimp". He rides in his bike from spot to spot checking in with the illegal sellers speaking in a language that is typically other than Italian. Watching these men pick up their goods is a phenomenon on its own -- the poster sellers have a smart strategy that allows them to slide each poster underneath one another in matters of seconds. The guys selling shades have made portable stands out of old boxes that they can carry with them. Last night I was most impressed with an African whom I would categorize as a perfectionist. While all others set up shop by throwing their blankets in any open street spot, he chose his spot carefully (remember, that everytime they pick up their goods they walk away from the streets only to come back and set up shop again a few minutes later). He took a disproportionate amount of time to set up each of his knock off purses on display (considering the few seconds it would take him to pick it all up at the sign of the police). Each purse had to be perfectly placed, handles up, equally spaced from one another. It may seems like a small thing to have observed and be blogging about, but it's exactly these things that on any day I probably would have missed had I simply walked on by. Eventually, we had to leave this nightly show which might I add was free!
Tomorrow we take a train to Vernazza, one of the five towns in Cinque Terre on the coast of Italy. The train will take us on a 2.5 hour journey for all of 18 euros. We plan to hike through all of the towns over the weekend. Some say these five towns are some of the most amazing in the Riviera -- we'll provide our scoop next week.
Valen

In Firenze...

We've been here for a few days now and I must admist that we are still getting used to it all. We took a couple of days to get situated in the city and our apartment. The streets are becoming more familiar but the sensations are still all new. We've circled the city by foot several times in the day and at night. Sometimes I have to purposely slow down the internal clock telling me to get to the next place -- that is probably the hardest thing to adjust. There is no rush.
We plan on taking Italian classes together -- while English and Spanish can get us by, it's really not the same.
Our apartment is centrally located but on a relatively quiet and residential street. The place is small but functional and clean. Ian and I share a tiny little closet and three drawers. We've learned to hang or clothes to dry out our window and, in general, to readjust our ideas of portions and sizes (for everything!).
Today I woke up to a street worker's whistling tune of Andrea Bocelli. I opened the windows for a fresh burst of air and smelled something wonderful...some kind of baked good.

pictures in Florence