Ciao!

An author I can't remember of a book I can't remember wrote that "a novel is like a dream in which everyone is you."
Here, I won't be writing a novel (since I'll be channeling my time into exploring this great city) but instead will give quick sketches of Florence in the words I find on my travels. From the Ponte Vecchio to the Duomo, I hope that you, too, will find in these sketches the stories of people and places who are both foreign and familiar to you at once. Because, like that unknown author said, writing lets us live the dream of the worlds we read. ~ Alyssa

Sunday, February 8, 2009

A Peaceful Weekend

After a crazy and fun last week, everything here has been quiet the past few days. Even the streets outside seem less busy, and when my roommates and I went out shopping this weekend the world seemed at peace. Our side of the river was calm, only the occasional group of tourists passing by and a few couples sitting in the shade of the Pitti Palace across from our apartment. We set out Saturday afternoon to shop and found Florence in this quietness. Though the center was teeming with people, the weekend just felt calmer – even the rain had stopped. Colleen, Allie and I wandered around the Duomo and explored the leather market at the Piazza della Republica, where the vendors are happy to bargain and eager to sell. It’s hard to stay strong against those cute elderly Italian men when they pose a scarf or shawl for only ten euro, but we survived and moved on…shoe stores, clothing stores, cellphone stores – we did it all and had a ball.
Exhausted by the end of our walk, we put off cooking dinner and stopped instead at a Chinese restaurant. And boy was it Chinese, just like America. I felt at home for the hour we spent there, among the pastel colors and pots of tea and sticky rice laden with soy sauce. We told each other about our favorite Chinese restaurants at home (Allie is from Minneapolis and Colleen from Chicago, have I mentioned that before?) and I thought about the last time I was at The Lilac House with Mom and Dad and Grandpa.
But Italian Chinese food is just as delicious, and really hit the spot. We were restored and returned home ready for a night in – watching our new favorite show on DVD, The Sopranos, of which we watched at least three hour-long episodes before crashing for the night.

Today was even quieter, only leaving the apartment to go grocery shopping in the late afternoon. I braved the cool outdoors to walk several blocks away to a grocery store we hadn’t tried out yet. And lo and behold – this place is huge! Complete with seven different cereals, tunafish, a deli, and (yes!!) peanut butter! I hit the jackpot today. After shopping the last few weeks in a smaller store nearby – where there are only two cereals and cheese in packages – I was ready for a change. This newly discovered place is going to be great, and did I mention they have peanut butter? Peanut butter! About 6.50 US dollars for a mini jar, but I just know it will be worth it when I crack that jar open. Mmm!

And so after a lazy weekend, this week will be time for preparation. I’m going to Paris on Saturday! For a week! My Gonon family relatives are willing to house Nick and I in their extra apartment on the ground floor of their building, so we’ll be spending next week among the Parisians. I can’t wait to return to the city I visited so long ago – sixth grade I think? And we didn’t even do the Louvre then! As an educated adult now, I think I’m ready for the challenge, and we’ve got lots of other outings planned. Versailles, Montmarte, the Latin Quarter, and this famous graveyard Nick wants to go to are among many. So now it’s time for laundry and passport copies and mini toiletries and extra camera batteries. I’ll be leaving the pasta for the paté soon, and I’m so excited I can hardly wait to start packing.
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1 comment:

  1. ekwFebruary 13, 2009 at 10:09 PM

    i hope you told everyone about our sunday table at charlie changs :)

    ReplyDelete

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