January 29&30

Yesterday we woke up late because of course we went to bed super late due to the naps that I keep taking during the middle of the day. Definitely need to get on a regular sched before school starts on Tuesday. We decided to go to the Mercato Centrale, which is this huge open market. A LOT different than I had expected. I assumed there would be tons of vendors far to close together, selling, the same product, very dirty, and yelling in your face like in Athens of course. I experienced nothing of the sort. Instead it was very clean and orderly. Everyone had a big space with refrigerators and shelves. I got fresh mozzarella, bread, salami, and more cheese obviously. Then we went back to the real grocery store, which sucked in comparison. I feel like since we walk everywhere I get so tired early in the day hence why we went back to the house and I napped from 4-8. Then I woke up and made a yummy meal of pasta with pesto in the baby kitchen that Kelsey and I share. Then we watched Julie and Julia, which is probably the longest movie of my life. Even though we didn’t do much, everyday is a new experience. I see a new building I hadn’t noticed before or I find a new store with unique things. We haven’t really ventured out of the central area of Florence. This is probably because its too freaking cold and my little legs cant take me too far before I’m pooped, but I’m not worried because we still have four months to go!

This morning we woke up at 12, so I finally had a decent nights rest! First we ate delicious pizza. The crust was super thin; the sauce melted off the pizza, and the mozzarella was so fresh. And of course the man making the pizza was obsessed with us and literally would not stop say we were his girls from California. Creepy much? Then we found GROM. Another to die for. Probably the best gelato I have ever had. It was so rich yet light and unbelievably creamy. I had egg cream, sounds strange but I slurped it up so fast. Only 2 euro for two scoops and the best part is, it is literally a three-minute walk from our place so I think its safe to say I will be there every day. Eating is my favorite activity hands down. But naturally shopping is after that, which is exactly what we did next. We just roamed the streets of vendors and made an appearance in Zara, which is so much better than in the US but more expensive.

We also finally did some touristy things and went into some museums, statues, and churches all of which I will learn the names of soon. We went inside the Duomo, which was massive and gorgeous, but I actually enjoyed the smaller less populated churches because it is easier to appreciate and admire the incredible detail and craftsmanship that goes into making the lavish altars and meticulous paintings that cover the expanse of the building. I cant’ wait until its sunny so I can see the sun shining in the stained glass windows.

Sophia and I decided to buy some cigarettes only sold in Italy. We got Club Slim Light, which I have to say were quite good, but this will only happen in Italy. Then we wandered into some small shops. A lot of them are stationary of sorts that sell the famous patterned paper. I hope you know what I mean because I can’t describe it to you for the life of me. Fleur de Lys’ are everywhere, which is Florence’s national symbol. By now we were right by home and decided to head in because it was so cold and we were all tired, which leads to where I am sitting now. The four of us just had some wine and played cards! I’ve taught Soph, Kels, and Becky a couple games, which was fun. Oh I love living such a simple life here. <3