Weird Thursday Night Mass...

I know I posted already today but I ended up doing more fun things that I wanted to post as well!

I went out with Dave for dinner and we ended up at a random place that was really good! Then we went to get gelato and then we saw Ponte Vecchio at night.

It was all very fun and beautiful :)

But there was a weird part : there was a 9:00 Thursday night mass being projected onto the streets via loudspeaker. It was interesting yet bizarre. I guess Italy is still a very Catholic country!

Funny thing is, mass sounds exactly the same in every language. 

Hope you enjoy the pictures! Tomorrow I'm headed to Venice to meet my Pap and my Uncle Tom, Aunt Cathy, cousin Chris and his wife Sarah and their baby, Kate (and maybe even others, I'm not totally sure)! I'M SO PUMPED! I can't wait to see my family and spend time with them in Europe, literally once in a lifetime people!

Rainy day reflexions

Sooooo it's rainy today. But I actually have written these over an extended period of time so the title is a little deceptive. Sorrryyyyyyy. And a warning: a little while through, you might notice a change in font. I've been trying for 5 minutes to fix it but it's just not happening. My apologies ahead of time, even though I know it isn't that big of a deal.

Anyway, first reflexion: How can an "x" make the a "ksh" noise like in reflexion? Or a "ks" noise like in mix? Or a "z" noise? Like in xylophone? 

What's the point of a letter that doesn't even have its own SOUND?!

Well anyway....

I just read my horoscope for the month of May and found some surprisingly relevant things:

"From May 20th forward:... You are sorting through the experiences of the last several months, separating the worthwhile from the worthless. This is a good time to build your skills, to get organized, and to attend to your health and wellbeing…Your self-esteem and your ego are tied up in the work you do and in the services you give...It's time to bring order to your life by focusing on the little things that make up the whole. This cycle presents an opportunity to get rid of what doesn't work in your life, while also discovering what does. You could seek distinction and strive towards perfection in your work. Efficiency should be your goal now. Your physical health, as well as the relationship between your body and your mind, are in focus."

So obviously this has been happening; I’ve come to the end of my time in France and I’m sorting through my life and everything I’ve learned. That much is obvious. I also thought the bit about physical health was interesting because I’ve been worrying (borderline obsessing?) about how much my general health declined in France. Not that there’s any evidence, it’s just how I feel…but anyway, I’ve got plans to start running again once I get back to the states. That is going to feel so good.

And secondly:

“This transit acts to completely reshape your self-image. The changes inside of you are magnificent, and they spill out of you through different mannerisms, a new look, and a brand new way of presenting yourself to others. This is a time when you are reclaiming your personal power. "Life is what you make it"--you live and breathe this concept now. The things or even people that have held you back from being who you really are tend to be left behind during this transit, although the process can be difficult. Superficial attitudes or manners of self-expression no longer do it for you!”

So I’m pretty excited for this change, whatever it will be : ) As you’ve seen throughout the last entries, I’ve been making a small effort to change my physical appearance to be, oh I don’t really know…more European? Less bland? I’m going to make a strict point of not including so much black and gray in my wardrobe as I usually do. It’s so boring…I’m sure I’ll still use mostly muted colors, but at least it’s not gray! I can’t wait to get back to America and shop in thrift stores again. I have missed it so much…

Anyway I just like when my horoscope is really relevant to my life so I figured I’d include it because it’s also relevant to the blog.

I've been thinking a little bit about what it means to be an adult, because for a little while I really have felt like one...and then I started thinking, what's it take to be an adult? Because I'm pretty sure I've got the whole "functioning on my own" thing down...however, there is a large difference between me and an adult: the whole "full-time job and bill paying" thing. Right now, this is just practice for real adulthood. This is me spending money that I'll pay off when I'm actually a grown up. But I figure it's a necessary step to adulthood, that's for sure.

I’m so proud of myself. This is the first time in my life where I’ve been truly happy with what I’m doing and 100% able to say that I got myself here almost completely on my own. It doesn’t bother me that I got some help along the way though. What would be the point of human contact if we didn’t help one another out every now and then?

On another note, I just realized that if I were still in France I would be in front of my class teaching English right now : (

Anyway, what I did today:

I waited until Dave, my hostel mate, got up because I wanted to ask him if he wanted to go to the market to the sandwich place. But luckily I didn’t even have to ask him, he asked me! So I got another panino and then we went to the best Italian bakery in Florence (according to the internet) and I got this:

It was pretty yummy :)

Then we walked up to the Rose Gardens and that area again, and then we just walked around until we came back here to the hostel. It was nice to not be alone! But I think I may have forgotten how to socialize. And I kept just wanting to blab about France but I had to eventually shut up because I knew it wasn’t interesting, plus it’s a habit that I have to get out of because everyone at home will get sick of it pretty quickly. So I’m sorry in advance if I have troubles limiting that…

And last but not least, I found (or rather Charlotte found) a picture of the haircut that I HATE. It's not exactly this, but this is as close as I can get.

So imagine this haircut on a scrawny teenage "athletic" boy wearing, say, a ridiculous looking red sweatsuit and leather adidas shoulder bag (aka man purse) who has the whole "I'm too cool for this world" attitude going on.

Plus the top is a little longer and he put in a ton of hair gel to make it look slightly spiky. And you have one of the ugliest hairstyles I've ever seen.

And last but not least: right now I'm sitting in the hostel room drinking a tisane and browsing the web and Dave is playing his guitar. This is a nice last day in Florence!

Les Français par rapport aux Italiens!

So being in Italy makes me think, naturally, of France. Constantly.  I don’t mean I’m sitting here daydreaming about being in France with all of my Frenchie pals (although I do that sometimes, admittedly) but rather that I’m constantly drawing comparisons between the two populations.

At first, it was obviously the language. Italian sounds like a giant jumble of elongated vowels to me…of course that’s because I don’t know it. I’m sure that’s how French sounds to just about everyone who doesn’t know it as well. Plus a disgusting frog-in-your-throat sound thrown in every now and then.

Next, it was the difference between the French way of getting things done and the Italian one. When I first got to France, I thought they were a very pushy people. No personal space, no caring about whether or not you’re standing ON someone in the metro, and the way to get people to move in the cafeteria is to jab them in the back with your tray. It’s all very passive-aggressive…

But in Italy, it’s worse. It’s more assertive aggressive, bordering aggressive-aggressive, especially when you tick someone off for not knowing how the pay system in a store works. But whatever, that happens…you brush yourself off and decide not to care because hey, you’re in Italy.

As it turns out, that difference in attitude translates into other areas as well. Namely, eye contact. When I was in France I made a game of staring at people until they made eye contact with me. Really, if you’re walking down the street someone will not look at you or say hi to you like they will in America (if you’re in a neighborhood, that is) and if you smile at someone, that means something. And actually, I had a really difficult (if not impossible) time of forcing the eye contact. So my game eventually became me just being able to stare at people without them knowing or caring. And I got used to people not looking at me. I actually prefer it as I’m sure you could guess.

You might not notice it in America but people more often than not will stare at you, give you an up-down look and in that very instant make a judgment. Usually it’s girls between the ages of 15 and we’ll say 22? Because they’re so busy thinking about how others think of them that they take every chance they can get to look at another girl and judge her. People say I’m paranoid for thinking that but I’m 99% sure I’m completely right. I know it stems out of a place of self-consciousness or whatever, but I think those people just need to get over themselves. So needless to say, French people keeping to themselves was a welcome improvement. I think I’ve even fallen out of the habit of the good ol’ up-down and just gone straight to staring. Bad habit. But I can’t help it if I really like someone’s style and want to internalize and eventually copy it!!!!

Anyway, I did have a point when I started that tangent. It was that here in Italy, people do the up-down. And it reaaallly bothers me. And men will stare at you right in the eyes until you look at them…I’d rather them say “ciao bella!” than do that because dear lord is it creepy.

French people like to think that their men are dragueurs, or flirts. Sure, when they get you one on one they’ll try have a conversation with you. And yes, they can definitely be persistent when you’re on the metro and they want you to talk to them…but those are usually just the drunk ones. The typical French boy seems too timid and reserved, just as the French seem to be (at least in Rennes) to do what some of the Italian men do. For example, a boy in the metro won’t stare at you. He’ll quickly make eye contact with you and look away and then pull back into his own little world like nothing ever happened. I definitely prefer this form of flirting as well. I don’t like when men make me feel objectified and uncomfortable…(I can see Kelsey rolling her eyes at me as she reads this). Since I know it’s just their culture, I’ll let the Italians get away with it.

And then there are the general styles.

As for Italian men…well, you know what they look like. They’re beautiful, and if not then they’re at least well dressed.

French men can be stylish, but there is one particular group which I can barely stand the look of. I don’t know what exactly they’re called, but I think they’re the French form of a jock. Unfortunately I can’t find a picture on my own because I don’t know the name of the haircut, but I’m hoping one of my French contacts can help me out. If I’m lucky, they’ll understand what I’m describing! But anyway, I think it’s one of the ugliest haircuts I have ever seen. I just don’t understand why they have to do it when they have the perfect excuse to have beautiful, crazy hairstyles. THEY’RE EUROPEAN! The Italians understand that and take full advantage of it.

And as for Italian women, there are the obvious things that are sort of similar to French style: nice clothes and heels.

However, some Italian women definitely have bigger (although not crazier) hair than the French. When I say bigger, I mean that it’s curly and voluminous…it could have to do with the humidity here because my hair is sort of doing the same thing (granted I am 25% Italian…). And when I say “although not crazier” I mean that I saw some of the frizziest, poofiest, beyond-comprehension hairstyles in France. But the French can totally pull off that eccentric look. I kind of like it and I’m sure I looked that way sometimes after I rolled out of bed :P

And last but not least (because you’re not the only one who gets tired when these blogs are really long) there is the food. As you know, French food is different from Italian. That’s just common sense. French cuisine is a lot of butter, a lot of cream, and a lot of finer herbs like rosemary, thyme, and tarragon. At least that’s what I experienced.

In Italy, I don’t know what they use but I know that it’s spicy. A lot of French people think spice is really nasty and they don’t like it…but I have to say, it’s definitely a welcome change. I’ve had some spice on just about every sandwich I had here and it made me soooo happy.

Oh, and then there’s the weather which leads me to say that I have at least 2 bugbites right now. I did not miss those. One is on the edge of my pinky…that’s freaking annoying. I think I might be hyper-allergic to mosquitoes or something because ever since last summer every time I get a bug bite, it’s literally the size of a golfball and sometimes it turns purple. So mayyybe I should get that checked out…(but I’m not French, so I probably won’t).

And fiiiiiinally, what I did today:

Went to the market for another sandwich:

Went back to the rose garden and read a French book that I sort of “borrowed” from Monique’s house (they have like 10,000 books, don’t worry):

Went back to the hostel and started my job search/did who knows what.

Went out to get gelato at a place called Grom. And it was hands down the best I’ve had in Florence.

Went to the grocery store and bought pre-cooked spinach and had it with pre-cooked tortellini:

(It’s the most embarrassing and terrible thing I’ve ever “cooked” and I’m kind of ashamed to say it even happened. It looks way more better than it actually was.)

And then I wrote this blog. Later I’m going to drink some tisane (I haven’t done it yet, even though I know I said I would --- by the way, tisane is what the French call herbal tea --- they love to drink it before bed…like, religiously.)

And as a final summary: I loved France more than I even realized, for reasons I did not notice until coming to a country that seems to be its total opposite. Not to mention my indifferent face (meaning I don’t have to smile or look happy in public, copyright Sarah Kuethe) is perfectly acceptable and even preferable in France. Remember when I wrote in one of my entries that France will never seem like my home? I’ll never feel like I fit there more than I did in America?

Now I’m beginning to question my statement…but I guess we’ll see once I get back to good ol’ ‘murica.

Oh, and I’ve also heard more ridiculous southern American accents in this city than I have in my entire life. Someone please explain that to me.

Also, I'm really bored. If you couldn't tell. Traveling alone in one city for far too long is BORING. Poor planning on my part.

ONE LAST THING! I swear. So I've been sending a lot of emails/facebook messages in French today and I find myself using expressions and then having to look up what they mean. They somehow worked their way into my vocabulary without me even realizing it! Luckily I've used all of them correctly :D Yay for language learning!

Florence : Hard on your wallet...your new, soft leather wallet...

So today's been a long day, somehow. I don't know what I did to tire myself out so much but I am EXHAUSTED.

I got up before 10, that's part of it.

I only had a Coke Light for my caffeine fix, that's another part of it.

I've been eating less than I did in France, that's yet another aspect.

And I walk for hours on end. So I guess that'll add up to back pain and exhaustion.

Anyway, today I didn't do that much except food related things.

I finally found the market and got a panino lampredetto...that's something that is completely original to Florence but if you want one, you just have to be adventurous. It's tripe...

Actually, it was pretty good! I got it from a famous place (and managed to get an evil stare from an Italian for not knowing what he was asking me, but oh well...it's part of the deal) in the Market and sat outside to eat it.

There were, however, parts that I couldn't stomach.

Pun intended.

But seriously, these bits that I pulled out were just too chewy. Sometimes, like with sushi, I can force myself past a texture and enjoy it. But those strips were too big and I just kept thinking, "Stop thinking about what it is, just don't eat it..." and by the end of my sandwich I had completely lost any desire I had to eat it in the first place. Luckily, because it was small and didn't take long to eat. I hate wasting things...

But before I went to the market, I bought this purse and spotted these shoes! Green wasn't my first choice, but I wanted them SO badly that I wasn't willing to lose the 35 euro price. I wanted tan, but green works well enough for me. I also bought some souvenirs for other people at the leather market, but I won't say for whom!

After that, I went back to my hostel room and reorganized my suitcase and did other things, although I don't remember what.

After a while, I decided it was time to head out again to walk around and grab some food. I did some research and decided today would be the day I went to the best sandwich shop in Florence, as well as the best gelateria. 

And let me tell you, the sandwich shop was incredible. 

There it is, people. I went in and had no idea what to get so I waited for the lady in front of me to order. As it turned out, she was American. The sandwiches were HUGE so she asked me if I wanted to split with her, and then she didn't let me pay! I also got a glass of the house wine for 2 euro :) INCREDIBLE DEALS, PEOPLE. Don't expect these prices in France.

This has eggplant and artichoke paste and some sort of meat and mmmm it was good. I will be going back 1 or 2 more times before I leave, that's for sure.

Afterwards, we headed to the gelateria together. It's called Vivoli. It was pretty good, but I wasn't overly impressed like I was expecting. Like, I was expecting to have gelato so good that I would almost die from happiness...

Maybe I just need to lower my expectations.

I got pistachio flavor and orange chocolate. When I was in Rome with Hope in February, I discovered my LOVE for the combination of orange and chocolate. At the gelateria she took us, I had the most delicious gelato that had chunks of candied orange in it and it was just so good...that's what I was expecting. But hey, the gelato was good enough and normal colored, what more can you ask for?

Afterwards I walked around more : Ponte Vecchio, yet again...

And a random hotel that made me miss France :(

A view from another bridge, further out of the center of town:

Andddd now I'm back at the hostel. But I just remembered what I did earlier during my little break!

I did laundry. In the hostel sink. Using bodywash. Don't judge me, people. I'm at the intersection of poor and lazy. I do have to say that I'm somewhat proud of that decision, I feel like it's a right of passage or something.

Anyway, I'm gonna go do random nothings now until it's a socially acceptable time to go to bed!

"Aimless" Wanderings

So my day didn't start till around 11. I slept late because sleeping is a wonderful way to kill time. Then I headed out, went to the grocery store for a coke (caffeine fix) and started my journey to the Central Market. Or at least I wanted to, anyway. 

Every time I try to use the map to get somewhere, I epically fail. Florence is really confusing, for some reason. So instead, I decided to just wander since I have 3 more days to kill anyway. I don't really know exactly what I saw today, but I know the things were big and important. Eventually I'll try to figure out where I was, but I'm 99% sure I'm hitting every single major tourist spot there is.

I got lunch around this area at 1pm because by that point I had resigned to the fact that I was not going to find the market any time soon. I tried going into this one place that I knew would be good because there were Italians there. The only problem is that...I don't speak Italian. And they didn't have a menu. So after a few minutes of struggling to figure out the system, I gave up and left. I ended up getting a subpar sandwich (which was actually pretty good compared to anything in America, it just didn't feel that way because I knew I could have had something way better) and then I got gelato.

This was the best. gelato. ever. Yet again, I saw a store where Italians were sitting so I figured it had to be good. Luckily they spoke English there. I got hazelnut and pistachio...I just can't describe how good it is. The texture is just so smooth and silky.

Here's a tip if you're ever in Italy and want to find a good gelateria (I learned this from the internet, can't take credit):

1) If the gelato is not the color of it's flavoring, don't eat it. Meaning banana should not be neon yellow and pistachio should not be neon green, they should both be rather muted and bland looking (as you can see in the picture).

2) There are two words that you should look for that mean important things...but I can't remember them, so look them up. Your safest bet is to simply ask if the gelato is made in house, because that's mostly what's important. 

3) If there are Italians there, you're probably safe.

4) If it costs more than you think it should, you're probably right. I got that cone for 2 euro, baby. You can hardly buy anything for that in France. (Profiting from economic crises, is that okay?)

So anyway, then I stumbled upon these guys.

Then I took a walk towards Porte Vecchio again, the old bridge, because I wanted to cross to see the other part of the town. That was a WONDERFUL decision.

I found that you can climb all the way up to like the highest point in the city from there. If you're interested, I ended up at Piazzale Michelangelo. (That's where the statue dude is). 

But on the way there, I saw Giardino delle Rose, which was actually on my list of things to do! Oh, and the views along the way were freaking incredible.

And I also saw San Miniate al Monte, the beauty of which my camera cannot do justice. The inside was gorgeous.

And then I found this path, so I took a walk. I realized how long it's been since I've been in woods like this (basically since America, I don't think France even has woods other than in designated parks...that's an exaggeration, but you get the point). But seriously, living in Rennes was way different from living in Shaler in that respect.

And then on my way back to my hostel (because it was almost 17...which means 5 for you Americans...) and I was exhausted. But I saw the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella on the way back (on a failed attempt to find the market, for the third time).

After relaxing for a while, I headed to the supermarket to get apples and something for dinner because I'm not really willing to experience dining in a restaurant alone yet. I was talking for a while with the Canadian and he said he just did it for the first time and it was really boring. Soooo I probably won't end up doing it. 

I am getting more used to being alone though. As long as I'm up and doing something, it's not too bad at all. I didn't end up watching a movie last night like I thought I would but maybe I will tonight.

I was just thinking about how my host family is just finishing dinner right now and it made me sad not to be there. Tonight I'll make some tisane (yes, I did bring some with me. I don't know why) and drink it as a tribute to France. 

On an unrelated note, I saw those French girls from the bus walking around earlier today.

And on a slightly related note, if you want to know how to be European, here's one small tip: wear a jacket, no matter the weather. Even if it's 70 degrees, the sun is shining, and your hiking up a hill, keep your jacket on. And wear a scarf if you want to add a little French flare. 

Oh, and if you want to be able to pick out groups of American girls in Europe just look for the people all wearing short, bright sundresses with no tights. They will definitely be American. 

Or look for the girl who caused a moped to crash because she was stupid and didn't look when she started to cross at the crosswalk. (Yes, I did see that happen today).