Tuesday = The Beatles

Every Tuesday, BeBop (a bar here in Florence) has Beatles night with an Italian Beatles cover band. Here are links to my videos of them on YouTube- they were too big to be uploaded on here :( Anyway, I recorded a minute each of their versions of "I Feel Fine" and "Hey Jude"...

I Feel Fine- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vurG95wYzec

Hey Jude- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLZx6_E6zw8

Eating out in Italy

This is wayyy behind- like 3 weeks… Anyway, the first week of classes, CAPA (my school here) took us (PU Summer in Florence students) out to dinner for free. It was amazing!! It was a traditional, multi-course meal with antipasto (appetizer), primo corso (first course), secondo corso, terzo corso, and dolce (dessert)! There were about six appetizers to start it out. Yes, I was adventurous and tried everything (believe me- I was so full by the end of the meal!!). My favorite antipasto was the asparagus surprisingly, don’t know how they fixed it but they did well! All three main courses were pasta- my favorite being ravioli with spinach and parmesan stuffing, delicious! Plus, since it had green stuff in it, I totally felt healthy! ;) Dessert was great- they just called it a brick but Sarah guessed it was some kind of meringue with chocolate sauce and hardened chocolate strips in it. Any wonder that I liked it? :P

Let me catch you up on my other food milestone in Italy- first was that multi-course, traditional Italian fare, then... PIZZA! It took me a week to get around to my first slice of pizza in Italy. Cheese pizza here is “pizza margherita.” If you order just “pizza marinara,” you get the pizza with pizza sauce andddd nothing else- no cheese, no nothing, just crust with tomato sauce on it. Jessica accidentally ordered it once and I tried it and it wasn’t so bad but I’m no way giving up my cheese pizza. The first place I tried it is definitely the best (since then I’ve probably had it at least 5 more places, including in Viareggio, Siena, and Rome). I’m looking forward to getting it in Capri this weekend though because it’s near Naples where they INVENTED pizza! Yup! Anyway, my first slice had been sitting in a display under glass but he heated it up and it was delicious and crispy even though it had been sitting out and had a thick crust. Besides that place, the rest haven’t been too special (though I’m hopeful for Capri) so I’ll be fine switching back to good old Pizza Hut once state-side.

It's raining, it's pouring...

Yes, it was hailing when it is about 66°F here! The power went out too but only for about 5 or 10 minutes. Luckily, Brittany and Lauren got Christine's wash off the line (bad thing about no machine dryers here) just in time!

10 Things I See Everyday!

Artists

Boaters (the crew kind)

Dog walkers (often without leashes)

Flowers! (window boxes everywhere)

Pigeons

Stores/stalls selling leather or scarves

Tourists

Graffiti

Smart/electric cars & vespas & bicyclers

Gelato Shops

Beach Day!

Saturday was Beach Day! Totally should be a holiday ;) Christina, Sarah, Jessica, Lauren, and I went to Viareggio- about an hour and a half train ride west of Florence. Fun fact: In Italy you have to pay to use the bathrooms at train stations! Luckily I didn’t have to go but thought that was strange. Our train to Viareggio was two stories! Amazing views on the way… Pictures on Facebook J Train drama there and back though… see previous post!

Once in Viareggio, we had to walk a ways down to the private beaches then over to the free public ones but had trouble getting to the public ones. The private ones were only about $5 each so we just paid for it instead and it wasn’t even too crowded! The water was a bit cold but it was the Mediterranean/Tyrrhenian Sea (?? Don’t really know where they differ…) so still amazing. J Most the men wore speedos. :/ There were a lot of annoying persistent vendors wandering the sand who kept trying to sell us bracelets, purses, soccer balls, sticky tattoos, and massages. L Christina and I got lunch at a pizzeria and a gelato before sunning- which was so relaxing and perfect! We could hear the waves and Lauren’s iPod, the sun was warm, and there was a nice breeze so we didn’t overheat. I know I fell asleep at least once. J

We must have looked a bit confused on our walk back because two Italian guys actually asked if we needed help and if we were looking for the train station. They gave us directions and were very nice! All the people we encountered today were very polite, much more so than in Florence, I’m guessing due to less tourists there. Cute/strange siting: a puppy black poodle sitting on a lunch table between two guys talking at a café! They weren’t eating so I guess it wasn’t totally unsanitary but was odd… there was a placemat and everything! They were right in front of the counter too so the workers could see them with the dog on the table. Plus it was inside! Though dogs are allowed in a lot of places in Italy I have noticed.

I got a little pink but tanner overall (I actually have light tan lines!) and had fun and relaxed so Beach Day was definitely a success and a cheap adventure! J

Train Troubles

During last Saturday's beach trip (stay tuned for the beach post!)...

En route to Viareggio: There was a scary moment on the train because a kid (only five or so) got stuck between the doors on the train. Luckily he was physically okay and did not even freak out (though I doubt he'll want to use a train again soon!). It took his dad and another guy to openthe door and pull the kid into the train. The other guy came running with the dad's shouting and the door's alarm buzzing. Apparently, Sarah somehow thought the noise/commotion was gunshots somehow...? Oh Sarah. :P

Returning home to Florence: We apparently got on the wrong train, though it was at the right platform five minutes before ours. It wasn’t on the departures list either but perhaps it was only supposed to be an arrival with no one boarding…? Anyway, a ticket checker came by after we had left the station and told us. Then he said we were to get off at Pisa and look for our train at 8:33PM. So we got off at 8:10 in Pisa and our train number wasn’t on the board but there was an 8:30 to Florence so we got on it and nobody checked our ticket so it all worked out (made it home!).

Jersey Shore

On my orientation tour last Saturday, Lorenzo (director of CAPA) actually mentioned Jersey Shore so let me preface my sighting of them with this… First, the headlines of some newspapers are displayed by newsstands. He pointed out two that specifically mentioned the arrival of the cast of Jersey Shore, which happened to be last Friday (yes, the same day I arrived- weird). And they both dis them- “supercafoni” and “tamarri” insults like muscle-headed, rude, crude, backwards louts. Hey, they said it, not me. :P Also, Lorenzo took us on a slight detour to point out where they are living here in Florence. You can see the sound cables coming out of their rooms and a police car in front. There were a lot of people standing across the street from the building (probably like 30) just waiting, hoping to see them. A few legit photographers were in an alley down the way too. Also, I heard (and saw where supposedly) they are working in a pizzeria near that club which is near downtown Florence by the Uffizi and Duomo.

 So, club TwentyOne last night (thirsty Thursday)… we went because we kept hearing about it at CAPA and from flyers in Piazza del Duomo so we decided to check it out. It’s like 1:30AM and we’re waiting for a few people when we realize there are camera people sitting on the curb nearby with sound stuff too, so we’re like is Jersey Shore here? They arrived like 10 minutes later in taxis (one for the boys, one for the girls). I didn’t have my camera but Jessica and Christina did and took pictures. No flash though, the security and filming staff were very adamant about that and kept repeating it. We went in after. Before they had arrived, the security and camera crew were getting ready for the arrival… Some girls walked in the club shouting “we’re the real Jersey Shore” and one of the crew made some crack about Jersey whores that a few more crew laughed at. Thought that was interesting because in my CIS class we talked about Jersey Shore being here a bit and my professor wondered what their Italian crew would think of them and their antics. Guess that answered that question! Brushed against Pauly D and Ronnie, they kept going from room to room (dance floor to bar area). Also, the Situation stepped on my foot accidentally so like patted my arm and apologized which I found quite surprising- didn’t think he’d be so polite, definitely made me like him more (which I didn’t at all before so… not hard). The girls stayed by themselves mostly, grinding on each other by the bar (which was not a dance area) or by the wall on the dance floor (literally facing the wall and kind of rubbing against it with no one around them). Snooki was pretty short. The guys were more social- saw Ronnie greet a few like he knew them but the Situation talked to the most girls and was dancing (well, he stood and the girls like rubbed themselves against him). Pauly D let all these girls touch his spiked hair, haha. So they (well, the boys at least) seemed pretty friendly and socialized and soaked up the attention. They were still there when we left at about 3AM.