Rachel and her mom, Nora, arrived on Wednesday night and we have been having a lot of fun. On Wednesday I tried to take Rachel to Acqua Al' Due (it would have been my 4th trip there this week), but I failed to make a reservation, so we headed across the river to Open Bar. This place is really beautiful, offering a great view of the Arno and Ponte Vecchio. It is a little touristy, but worth it. Dinner was great because we were able to relax and talk. We had not seen each other in a year and a half. Our dinner took about 2.5-3 hours. I am so used to going to eat alone and the food comes out pretty quickly. I have really gotten used to it, though. To be honest when I first got here, I felt a littl shy going out to eat alone. Now it is nothing. I do not mind it a bit. Our waiter at Open Bar, Alessandro, loved us. After our dinner, he treated us to Limoncello, which is an Italian liquor made from lemons.
As many of you may know, I HATE LIMONCELLO! It tastes like cough syrup on steroids. It is wickedly sweet and has the burn of any alcohol. Rachel really did not like it either. However, we drank it so as not to offend our waiter who was so sweet in offering it to us. After we had downed our little glasses of Limoncello, Alessandro comes to our table with three more glasses and sits with us to sip on the next round. Rachel and I are scared that we will get sick at this point. About 3 sips in, Rachel "accidentally" spills her glass. "Great idea," I am thinking. Nope, all it did was prompt him to pour her yet another glass! By the time we left the restaurant, we were so full and borderline sick from all the sugar. We had a great walk home and super-sized headaches in the morning.
On Thursday we went to the synagogue because Rachel and Nora are Jewish. It was really cool to visit an orthodox (built in the 1800s) synagogue with someone who really understands everything. There were so many things to learn. After, we just walked a bit and checked out the church of San Lorenzo. It is one of my favorites and they really enjoyed it too.
On Thursday night I was lucky enough to be able to join Rachel and Nora's tour group for dinner. They had a dinner planned in a villa just outside Florence. Villa Viviani is used now for large events, such as weddings, conferences, and tour dinners. It was a really beautiful place with great city views. Unfortunately, it was dark, so we did not get to fully enjoy the grounds or a view of the city, but it was a great experience and lovely dinner. All the people thought I was a crack up because I was just having fun and telling them great stories about Florence. THis group was a little on the older side and it was the first tiime to Italy for all of them. They have a lot to learn!
I have decided that it would be great to start a tour company. I know when some people think of tours, it is not at all what they would want. Rachel and Nora are just about the youngest folks on their tour and the tour guide lacks enthusiasm at times. My tour company could be totally different. I would gear it toward younger people or just more active travelers who like to walk and explore on foot. Buses are great at times, but there is so much to see while walking too. I would not make a tour cumbersome either. Rachel's tour is nice because they have a lot of down time, allowing them to rest as needed, or go do other things that are not included. My goal would be, simply, to offer a bit of organization that can stress tourists out, as well as offer information and guidance through various sights, restaurants, bars, the language, and other aspects of Italian life. It would be a fun, kind of spunky tour, you know? It would also more affordable. I would strive to find modest hotels that are a good deal and comfortable, but not overly nice. A travller should spend as little time as possible in the hotel room. Plus, enjoying the tour from the perspective of young woman who enjoys exploring, fun, wine, and food. What do you all think? Would you come on my tour through Italy?
Yesterday afternoon, Rachel and I unleashed ourselves on the San Lorenzo market and a shopping tour of Florence. Unfortunately, Rachel did not find much of what she was looking for, so she says she will have to do her damage in Rome. We did, however, have a fun night out. After walking a while to find a great place, we ended up at Kikuya for a few drinks and then a bar called Salamanca, which I have heard about but had never been to. As we sat at the bar, an Italian next to me asked me if I could move so he could sit next to my beautiful friend. Since he was a cutie, and really nice, I allowed it. They seemed to like each other, but he REALLY did not speak English, so I was the translator. It was pretty hilarious. I really felt like him and I were on a date. In the end, I had to escort them while he escorted her home, for safety you know. I felt like I was in an 18th century novel, chaperoning two young folks on a courtship outing. I do realize now, that my Italian really is not bad. I took a cab home because I was exhausted!
My favorite thing ever happened today. My landlord, Roberto, had said he would tentatively be coming over this morning with his son, Giovanni, to figure out how to turn the heat on. I had forgotten about it and told him I would most likely be gone, but to come on in and do it. Well, they did come just about one minute after I had rolled out of bed. I had to open the door for them with pajamas, raccoon eyes, and sleep lines across my face. The kicker is that Giovanni, the son who I had yet to meet, is probably one of the most gorgeous guys I have ever seen. I really felt quite gross. It was an amazing way to start off my day.
And here I am today. The sky is perfect for a sunset climb up the Duomo. I have been putting it off because I want to get some great pics that are different from the ones I took from the tower. They would be pretty much the same pics. I was planning on going up to Piazza Michaelangelo sometime to take sunset pics, at Cristian's suggestion, but the sun sets in the opposite direction and I don't think the pics would be quite as great as they would be from the Duomo. We shall see! Other than that, I think I might stay in tonight. I feel like all I do is eat, so maybe a nice salad in. I have been out pretty late this week with Rachel in town and yesterday we walked so much. My feet are really sore. I may even start working on some packing =-(
I also need to start a new book or something. I very recently finished listening to an Audiobook called The Mephisto Club. Now girls, I have a suggestion: If you are traveling alone in Italy, don't listen to or read this book which is about a girl hiding throughout Italy as she runs from city to city to escape her cousin who is a demon. It was truly a creepy book, very gory. There were a few nights I had trouble getting to sleep.
I hope you are all doing well. I have included some pics from Lucca and such. I really miss you guys. Thanks to Judy for the phone call. It was so sweet and really made my day. Hope to see you and George soon for the Holidays. And can someone please tell me about the Mars bars?!
Love and Tanti Bacci
LUCCA
Rachel and Nora's Visit to Florence
No comments:
Post a Comment