Wednesday
I had just gotten out from the shower when the doorbell rang. Tara had arrived! Lots of joy. Lots of catching up. Then off to the wine bar to celebrate with a few glasses of red. Promptly followed by a nap. When we got up, I made curried carrot cous cous (lots of Cs) for dinner, and we had that with a bottle of wine while accompanying The Wives – aka Diedre and Marlene – at the dining table and watching Italian Wheel of Fortune – aka the best show ever. Barhopping then bed.
Thursday
Tara and I went on the mandatory scenic walk. Ponte Vecchio. Uffizi and all its exhibits. School. Santa Croce. We stopped by the cultural association for the Food & Art Aperitivo before going to Baccarossa for a delicious seafood dinner. We hit up the bar for espresso and then back home for a couple of drinking games with the roomies. Then everyone went to karaoke at the usual Irish pub.
Friday
We somehow miraculously slept ALL DAY, probably because the windows and shutters were both closed, locking the room into perpetual dawn. Imagine the opposite effect of when you’re in a basement with no windows at night and suddenly it’s morning. So we took our “morning” walk to Piazza Michelangelo to see it at sunset. Then we had “brunch” (or aperitivo) before going barhopping with Tom and Alex.
Saturday
We went out to get pizza for lunch and then hit up the Mercato Centrale, The Duomo, the archeological crypt underneath, and of course gelato. Followed by shopping for clothes and shoes. Then the wine bar for aperitivo at yet another bar followed by Italian hot chocolate, Tara’s dark with Aztec spices, mine white with raspberries. After a quick stop at the station for train tickets for the next day, we continued barhopping.
Sunday
We actually got up in the morning to go to The Cinque Terre. We stopped in Monterosso and had a long leisurely seafood lunch at Il Belvedere. On to Vernazza for food and wine shopping. Corniglia for a Schiacchetra (dessert wine) tasting. Then we “hiked” from Manarola to Riomaggiore. While waiting for the train transfer at La Spezia, we got McDonalds(!) for dinner and dark chocolate for dessert while waiting.
Monday
The train strike postponed our trip to Lucca, so we went back to Mercato Centrale for the beginning of Tara’s gift-shopping spree. I showed her the culinary school’s campus and then we hit up Amon for a porto-via lunch. We took chicken kebabs with moussaka and falafels with hummus back home to eat with a bottle of white wine. And who could resist the three kinds of dessert Amon offers – semolina cake, rice pudding, and of course baklava. Then it was more gift-shopping spree, cosmetics, perfumes, clothes. We had our daily coffee on a department store rooftop overlooking Piazza della Republica then spent some time admiring the whimsical European houshold objects and trinkets inside. Aperitivo, a catnap, and then a dance club with Aerie, Diedre, Marlene, and Tanjila.
Tuesday
We took our postponed trip to Lucca and after lunch immediately headed to Palazzo Mansi. (Unfortunately we didn’t see the Hot Naked Mansi Countess Ghost who supposedly rides her chariot around at night.) But the Palazzo was beautiful and made us want one someday. Museums, churches, a famous local café all done in dark woods and perfect for rainy afternoon coffee, and Tara buying Tuscan lotions and soaps for gifts. And definitely the highlight of the trip was an amazing, perfect Tuscan dinner at Buca di Sant’Antonio. One art store was selling journals with appropriate quotes embroidered on the cover and this one caught our eyes:
Il mondo è un libro, e chi non viaggia ne legge solo una pagina.
[“The world's a book, and one who doesn't travel only reads a page.”]
Wednesday
I left Tara to her own devices for her last-minute souvenir and gift-shopping while I went to do a photo shoot (!) with my class for a local organic fashion designer. Real cameras, real studio, real on-location shooting in Florence. It was awesome. Tara and I just spent the afternoon chilling and enjoying each other’s company while we still could. We went to the wine bar and split a bottle of wine and then had a splendid dinner at Alle Murate, which was definitely the most expensive meal we’ve ever paid for ourselves but definitely one of the most delicious ever as well. Lots of food. Lots of wine. When we got home, the apartment was a shitshow, to say the least, as everyone else had decided to do the “lots of wine” part also. Great times.
Thursday
Tara left in the early morning, so after seeing her ride away in her taxi, I went back to bed and woke up late. Adrian had left for Prague but left me an impromptu gift, a Florence Moleskine. Meaning its tailored to the city with maps and a great layout for notes, addresses, memories, etc. So awesome. I’ve been using it since. I spent the rest of the “day” (afternoon) online at the wine bar and beginning a post-Tara detox. I stayed there into Swedish aperitivo for the “Mamma Mia” party. Hampus as the DJ. Christian at the bar. (I asked for a Swedish drink and he made me a mandarin daiquiri.) Swedish meatballs on the table. Abba blaring in the bar.
I had just gotten out from the shower when the doorbell rang. Tara had arrived! Lots of joy. Lots of catching up. Then off to the wine bar to celebrate with a few glasses of red. Promptly followed by a nap. When we got up, I made curried carrot cous cous (lots of Cs) for dinner, and we had that with a bottle of wine while accompanying The Wives – aka Diedre and Marlene – at the dining table and watching Italian Wheel of Fortune – aka the best show ever. Barhopping then bed.
Thursday
Tara and I went on the mandatory scenic walk. Ponte Vecchio. Uffizi and all its exhibits. School. Santa Croce. We stopped by the cultural association for the Food & Art Aperitivo before going to Baccarossa for a delicious seafood dinner. We hit up the bar for espresso and then back home for a couple of drinking games with the roomies. Then everyone went to karaoke at the usual Irish pub.
Friday
We somehow miraculously slept ALL DAY, probably because the windows and shutters were both closed, locking the room into perpetual dawn. Imagine the opposite effect of when you’re in a basement with no windows at night and suddenly it’s morning. So we took our “morning” walk to Piazza Michelangelo to see it at sunset. Then we had “brunch” (or aperitivo) before going barhopping with Tom and Alex.
Saturday
We went out to get pizza for lunch and then hit up the Mercato Centrale, The Duomo, the archeological crypt underneath, and of course gelato. Followed by shopping for clothes and shoes. Then the wine bar for aperitivo at yet another bar followed by Italian hot chocolate, Tara’s dark with Aztec spices, mine white with raspberries. After a quick stop at the station for train tickets for the next day, we continued barhopping.
Sunday
We actually got up in the morning to go to The Cinque Terre. We stopped in Monterosso and had a long leisurely seafood lunch at Il Belvedere. On to Vernazza for food and wine shopping. Corniglia for a Schiacchetra (dessert wine) tasting. Then we “hiked” from Manarola to Riomaggiore. While waiting for the train transfer at La Spezia, we got McDonalds(!) for dinner and dark chocolate for dessert while waiting.
Monday
The train strike postponed our trip to Lucca, so we went back to Mercato Centrale for the beginning of Tara’s gift-shopping spree. I showed her the culinary school’s campus and then we hit up Amon for a porto-via lunch. We took chicken kebabs with moussaka and falafels with hummus back home to eat with a bottle of white wine. And who could resist the three kinds of dessert Amon offers – semolina cake, rice pudding, and of course baklava. Then it was more gift-shopping spree, cosmetics, perfumes, clothes. We had our daily coffee on a department store rooftop overlooking Piazza della Republica then spent some time admiring the whimsical European houshold objects and trinkets inside. Aperitivo, a catnap, and then a dance club with Aerie, Diedre, Marlene, and Tanjila.
Tuesday
We took our postponed trip to Lucca and after lunch immediately headed to Palazzo Mansi. (Unfortunately we didn’t see the Hot Naked Mansi Countess Ghost who supposedly rides her chariot around at night.) But the Palazzo was beautiful and made us want one someday. Museums, churches, a famous local café all done in dark woods and perfect for rainy afternoon coffee, and Tara buying Tuscan lotions and soaps for gifts. And definitely the highlight of the trip was an amazing, perfect Tuscan dinner at Buca di Sant’Antonio. One art store was selling journals with appropriate quotes embroidered on the cover and this one caught our eyes:
Il mondo è un libro, e chi non viaggia ne legge solo una pagina.
[“The world's a book, and one who doesn't travel only reads a page.”]
Wednesday
I left Tara to her own devices for her last-minute souvenir and gift-shopping while I went to do a photo shoot (!) with my class for a local organic fashion designer. Real cameras, real studio, real on-location shooting in Florence. It was awesome. Tara and I just spent the afternoon chilling and enjoying each other’s company while we still could. We went to the wine bar and split a bottle of wine and then had a splendid dinner at Alle Murate, which was definitely the most expensive meal we’ve ever paid for ourselves but definitely one of the most delicious ever as well. Lots of food. Lots of wine. When we got home, the apartment was a shitshow, to say the least, as everyone else had decided to do the “lots of wine” part also. Great times.
Thursday
Tara left in the early morning, so after seeing her ride away in her taxi, I went back to bed and woke up late. Adrian had left for Prague but left me an impromptu gift, a Florence Moleskine. Meaning its tailored to the city with maps and a great layout for notes, addresses, memories, etc. So awesome. I’ve been using it since. I spent the rest of the “day” (afternoon) online at the wine bar and beginning a post-Tara detox. I stayed there into Swedish aperitivo for the “Mamma Mia” party. Hampus as the DJ. Christian at the bar. (I asked for a Swedish drink and he made me a mandarin daiquiri.) Swedish meatballs on the table. Abba blaring in the bar.
No comments:
Post a Comment