Last day of school was today :( or :) not sure! We've met lots of great people, dranks lots of good wine, ate lots of good pasta, and even learned a little italian ;). Our exam wasn't too bad. I can't believe it's already been 4 weeks - the time flew.
Today is the beginning of a Gelato Festival - of course on the weekend we are leaving... mmmm gelato...
Yesterday, we also went to the Academia Museum - saw my good old friend DAVID. For those of you that haven't met him, he's the perfect man (except I think he has the biggest hands I've ever seen!). Something I just learned yesterday, is that he was created as an image of David from "David & Goliath" - if you don't know the story, you'll have to go to Sunday School...
The sun for the last couple of weeks has been awesome! Our beach day was "perfetto". Overall, it's been a fabulous trip. Considering the weather forecast for Calgary, maybe I should stay another week!?!?
Must go enjoy a little more sun and try to pack my 3 leather coats/jackets (eeek!) and shoes. I gave it a go the other day, I can fit everything but my dirty laundry. Mamma Mia!!
Ciao Ciao Ciao!
Jill
Friday, May 28, 2010
Friday - Anna
Last day. 11 min left on my internet card. Wed Jill & I went to the beach in Viareggio. The water was warm enough to swim in! Lovely!
Thurs - class supper. so-so supper, but enough wine to keep us happy. Tonight we are going with a new South African friend, Doranne MacDonald, for a nice supper and some Vernaccia. You need to look in your respective liquor stores for Vernaccia..a light fruity wine from the San Gimignano area.
tomorrow we are on the train at 11'ish, to Rome, staying there overnight, and homeward bound on Sunday. We are both ready to leave Firenze, but I have so enjoyed Jill's company! She pushes my limits...a good thing!!
Ciao all!!
Thurs - class supper. so-so supper, but enough wine to keep us happy. Tonight we are going with a new South African friend, Doranne MacDonald, for a nice supper and some Vernaccia. You need to look in your respective liquor stores for Vernaccia..a light fruity wine from the San Gimignano area.
tomorrow we are on the train at 11'ish, to Rome, staying there overnight, and homeward bound on Sunday. We are both ready to leave Firenze, but I have so enjoyed Jill's company! She pushes my limits...a good thing!!
Ciao all!!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
photos
I keep getting booted while trying to upload. so these will have to do.
The first photo is coming into the village of Corniglia from our long trek. What a welcome sight!!
The second is the fellow in the Il Ristoro who has learned to make me the perfect caffe canadese!! It's just way too small!
And without going back, I think the third is one of 3 towns of the Cinque Terre: either Manarola, Vernazza, or Monterosso, taken from the boat ride on the way to Monterosso. ABsolutely beautiful!!
We have a test on Thursday, and a class/school dinner that evening. Pack Friday, and to Rome on Sat. Jill just made hotel reservations.
I may get back to the internet, but we are in slow-mo, not much really exciting.
For lunch today we went to a tiny, buy sardine-packed trattoria (sidewalk caffe/restaurant). It's been in business since 1953. About 20 people lined up outside waiting for their names to be called. We sat on stools, sharing a table with 4 adults and an unhappy 4 year old. And couldn't read the menu. I ended up with ham that has been soaked in salt for way too long, but was very tender. Jill got a huge steak that had been recently removed from its owner, the cow, and maybe hovered over the grill for 20 seconds. Apparently, it was quite good, but I declined to sample it. The chianti wasn't half bad though :). Really, wine is cheaper than water, which is not free with your meal! So...when in Rome...or Firenze, as the case may be...
My liver will be glad to get home!!
Jill has gone to watch the movie Pinocchio. No, not the Disney version. Some Italian director (Banini perhaps??) who has won Oscars for something?? I'll wait for the English version!
Until later!!
The first photo is coming into the village of Corniglia from our long trek. What a welcome sight!!
The second is the fellow in the Il Ristoro who has learned to make me the perfect caffe canadese!! It's just way too small!
And without going back, I think the third is one of 3 towns of the Cinque Terre: either Manarola, Vernazza, or Monterosso, taken from the boat ride on the way to Monterosso. ABsolutely beautiful!!
We have a test on Thursday, and a class/school dinner that evening. Pack Friday, and to Rome on Sat. Jill just made hotel reservations.
I may get back to the internet, but we are in slow-mo, not much really exciting.
For lunch today we went to a tiny, buy sardine-packed trattoria (sidewalk caffe/restaurant). It's been in business since 1953. About 20 people lined up outside waiting for their names to be called. We sat on stools, sharing a table with 4 adults and an unhappy 4 year old. And couldn't read the menu. I ended up with ham that has been soaked in salt for way too long, but was very tender. Jill got a huge steak that had been recently removed from its owner, the cow, and maybe hovered over the grill for 20 seconds. Apparently, it was quite good, but I declined to sample it. The chianti wasn't half bad though :). Really, wine is cheaper than water, which is not free with your meal! So...when in Rome...or Firenze, as the case may be...
My liver will be glad to get home!!
Jill has gone to watch the movie Pinocchio. No, not the Disney version. Some Italian director (Banini perhaps??) who has won Oscars for something?? I'll wait for the English version!
Until later!!
Monday, May 24, 2010
and still continued
The fellow is trying to help me to get the card reader to work on this computer. The drive is not reading apparently.
Anyway...long story s hort. Jill was a trooper, ever so patient with her gasping wheezing old auntie! I have never, short of maybe Mount Carleton, and not even that I dont think, expended so much energy on such a hot day. You cannot imagine my joy when we started, finally, to go downhill! Though even that was tricky. We are not talking a groomed path here, for the most part! What a view. Google "Corniglia", since my camera card seems to not work on either of the computers duly equipped to read it. bleahhh.
We messed around Corniglia for a bit, then Jill decided she would walk the last two trails, from Corniglia to Manarola, and from Manarola to Riomaggiore. I took the train and waited comfortably in the shade! Wouldn't you know it, the biggest obstacles on these paths were not the width, or stairs up or down, but hordes of tourists in large tour groups!
A wonderful weekend, spent on the Mediterranean. Had it only been warmer water! But THIS is Italy!!
We are both glad this is the last week in Firenze. We have toured the Duomo, Uffizi museum, the Palantina Gallery in Pitti Palace, the Medici-Riccardo palazzo, and Santa Croce Church. One can only look at so many representations of Madonna and all things biblical. We have bought our souvenirs, mandatory leather items of course!, and likely are both well over our $750 Can dollar limits for Customs.
Jill has moved downstairs out of the spider nest and into the huge double room on the main floor with me. We cannot believe that our roomie firmly closed her door and did not share either the TV or the freakin' couch, or even pillows on the unused bed. She did not take her garbage out, and didn't even throw out her uneaten food. Dirty towels left on the rack, and dirty sheets left on the floor (I had asked her to throw them into the washer before she left so we could at least change our beds!) A weird woman indeed. Not entirely unpleasant, but she certainly practices "it's all about me!".
Insofar as being able to speak Italian...well...not so much! But we understand considerably more than when we got here. And we are both good grammar students. It is just putting it all together in the most basic of sentences that is very difficult. I think if it is possible that there are even more "exceptions to the rule" than in French! But it's a good classroom of students, and good profs. Today our after school event was a lecture, in Italian of course, about Pinocchio. Regrettably, I can hardly remember the story, but apparently it is so much more than about a cute little kitty and cricket! And can be read on many levels, including from a Freudian perspective....a big growing nose....let your imaginations go wild!
That's it, that's all. Will try to get back mid-week for an update, but our lives will be more quiet than the early hustle and bustle. Been there, done that! And have the leather to prove it!!
Anyway...long story s hort. Jill was a trooper, ever so patient with her gasping wheezing old auntie! I have never, short of maybe Mount Carleton, and not even that I dont think, expended so much energy on such a hot day. You cannot imagine my joy when we started, finally, to go downhill! Though even that was tricky. We are not talking a groomed path here, for the most part! What a view. Google "Corniglia", since my camera card seems to not work on either of the computers duly equipped to read it. bleahhh.
We messed around Corniglia for a bit, then Jill decided she would walk the last two trails, from Corniglia to Manarola, and from Manarola to Riomaggiore. I took the train and waited comfortably in the shade! Wouldn't you know it, the biggest obstacles on these paths were not the width, or stairs up or down, but hordes of tourists in large tour groups!
A wonderful weekend, spent on the Mediterranean. Had it only been warmer water! But THIS is Italy!!
We are both glad this is the last week in Firenze. We have toured the Duomo, Uffizi museum, the Palantina Gallery in Pitti Palace, the Medici-Riccardo palazzo, and Santa Croce Church. One can only look at so many representations of Madonna and all things biblical. We have bought our souvenirs, mandatory leather items of course!, and likely are both well over our $750 Can dollar limits for Customs.
Jill has moved downstairs out of the spider nest and into the huge double room on the main floor with me. We cannot believe that our roomie firmly closed her door and did not share either the TV or the freakin' couch, or even pillows on the unused bed. She did not take her garbage out, and didn't even throw out her uneaten food. Dirty towels left on the rack, and dirty sheets left on the floor (I had asked her to throw them into the washer before she left so we could at least change our beds!) A weird woman indeed. Not entirely unpleasant, but she certainly practices "it's all about me!".
Insofar as being able to speak Italian...well...not so much! But we understand considerably more than when we got here. And we are both good grammar students. It is just putting it all together in the most basic of sentences that is very difficult. I think if it is possible that there are even more "exceptions to the rule" than in French! But it's a good classroom of students, and good profs. Today our after school event was a lecture, in Italian of course, about Pinocchio. Regrettably, I can hardly remember the story, but apparently it is so much more than about a cute little kitty and cricket! And can be read on many levels, including from a Freudian perspective....a big growing nose....let your imaginations go wild!
That's it, that's all. Will try to get back mid-week for an update, but our lives will be more quiet than the early hustle and bustle. Been there, done that! And have the leather to prove it!!
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