Pouring out, stopped back to change my top, which even with an umbrella, has both sleeves soaked. Plus I had to go to the bathroom as I didn´t have to in either the wine bar or gelateria....and didn´t want to ask or pay elsewhere now I do. Enjoyed walking around even in the pouring rain! Earlier, without umbrella was only barely raining, or sporadically, so I could walk under the eaves roof edges, trees and such which was enough. Then after leaving where I ate lunch, when I couldn´t find anywhere not sold out of umbrellas...guy walking around selling umbrellas for 2E, so of course I got one of his, and since I knew the shops were selling even cheap ones for 5E and up, I paid him 5E, as it was the same umbrella and he obv needed the money. Non Parché, it was the nice thing to do--he saved me from getting absolutely soaked, and that alone was worth tipping him (paying him full price). Later I saw umbrellas in the shops also for 10E (?!). ouch. Same umbrellas, different locations,).
Not quite done what my "plan" was, but having great time anywho!:) Let´s see
On my way over to the bodega off Ponte Vecchio, I walked along the pontes for a while to ponte Amerigo Vespucci then back up around, a few major hotel piazzas, and back of them, til I found the place I ended up eating lunch. Of course I used my pathetic Italian, which they appreciated, and we chatted a bit. Ordered. v nice.
Details details
Panani with various fillings such as parma ham, mortadella, mozzarella (which is more like American buffalo motz than the harder type used for lasagna and pizza usually), salat, pomodoro etc. I got the special: hot buttered crostinis topped with half salat half cooked spinach and basil and pine nut, olive oil (rrr what is that called?!) which was delicious. Oh yeah, all that was topped with thin slices of parma ham. And that was all served on a wood board, on a paper place mat, with silver ware (? very Norwegian of them,)) and serviette. I used my fingers, like a heathen haha. So did the locals,). All of that came with a huge wine glass filled about third of the way with wine (I got my choice, I chose blanco). So. Fantastic! wow. really good wine. Am going back there again tomorrow. or tonight,). The wine was so good, obv high quality even though I´m not that great with all the wine stuff, even I could see what a body it had, as it slowly took forever and not quite ever did slip back down the glass when I drank it. It was very strong wine, even after not quite half way finished, I could feel its effects. After, eating about half my crostini as I was full, and before I finished my blanco (whatever exactly it was), I went ahead and ordered a caffé latte sp. A tiny ceramic pitcher with about 3 shots of espresso, and a glass filled to the brim with latte, or in my case, panna, foamy cream not milk. To drink, pour the amount of espresso you want into the foamy cream, stir (mine ended up looking as if I had purposely made a pretty fancy heart, which of course I wasn´t able to do on purpose a second time). Molte beno alt!
The music was in Italian, including REM,) veldig kult. Very cool. I ordered and tried to converse a bit in Italian, with others who were locals both Italian and foreigners who worked and lived here, also learning Italian. Quite proud, as pathetic as I am, I understood a bit, and could talk a bit. Ciao is the correct goodbye, atleast they encouraged me with them to use Ciao, with them, rather than the more formal, maybe even turse, arrivederci. Cool I found a bit of a local place I can go to now!!! yay. A few Americans came in (who were friends and obv worked/lived here), local workers (both wearing full amazingly tailored suits and Italian leather shoes etc, and just guys wearing painters etc gear who were working on some of the inside renovations of a few buildings around the corner). I had a fantastic time--food was great, wine was amazing, caffé latte (not sure if I am mixing up the Norwegian and Italian spellings abit) was really great too! Atmosphere was very nice, and the decor was very modern stark clean streamlined (such as the metal and wire lighting) juxtaposed with the ancient (stone, tile, brickwork showing thru the antique plaster).
After enjoying my lunch, the convos around me going on, the music over everything, the happy engaging spirited Italian practice, reading my Italian book (and as it was so loud with everything going on yet low enough still that I could pick out individual conversations, songs or whatever, I also practiced Italian outloud to myself, in between my speaking with others. Really proud of myself! Living in Norway, has made me completely unselfconscious of speaking new languages with those who speak them, and not feel embarrassed to do so! Glad I get all this time to practice, irl, in Florence. Made me feel good too, they were kind enough to compliment me (how gracious of them!) my pronunciation.:)
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Moving on. After leaving there, found a fantastic bodega. Green grocer, long and narrow, with a seating area deli type place in the back for lunch. Front of place and outside with endless small wood fruit and veg crates with seasonal, mostly local stuff.
* IN Florence, you do NOT choose your own fruit and veg at places like this, you tell the green grocer what you´d like and how many, and he/she picks out for you and wraps them up for you. I got cinco fica (5 figs), a handful of fragole (tiny wild strawberries), duo banane (sp? bananas), was gonna get miele (apples) but they only had cooking apples not for eating (eating raw, obv you eat them once they are cooked as cooking apples are better once cooked). And a few other things forget right now. Didn´t have fresh bread. Am missing my good fresh baked Norwegian brød (bread!)
Will go back another day, and eat in the back. Local place two:).
I did ok with my Italian. Will try to do better next visit.
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Walked around in the pouring rain a bit here and a bit there, no where near where by then I should have been in my day´s "plan",). But ok, plans are flexible, and I was really enjoying myself. Enjoying the whatever random things I saw. Hmmm is absolutely P O U R I N G outside now, even worse than what I thought earlier was worst, after haughtily telling myself it couldn´t possibly rain as much as Bergen or London does. Ok. It DOES. Could give either a good run for the money on which place rains harder, stronger. I still had a great time, walking around, thankfully with my umbrella, but hmm am not sure I want to go out again, now that I´m back inside back in dry clothing, shoes off, warm, cozy wrapped up in a blanket, with the window open letting in the mist and cooler air, to hear the traffic and rain outside.
Found a few places I want to go back to.
Oh yeah, Got gelato at B.Ice. Gelato here seems to be extremely sweet. Good but a bit too sweet for my taste, good with the sugar cones. Gelato was 2.5E, plus 4E for the sugar cone. Lots of pretty decorated flavours, piccolos (the tiny fancy French like pastries, cakes and such, and larger versions in larger refrigerated glass cupboards (?). Again, music inside, and it was decorated for Xmas with a pretty tree, lots of tiny white Christmas lights. Outside is all decorated with swaths of tiny Christmas lights draped from building to building as the buildings are so close you can nearly touch them if you spread out your arms, or two of you could,).
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Yep, gonna have a HOT bubble bath, redress in something warm and dry (my leggings and socks are damp and getting me cold now), then upload photos and videos of this morning.
Can´t believe it is only 3pm! Feels like much later, the sky is a bit darkened dreary grey. Think I´ll light some candles. It´s very romantic, with the dreary mild grey color outside in the sky making the colorful creamy ochre, yellow, oranges of the buildings somber quiet tame, and the inside red ochre plaster glow softly warmly even more so than in the daylight. Shadows cast on the walls from clouds passing by thru the shutters and pale translucent yellow ochre and golden woven curtains. The dark walnut plank floorboards; the deep, intense, real Italian reds and golds; and pale yellow plaster ceiling and mould work, feels very warm, even with the cool temperature drop of a few degrees in the last few hours. I hope yesterday was not my only hot day, or sunshiny day...but atleast I got that one, and for my first day ever here!
Bubble bath, espresso, then maybe quick siesta, and go out again for a while, rain or no. Tomorrow will try again for Uffizi, whatever else I wrote for today, and The Duomo.
And, ok now I am glad I brought the wool thermals---may need tomorrow after all. Forecast was snow in a few days (next week). Pouring very hard again now out. There are more people in cars, rather than walking now,)
