Slept well. Windows wide open, wide slats of outer wooden shutters left open, so I could hear the city. Lots of activity til about midnight: people walking past, cars, buses on route. Cars driving past, if music "blasting" it was something like Verdi,). Motorcyles--city is full of them:). A few groups walking past, singing in Italian. A few guys randomly singing in Italian happily whilst walking past. A few bouts of quiet, then repeat the previous. Church bells ringing, every so often thru the night. Various people, groups, or single walking past talking in Italian to each other or on their cell phones talking Italian, or singing, to some one else. Around midnight things gradually quieted off, with a rare few people or car or bus/truck here and there going past, down below my window, at street level. A beautiful cobbled square diagonal mosaic of stone of various thickness, size and shape. A bit like Bergen. A bit like when I lived in NYC--the life of the city, directly out my window. The thing I loved about living directly in the middle of midtown Manhattan, was the fact that at any given time, the city was alive and I could hear it, walk out and experience and join it: that I could just open my window, or walk out my front door of my building. That´s what I like about this room, this location: it´s so active, and I can just open the window, or walk outside and join in. About 2 am it suddenly got quiet, and was quiet mostly til about 4am, when it all started up again:).
Where we live on our island, unlike
--church bells are ringing again. LAst time was about half an hour ago, during breakfast..:)
Anyway, were we live on our island, unlike in the mainland city, is nearly quiet after about 8 pm, other than the odd bus or random car, or walkers past. It is absolute quiet past about 10pm--as people living there like it to be. It is rare to have noisy parties, and such, unless it is around, say, New Year´s Eve, but still generally quiet, other than the constant fireworks individuals and families set off, as is usual.
I like that quiet, but I also like this other extreme. Don´t really like in between. Either actual city, like this, or island quiet.
---Am so exhausted! But woke up, smiling lots in the night, listening to the outside my window sounds, from guys walking past singing loudly (not drunk, just happily singing! which I do sometimes too--sing I mean!), to the stillness, to the river near by. Woke up about 7, had a bubble bath, had breakfast at 8.
Breakfast, similar to what I have in Norway, slightly Italian version:
Espresso (shot of extra strong Italian coffee in a tiny espresso cup with tiny saucer). Whereas in Norway I´d have a cup of strong black coffee 3/4 way up in cup, topped off with full fat Norwegian double cream, with a splash of whole milk.
Cappuccino, in a larger cup.
Frittata. Fagole yogurt, croissant. Blood Orange juice, ice cold, delicious sweet yet tart.
Another espresso.
One more cappuccino. (Well, back in Norway, I´d only have had two cafe au laits as above. Enjoyed my 2 espresso and cappuccinos!)
Lots of discussion of Italy, language, maps, walking routes, sights, differences in culture and conjugation of languages, etc.
-----
Blogging quickly, window open listening to the noisy city below, smile on face, really really happy to be in Florence! It´s my first solo traveling since before being pregnant with our son, my first traveling without either being pregnant and/or traveling solo being pregnant and with infant or toddler, or all 3 of my youngest kids. Am so excited to visit family here, and planning when I will bring the youngest 3 here! They would love it! The buses, the underground walks, the city, the parks, the piazzas, all the cool fun stuff for kids, everything! They´re looking forward to skyping with us all whilst I´m here---and were so disappointed they were not getting to come too!,)
All the pinoccios! here tiny tiny, huge large tall ones! Firenze futbol kit (soccer shirts) for son...
bRB
Eldest daughter is flying in Thursday, and we´ve got huge plans, Mommy and her:) We´re gonna try to have our planned trip together, enjoy our time, in spite of the sadness and sorrow over her beloved grandfather, who was like a second father to her, they were so close! She used to spend summers with him and her grandmother! Will be sad time for her too obv, but she wants to try to enjoy ourselves too, so I will do my best for us:)
Skyping with the littles--eldest is all about that, so she´s got T´s skype and will sort that out, and show me, yet again, how to,) She and the lil´s are so clever--N and E already know how to use iphone, the dvd, tv apparati sp, skype etc. I´m so in the dark, but learning, from them,).
My very old-fashioned schedule here, includes most everything being carefully and meticulously written by hand in pencil and various colors of ink, down to addresses, phone numbers, pronunciations, descriptions in Norwegian and Italian and English of everything from foods, to places, markets, squares, gelato flavours with detailed descriptions and which gelateria has which exact version I want to try, etc.
And maps, all marked in different colors, depending on what it is (gelateria, museo, etc). Best routes, and along which what to see.
And my Italian book with me.
-----
Such a great morning. Thanks Blogger for blogs w Videos and photos inclusion. Florence is so wonderful! and I´ve barely seen anything!! off to explore soon
