Italy-Summer 2005
Our adventure began on a lovely clear morning on June 23rd. We packed the night before, and our flight didn't leave until 11:40 am, so we had time to stop at the store for a few essentials before having Alex drop us off at the airport. We got Aria up and let her play on our bed while we readied ourselves to leave, as we wanted to spend as much time with her as possible before leaving. She is such a sweet little angel, and we will miss her so much. Our own children are getting to be so independent that they don't really need us very much, so we are sure they won't have much trouble adjusting to us being gone, but little Aria has been almost like one of our own babies, and leaving her is difficult. She seemed to sense something was up as we bustled about her, and fretted when either of us left the room. In the end, we gave her a final goodbye hug and kiss, and then reluctantly handed her over to her daddy so that we could finish our last minute preparations. She spent the last moment before we left crying as he tried to soothe her and put her back to bed, where she didn't want to be. We hated to see them both suffering, but the wheels had turned too far for us to do anything about it at that point, and we had to be on our way.
Checking in at the Northwest ticket counter was easy and fast - all electronic, other than handing in our bags - and we quickly made our way to the A concourse, where we waited for about an hour for them to begin boarding our plane. Our seats were fine, an aisle and center, and the flight was uneventful. We both slept much of the way, as there was no food service offered, not even a package of peanuts or pretzels with the soft drink. I slept through the soft drink service, but Steve was awake to notice the bare bones of the flight. Once in our connecting city of Detroit, we wandered about the airport, trying to find ways of killing the 5 hours that lay ahead of us. We couldn't change our flight for an earlier one because we had checked our luggage, which couldn't be rerouted at that point, so we had to just wait it out.
The terminal for Northwest Airlines at the Detroit airport is only a few years old, and according to a flight attendant we talked to, the largest hub for NWA in the world. It is large and modern, with a shuttle train that scoots travelers from one end to the other every 3 minutes. There were many shops to browse about in, and numerous restaurants. We found a very nice Japanese sushi bar where we sat down to a lovely meal of sushi and gyoza. The food was so delicious! With some reluctance, we left the restaurant knowing we still had hours to kill before our flight would be ready for boarding at about 10:30 pm. We searched the shops for a movie on DVD that we could watch on our computers, but not a single one was to be found. The closest we came to success was in the PGA shop, where they sold golfing hints and tournaments on DVD. Talk about a sedative! We had pills to put us to sleep, and decided against buying a golfing DVD.
In the end, our books and computer games kept us occupied, and the time finally arrived for us to board our next flight to Amsterdam. We had requested a change of seats for this flight, because they had originally booked ours in the center of a 5-across configuration, and we weren't even booked on the same row next to each other. The ticketing agent put us in two seats next to each other on the right side of the plane, and we thought ourselves the luckiest of travelers - until we saw where we were actually sitting. He had given us (I'm sure) the last two seats together on the plane, which happened to be on the very back row. Imagine, only 1.5 inches to recline on an international flight, and to top it off, they were right in front of two very busy bathrooms that were well-used during the flight. Needless to say, neither of us slept very much at all during the crossing of the Atlantic, and were never more pleased to get off a plane, I don't think.
Little did we know that we'd be jumping out of the frying pan and into the oven. No, not quite the fire, but into a very humid and hot airport, where the air was stale, and hardly moving. We had only an hour between flights, so we rushed to get to the departing plane that would take us from Amsterdam to Rome, and they called for the boarding of Skymiles and First Class passengers just as we arrived at the gate. They began taking our boarding passes and then ushered us into a waiting area where the air was even more heavy than in the rest of the airport, where they kept us standing for nearly a half hour while they boarded three people in wheelchairs and their families, as well as all families traveling with small children. It was so disorganized, and those of us standing in the oven-like waiting area were roasting while we waited for the procession of special needs passengers to settle in. It was agonizing!
At last, they allowed the remainder of the passengers to board the KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines) flight. This was a 737, with three seats on either side of the aisle, and we had aisle and center seats again, with a sweet young Italian lady next to me. She was in her late 20s and a physicist on her way back home after a business trip to the Netherlands. Maria Magleone comes from a small town near Naples, Torre Del Greco. It lies between Pompeii and Sorrento, and her love of it shone through in her description. Her English was quite good, but she was shy about it, and apologized for asking me to speak more slowly, while I apologized for not speaking Italian at all. We slept through much of this flight, and arrived in Rome two hours later.
We left the Da Vinci airport in Fiumicino (Rome) on board the train that took us to the Termini station in the center of Rome. It was dirty, crowded, and like other major Italian train stations, rather chaotic. Our train was late in arriving, and by the time we got off at Binario (platform) 25, and discovered that we had to connect with our train leaving for Florence at 5:14 pm at Binario 2, we knew we were not going to make it. We gave it our best shot, though, hoping that for once, Moussolini's trains would not run on time, and quick-stepped our way in the direction of Binario 2. When all hope of making it on time had faded, Steve went to the ticket counter for new tickets while I found a rest-room.
Thank goodness Jessie and Joe had come home from Germany in March with a few Euros still in their pockets! We bought them from Jessie when we were helping her move, so I was happy to find that I had more than enough coins to be able to pay the .70 Euro cents to use the facilities available. This was the nicest part of the entire train station! The toilet areas were relatively clean, and the cool water from the tap was so refreshing to my beet-red face. This redness happens to me whenever I exert myself in the slightest heat, and it's so embarrassing. People stare. I feel like a leper, or something. I know I look scary, but I'm too uncomfortable to even smile at that point, so I give up and resign myself to being scary until the redness goes away.
I found Steve, who had managed to procure two supplemental tickets on the fast train that goes to Arezzo. Once there, we would have to take a local train to Figline Valdarno. This train should get us into Figline Valdarno by about 7:30 pm. We hurried to Binario 6, where the agent had told us to go, and there was no train. With a minute to spare, a voice came over the PA system to say the the train will be leaving from Binario 5. We grabbed our bags and rushed down the set of 20 stairs, under the tracks, and up the stairs for track 5, and just as we pushed the button to open the door, the train pulled out of the station without us. By this time we were incensed, but realizing there wasn't much we could do, we went back to the ticket counter. This agent tells us that there will be no refund for the supplemental tickets we just paid 26.00 Euros for, but that we can go to the Central Ticketing offices to check with them, if we insist. She tells us that our original tickets are still good for the slow train (that stops about 20 times between Rome and Figline Valdarno), but that there is no other fast train to Florence today, so our supplemental tickets would not be usable.
The Central Ticket office lines are long and winding, not unlike a ride at Disneyland, heavy with Italians who are used to pushing their way past slower-moving or distracted people in the line, and while Steve (at my insistence) goes to the car rental windows to see about renting a car for a day, I wait in line where two men behind me seem to be competing with each other for a superior spot in the line. Both keep trying to nudge past me and my cart of luggage, which I managed to successfully maneuver into place in such a way as to keep both of them behind me, where they belong. By this time, Steve and I have been traveling with very little sleep for about 22 hours, and awake for about 24, and I was not in any mood to be messed with by some smelly, impatient Italian men who think their need outweighs mine. I wanted to punch the older one right in the jaw, but instead, ignored him, as if I was unaware he was even there. I held my ground and waited until Steve showed up, at which time, the two backed off politely, keeping Steve completely unaware of the drama that they had created moments before.
At the ticket counter, the agent, through very broken English tried to explain that he would not give us a refund. He finally gave up and had another agent come to try and explain things to us. This agent, a 30-ish year old woman, told us that the tickets would be refundable at 50%, but that 50% cannot be less than 16.00 Euro per person, or no refund will be issued, and because we paid 26.00 Euro for our tickets, we would only be entitled to a 13.00 Euro refund, which is too low to qualify. Livid, we left the ticket counter and resigned ourselves to the 1 hour wait for the next train that loomed before us. Time seems to slow down when one is hot and uncomfortable, and this was no exception. However, as we left the ticketing area where all the shops are, and got closer to the train platforms, there was more air movement, and we began to cool off.
The 7:16 pm train from Rome reaches Figline Valdarno presumably at about 10:25. It takes this long because it stops in every tiny town along the way, going by way of Arezzo. Much of the ride was pleasant scenery, once we left Rome, although it was still very hot. We passed rolling hills of dried yellow grasses lined with evergreen cyprus trees delineating property lines, and at one point, field after field of bobbing sunflowers, their golden faces turned this way and that, as if conversing with one another. As time went on, and the sun set, the view was gone, and all that could be seen was the reflection of the lights inside the car, making it difficult to discern which stop we were at. We didn't want to miss our stop, so eventually, we took our luggage and stood at the end of the car where the lights were dimmer and we could see out a little bit better. We marked our train's progress on our map as it slowly made its way toward our temporary home in Figline (pronounced fill-ee-nay, with the emphasis on the second syllable). At the stop just before ours while waiting at the end of our car, we met a young woman who recognized us as English-speakers, and began a conversation, asking us where we were staying, and where we were from. We gave her our particulars, and then she said she had lived in Michigan for 10 years, and had been back in Italy for about 5 years. She was very friendly, and I found myself wishing she was getting off at our stop, instead of the one prior.
We looked about at the top of the stairs, and spied the sign for our hotel, PANORAMA APARTHOTEL, just to our left. Following the sign, we made our way to the front of the hotel. The door was open, and the owner, Augusto Travelini, was at his desk waiting for us. He is none too friendly, but very efficient and informative. He put us and our luggage into the elevator, and raced us up the stairs to the second floor (which in Europe is Level 1). He beat our elevator with its heaving load, and proudly led us into the apartment whose door was located just to the left of it. The windows had been opened, but the mechanical blinds had been drawn down, and the room was incredibly hot and close. My heart just dropped upon this realization, as I had been hoping that this apartment would be an oasis for us, not a continuation of our suffering! It was hot as a pistol, and right smack dab next to the train station, which means trains and whistles, groups of people, and cars coming and going at all hours of the night. The tracks are close enough that we can throw a stone onto them from our room's very large windows. This was not looking very promising.
Augusto showed us where our towels, soap, pans, etc. could be found, and how to use the telephone and the set of keys he presented to us with a flourish. He opened the blinds and turned on the fan, then said his good-byes and left us, offering help ("if you need me, dial 222, and I'll answer my cell phone"), should we need it, as he went out the door. We immediately took off our clothes and began unpacking, allowing the breeze from the fan to cool our perspiring bodies.
As soon as the bags were unpacked, and we had rested a bit, we each took a cool shower. I swear, water has never felt so good to me before as it did on this night. To be clean and relatively comfortable, after two days of pure hell was the most delightful feeling of bliss!
We put a DVD into my computer, hooked up the little speakers we had bought in the Detroit airport, and promptly fell asleep watching an old Cary Grant movie called THE GRASS IS GREENER, or something like that. With our windows open, however, it wasn't long before a train sped through the station, waking us up. I knew I wasn't going to sleep very well in these circumstances, so I put in my ear-plugs and put on a mask to keep out everything. I slept like a rock for several hours. The beds are hard, but I didn't mind because my body was too weary to be bothered with such trivialities.
I awoke refreshed, but Steve had not slept well, because his ear-plugs didn't do a very good job of keeping out the noise. He was still sleep-deprived, but didn't want to stay in bed worrying about it, and it was getting too warm in the room to be able to sleep, so we went out for a walk, to see if we could find a grocery or market. Following the signs to the town's central square, we found a lovely little shop that sold most of the essentials, and we bought canteloupe, prosciutto ham, bread, milk, yoghurt, jam, butter, roma tomatoes, buffalo mozarella, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, water, a few litres of orange flavored soda, and a few other essentials. We hauled everything home, and Steve cut up the melon to make a ham and melon salad for breakfast. We ate this with some of the wonderful bread we had bought, and it was such a feast!
After breakfast, we stopped to ask our host if he knew where the Via Degli Artisti is. He asked why we wanted to know, so we told him that we wanted to go to the church there. When he realized that we meant that we wanted to attend a church there, and not just go there to see a church, the look on his face was priceless. He was obviously very perplexed by the fact that we would actually go out of our way to attend meetings. He showed us which stop we should get off at, and sent us on our way. We bought tickets for the train to Florence, and we set out to find the church. It is located at 43 Via Degli Artisti, on the north end of the street, and about a 10 minute walk from the Campo de Marte train station on the north side of Florence. We walked around several blocks, and approached the location from the south, rather from the direct route from the north.
Along our route, we passed the English cemetery where Elizabeth Barrett Browning is buried. It is the strangest sight! It is built up, as if from a hill, but all the land around it is completely flat, so the grave markers are all far above the heads of the passers-by. There is a retaining wall that holds it all together, and around that, a high fence with locked gates at either end. No grass grows around the graves, except in sparse patches here or there, where some protection from the heat of the sun is afforded, and where, perhaps, there is slightly more moisture to keep it alive. The marble grave markers are tall and close to each other, looking impossibly crowded in this small area. We are quite sure that this is the cemetery used in the film "Tea With Moussilini" that was filmed several years ago. How interesting. We'd like to go back when we can really walk around and explore some of the names therein.
The Church meeting space is located in a row of business buildings, and the only indication of its existence was a small 8" x 10" sign that said La Chiesa de Gesu Christa... There were no signs indicating the time of the meetings, however, and we didn't want to come all this way without getting any information, so we rang the bell, and were surprised to find someone there on a Saturday, which someone buzzed us in.
We walked into the foyer of a business office with adjoining doors. A set of stairs led upwards on the left and we hesitantly made our way up, as there was no sign downstairs to show the way. At the top of the 2nd story, a man and a woman held open the wooden door and shook our hands as we came through babbling in English. We had practiced a few phrases in Italian like, "Good morning" and "My name is ..." and "pleased to meet you" so once we exhausted those, there wasn't anything else we could say. Luckily, the missionaries were just beginning a meeting there, and could interpret for us. There were two other people, young women in their mid-20s, who showed up just moments after we did, and we were all informed together that Church starts at 9:00, with Sunday School at 10:00, and Sacrament Meeting at 11:00. They have an English-speaking Sunday School class, I suppose there must be quite a few English speaking visitors to the area, and we decided to skip the first block, and just attend Sunday School and Sacrament Meetings.
The two young ladies we met are from Phoenix, Arizona. Their names are Julie Jarvis and Kim-something. They have come to Florence to go to language school until next February. We visited with them for a few minutes, and then said goodbye - each going our separate ways. Steve and I took the short way back to the train station, and waited on the stifling hot platform for the next train.
It was too hot to do any sightseeing, so we returned to our apartment, stripped off our damp clothes, and let the fan cool us off. We put in another movie, but fell asleep before 10 minutes of it had passed. We awoke too late to get back to the stores, as they all close at about 6:00, so there was no chance of getting anything for breakfast for Sunday morning, but we still had some fruit, ham, and bread left over from our earlier shopping, which would be enough for Sunday. For our dinner, at about 7:00, Steve cut up the tomatoes and mozarella, and made us a caprese salad. It was heavenly! We spent the rest of the evening ironing our wrinkled clothes, and organizing things, and then, at about 9:30, we took our host's advice and walked out to the square to experience the passiagata. This is an interesting phenomenon wherein the local folks dress up in their designer clothes and walk around looking at everyone else's designer clothes. The two year old children as well as 90 year old men and women all participate. My Italian professor had told us about this, and it was interesting to watch it first-hand. I had seen it in Venice, but hadn't really understood at that time that this is a cultural event. It was quite fascinating to see.
Since our dinner had been so light, we stopped at a restaurant and ordered some chips and salsa and a sandwich to share, along with a few cold drinks. Then we watched dramas unfold around us. We saw little old ladies for whom walking was obviously painful making their way down the street. We saw two young girls of 14 or 15 being pursued by a group of about 10 boys, and watched them head for shelter in the midst of another group of girls who surrounded them, keeping the boys at bay. They continued to hover, however, and as soon as the girls tried to sneak away, the chase was on once again. It was all in fun, and before long, the girls had circled around again to seek the shelter of numbers. Old men waved their arms about, gesticulating about something important as they tried to make a point that their fellow conversationalist were obviously missing. Young mothers and fathers pushed baby carriages and watched their little ones race around them on scooters or bicycles. Gelati shops and restaurants with lights shining brightly were the only ones open for business, but the retail shops kept their display windows lit and dressed to entice the locals to return another day. We sat at a picnic table in front of the pub we'd ordered our food from, and just tried to soak it all in. And to think this goes on every night! Fascinating!
After leaving the pub, we found our own gelati treats. I ordered a pine-nut filled treat, and Steve had raspberry (of course). They were so refreshing, and we strolled back home at a leisurely pace.
We put in a new movie to watch, but didn't make it through even 10 minutes before we were asleep.
Sunday, June 26th, 2005
We awoke very early this morning, and had plenty of time to be ready to catch the train in time for church. We caught the direct train that stopped only at Campo di Marte, which took about 15 minutes, and the walk from the station to the church took about the same length of time. We skipped relief society and priesthood meeting, as they are only taught in Italian. The young lady that was teaching the English Sunday School class is absolutely adorable. She comes from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and was not raised in the Church, but seems to have been a member for quite a while. She's in her mid-20's, I would guess, and is studying anthropology. She's been in Florence for about a year. I can't remember her name now, but I'll get it next week. She was teaching a lesson on apostasy, and how easily we can fall into Satan's net. She did an excellent job. Before her lesson began, she had us all introduce ourselves and tell where we were from and why we were in Florence. The number of young ladies far exceeded the number of young men. Most of them were there to learn Italian.
There was one couple, Scott and Kris Cunningham from Wisconsin who had 4 young adult children with them. They had been traveling around Europe for 5 weeks, and were finishing up a six week tour in the Pompeii area. We visited with them quite a bit after the meeting. Their eldest 3, two boys (21 and 17) and one girl (19), are all attending BYU this coming semester, so when Kris asked for my address and phone number, I told her to be sure to have her kids get in touch with us if they needed anything, or just wanted to get away for a weekend. She extended a similar invitation to us if we ever wanted to have a relaxing weekend on a lake. She said this is the only place in the world they could afford to live on a lake, and that they were the only LDS family in their town for the first 14 years they lived there. Currently, there are two. They were such a nice couple, we might just take them up on it.
We left the church and took the train back to our apartment, where we spent the rest of the day in much the same way as previous days, napping, watching a bit of a movie, and listening to music on the computer. It was a lovely day, other than the oppressive heat. We ate dinner at about 7:30 on the main square at a little place recommended to us by Augusto called Stroncapane. There was the slightest of breezes, and if you were good and sweaty, which we were, it cooled you off pretty well, but it was rather on the weak side, and so intermittent, that I remained quite uncomfortable throughout the meal. Steve seems to be less affected by the heat, and was comfortable. After dinner, we walked around the square again, found a different gelati shop, and treated ourselves to another dripping sweet treat that we enjoyed as we made our way back home.
We awoke very early this morning, and had plenty of time to be ready to catch the train in time for church. We caught the direct train that stopped only at Campo di Marte, which took about 15 minutes, and the walk from the station to the church took about the same length of time. We skipped relief society and priesthood meeting, as they are only taught in Italian. The young lady that was teaching the English Sunday School class is absolutely adorable. She comes from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and was not raised in the Church, but seems to have been a member for quite a while. She's in her mid-20's, I would guess, and is studying anthropology. She's been in Florence for about a year. I can't remember her name now, but I'll get it next week. She was teaching a lesson on apostasy, and how easily we can fall into Satan's net. She did an excellent job. Before her lesson began, she had us all introduce ourselves and tell where we were from and why we were in Florence. The number of young ladies far exceeded the number of young men. Most of them were there to learn Italian.
There was one couple, Scott and Kris Cunningham from Wisconsin who had 4 young adult children with them. They had been traveling around Europe for 5 weeks, and were finishing up a six week tour in the Pompeii area. We visited with them quite a bit after the meeting. Their eldest 3, two boys (21 and 17) and one girl (19), are all attending BYU this coming semester, so when Kris asked for my address and phone number, I told her to be sure to have her kids get in touch with us if they needed anything, or just wanted to get away for a weekend. She extended a similar invitation to us if we ever wanted to have a relaxing weekend on a lake. She said this is the only place in the world they could afford to live on a lake, and that they were the only LDS family in their town for the first 14 years they lived there. Currently, there are two. They were such a nice couple, we might just take them up on it.
We left the church and took the train back to our apartment, where we spent the rest of the day in much the same way as previous days, napping, watching a bit of a movie, and listening to music on the computer. It was a lovely day, other than the oppressive heat. We ate dinner at about 7:30 on the main square at a little place recommended to us by Augusto called Stroncapane. There was the slightest of breezes, and if you were good and sweaty, which we were, it cooled you off pretty well, but it was rather on the weak side, and so intermittent, that I remained quite uncomfortable throughout the meal. Steve seems to be less affected by the heat, and was comfortable. After dinner, we walked around the square again, found a different gelati shop, and treated ourselves to another dripping sweet treat that we enjoyed as we made our way back home.
Monday, June 27th, 2005
We decided that this would be the day we would go to Florence to check out the locations of our schools, and to tour the buildings they are located in. As mine was closest to the Santa Maria Novella train station, we went there first.
Studio Arts Centers International is located on Via San Antonino #11. We found it within 10 minutes of leaving the train station, and rang the buzzer to be allowed inside. The young Italian lady at the reception desk told us to go ahead and look around, which we did. The main floor had several classrooms, some with easels, and walking through several rooms from the front door in a straight line, we came to another door that lead us out into a plush enclosed garden where there were tables of ceramic pieces sitting out as if to cool. Kilns lined one section of one wall, and various tables and other work spaces were scattered here and there along the other three walls. It looked a bit messy, but in an organized way. There was only one student still at the school, that I could see, and she was upstairs in the student lounge using one of the many computers made available to the students. There were, perhaps, a dozen computers, so this room must be very busy during a regular school semester, when far more students are enrolled in classes not offered during the summer terms.
We found the room where the conservation classes are taught, and we were told that the history course is taught down on the main floor. We wandered into the library next, where the librarian, Lou, asked us if we were parents of one of the students. I smiled and had flashbacks of having my tonsils out at the age of 20 at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake. We explained to her that I was the student, and we chatted with her for about a half hour or so. Most of the building was air-conditioned, but it was hard to tell, because there were so many rooms that were not. It was impossibly hot in the library, and we asked Lou how she could stand it. She said that she is originally from Florida, and came to SACI 33 years ago as a student, so she's used to it, although she still hates the heat. She told us that the AC in her part of the building had gone out, that they were working on trying to fix it, and that it should be ready for Monday, when the next set of classes were supposed to start. Steve spied several internet cords on the large table in front of her desk and inquired about them. She invited him to bring his laptop in and use their connection any time he would like. This was nice, as he will have quite a few days when I will be in class much longer than he will, and he may want to wait for me so that we can take the train back to Figline together. Dripping now, we thanked Lou for her warm welcome, and went downstairs to get information about the cell phone rentals that the school mentioned in their paperwork. The little receptionist gave us some information, and we were on our way to Steve's school.
The Leonardo da Vinci school of language is located on Via Bufalini #3, and is quite near the famous domed cathedral in Florence. It's on a very busy road, and as we approached, it was obvious which building it was in, as the front entryway was heavily peopled with students having their lunches in the relative shade of the archway. We made our way past them, and down the covered alleyway to the entry of the school. Surprisingly, as we went through the door marked Leonardo da Vinci, we entered a student lounge with tables and vending machines. Students bustled about, chatting and cussing at the machine that didn't like their money. I couldn't understand how anyone would voluntarily sit in such a stifling hot room, but there were no places to sit outside, so perhaps that was their incentive. A narrow staircase with wooden handrail sat opposite the entry door, so we headed in that direction, hoping to find the reception desk. Upstairs, the long reception desk was swarming with still more students. A single fan set in the corner of the room was expected to keep it cool. The cheerful woman behind the desk was efficient and friendly, and quickly got to Steve. He explained he would be starting on Monday next week, and asked her if there was anything he needed to do before arriving. She explained a bit about the placement testing they do, but since Steve has no knowledge of Italian, he will be placed in the beginning course.
We poked our heads into a few of the classrooms and found they all had a single fan oscillating in a pathetic attempt to cool the 25 or so students in the room. I wanted to run from this place screaming. My heart just dropped at the thought of Steve having to spend day after day in this place. As we passed through the student lounge on our way out, I asked Steve if he was going to be all right here. At first, he said, "I don't know..." and then told me he thought he'd be fine. I'm not so sure. It was hellishly hot up there! I don't know how anybody can learn a thing under those conditions! I so wanted this to be a good experience for both of us, and I was very discouraged at this point. We bought a couple of soft drinks from the vending machines and paid an outrageous 1 euro for each, which, at today's exchange rate is about is about $1.25.
We took a different route back to the train station, following Via Bufalini on its northwest path to Via Nazionale, which leads directly to the entrance of the train station. As we made our way along Bufalini, the street name changed to Via dell'Ariento, and at the Piazza di San Lorenzo we came to an open market where one vendor after another did their best to sell us leather coats, belts, fake rolex watches, cashmere scarves, and ceramic wares. The items were of a beautiful quality, and if it hadn't been so hot outside, I might have been tempted to stop and buy something, but it was too stifling - no breeze to be found - so we just smiled and murmured, "No, grazie" and kept moving along.
On Via Nazionale, we found a little shop that sold sandwiches, so we bought two to take along on the train. We were wishing we'd bought a few more of the expensive 1 euro cans of soda, as they were 3 euros here, but in this heat, you can't afford to go without fluids, and so you pay what they ask, and are happy to have it.
The next train to Figline was leaving the platform within about 15 minutes, so we held off eating until we could be seated and on our way. There are absolutely NO benches or other seating areas at all within the station, Standing is the only option, so we stood while we waited for the time to tick away before boarding the stationary train. We knew that if we boarded very long before its departure, it would be like sitting in an enclosed oven, even with the windows open, so we chose the lesser of the evils, and stood on the platform, waiting for the last call.
Eventually, we reluctantly boarded, and then roasted slowly as the train waited for two or three others to pull out of the station before it. The huge feeling of relief when ours finally began its journey was incredible. I realize that I am having feelings of near-panic in these types of situations. It must be claustrophobia. I have to try to distract myself and think of something else. Just getting on the elevator with Steve is claustrophobic for me, but the alternative of climbing all the stairs to our apartment, when we're already so hot and exhausted, is too much to bear, so I opt for the elevator, and then chant mantras to myself to keep calm. It's stupid, I know, but that's how it is for me at this moment.
The relief of the train being in motion was short-lived, as we discovered that it was not air-conditioned at all, and the windows were mostly stuck shut. We changed cars and found one that had more open windows, which kept the air moving well until we came to a station. Then, all air movement was halted for the 5 minutes or so that it took to unload and board new passengers. We decided to get off the train at Pontessieve, where we'd seen a large store, hoping to find a few items that are not available at our little market near our apartment.
The COOP, as it is called, is just to the south of the train station, and we walked eagerly in the afternoon sun to the front entry, as we'd been told it was air-conditioned. Unfortunately, it didn't open on Mondays until 2:00, and it was 1:00 that we arrived. We could not bear to wait an hour out in that heat, so we caught the 1:16 train from Pontessieve to Figline instead. This train car was a little slice of pure heaven. It was air-conditioned, and we could actually feel the cool air on our faces as we opened the door. We enjoyed the short ride to our apartment like no other since I can remember. I wanted to stay on that train until someone kicked me off, but alas, it was not to be.
Back home, we shopped at our local store, called the SPAR, and then went back to our apartment and took another afternoon nap, We had mixed green salads with tomatoes and mozarella for dinner, along with some bread dipped in some fantastic balsamic vinegar and olive oil for dinner. Steve had made some tortellini as well, but when he added milk to make the sauce, it separated and clumped all over, and was a complete disappointment, so it had to be thrown out. I had no interest in anything hot to eat, so it made no difference to me, but I felt bad that he hadn't been able to eat it.
We called Melodie and asked her to mail a set of scriptures, both fan spray bottles, and some zip-lock sandwich bags - all things we meant to bring, and forgot. She got them shipped, and USPS says it will be 3-5 business days before they arrive. We can hardly wait!
We went out for yet another gelato at about 10:00pm, and then came back home and watched a few minutes of THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN before we both fell asleep.
We decided that this would be the day we would go to Florence to check out the locations of our schools, and to tour the buildings they are located in. As mine was closest to the Santa Maria Novella train station, we went there first.
Studio Arts Centers International is located on Via San Antonino #11. We found it within 10 minutes of leaving the train station, and rang the buzzer to be allowed inside. The young Italian lady at the reception desk told us to go ahead and look around, which we did. The main floor had several classrooms, some with easels, and walking through several rooms from the front door in a straight line, we came to another door that lead us out into a plush enclosed garden where there were tables of ceramic pieces sitting out as if to cool. Kilns lined one section of one wall, and various tables and other work spaces were scattered here and there along the other three walls. It looked a bit messy, but in an organized way. There was only one student still at the school, that I could see, and she was upstairs in the student lounge using one of the many computers made available to the students. There were, perhaps, a dozen computers, so this room must be very busy during a regular school semester, when far more students are enrolled in classes not offered during the summer terms.
We found the room where the conservation classes are taught, and we were told that the history course is taught down on the main floor. We wandered into the library next, where the librarian, Lou, asked us if we were parents of one of the students. I smiled and had flashbacks of having my tonsils out at the age of 20 at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake. We explained to her that I was the student, and we chatted with her for about a half hour or so. Most of the building was air-conditioned, but it was hard to tell, because there were so many rooms that were not. It was impossibly hot in the library, and we asked Lou how she could stand it. She said that she is originally from Florida, and came to SACI 33 years ago as a student, so she's used to it, although she still hates the heat. She told us that the AC in her part of the building had gone out, that they were working on trying to fix it, and that it should be ready for Monday, when the next set of classes were supposed to start. Steve spied several internet cords on the large table in front of her desk and inquired about them. She invited him to bring his laptop in and use their connection any time he would like. This was nice, as he will have quite a few days when I will be in class much longer than he will, and he may want to wait for me so that we can take the train back to Figline together. Dripping now, we thanked Lou for her warm welcome, and went downstairs to get information about the cell phone rentals that the school mentioned in their paperwork. The little receptionist gave us some information, and we were on our way to Steve's school.
The Leonardo da Vinci school of language is located on Via Bufalini #3, and is quite near the famous domed cathedral in Florence. It's on a very busy road, and as we approached, it was obvious which building it was in, as the front entryway was heavily peopled with students having their lunches in the relative shade of the archway. We made our way past them, and down the covered alleyway to the entry of the school. Surprisingly, as we went through the door marked Leonardo da Vinci, we entered a student lounge with tables and vending machines. Students bustled about, chatting and cussing at the machine that didn't like their money. I couldn't understand how anyone would voluntarily sit in such a stifling hot room, but there were no places to sit outside, so perhaps that was their incentive. A narrow staircase with wooden handrail sat opposite the entry door, so we headed in that direction, hoping to find the reception desk. Upstairs, the long reception desk was swarming with still more students. A single fan set in the corner of the room was expected to keep it cool. The cheerful woman behind the desk was efficient and friendly, and quickly got to Steve. He explained he would be starting on Monday next week, and asked her if there was anything he needed to do before arriving. She explained a bit about the placement testing they do, but since Steve has no knowledge of Italian, he will be placed in the beginning course.
We poked our heads into a few of the classrooms and found they all had a single fan oscillating in a pathetic attempt to cool the 25 or so students in the room. I wanted to run from this place screaming. My heart just dropped at the thought of Steve having to spend day after day in this place. As we passed through the student lounge on our way out, I asked Steve if he was going to be all right here. At first, he said, "I don't know..." and then told me he thought he'd be fine. I'm not so sure. It was hellishly hot up there! I don't know how anybody can learn a thing under those conditions! I so wanted this to be a good experience for both of us, and I was very discouraged at this point. We bought a couple of soft drinks from the vending machines and paid an outrageous 1 euro for each, which, at today's exchange rate is about is about $1.25.
We took a different route back to the train station, following Via Bufalini on its northwest path to Via Nazionale, which leads directly to the entrance of the train station. As we made our way along Bufalini, the street name changed to Via dell'Ariento, and at the Piazza di San Lorenzo we came to an open market where one vendor after another did their best to sell us leather coats, belts, fake rolex watches, cashmere scarves, and ceramic wares. The items were of a beautiful quality, and if it hadn't been so hot outside, I might have been tempted to stop and buy something, but it was too stifling - no breeze to be found - so we just smiled and murmured, "No, grazie" and kept moving along.
On Via Nazionale, we found a little shop that sold sandwiches, so we bought two to take along on the train. We were wishing we'd bought a few more of the expensive 1 euro cans of soda, as they were 3 euros here, but in this heat, you can't afford to go without fluids, and so you pay what they ask, and are happy to have it.
The next train to Figline was leaving the platform within about 15 minutes, so we held off eating until we could be seated and on our way. There are absolutely NO benches or other seating areas at all within the station, Standing is the only option, so we stood while we waited for the time to tick away before boarding the stationary train. We knew that if we boarded very long before its departure, it would be like sitting in an enclosed oven, even with the windows open, so we chose the lesser of the evils, and stood on the platform, waiting for the last call.
Eventually, we reluctantly boarded, and then roasted slowly as the train waited for two or three others to pull out of the station before it. The huge feeling of relief when ours finally began its journey was incredible. I realize that I am having feelings of near-panic in these types of situations. It must be claustrophobia. I have to try to distract myself and think of something else. Just getting on the elevator with Steve is claustrophobic for me, but the alternative of climbing all the stairs to our apartment, when we're already so hot and exhausted, is too much to bear, so I opt for the elevator, and then chant mantras to myself to keep calm. It's stupid, I know, but that's how it is for me at this moment.
The relief of the train being in motion was short-lived, as we discovered that it was not air-conditioned at all, and the windows were mostly stuck shut. We changed cars and found one that had more open windows, which kept the air moving well until we came to a station. Then, all air movement was halted for the 5 minutes or so that it took to unload and board new passengers. We decided to get off the train at Pontessieve, where we'd seen a large store, hoping to find a few items that are not available at our little market near our apartment.
The COOP, as it is called, is just to the south of the train station, and we walked eagerly in the afternoon sun to the front entry, as we'd been told it was air-conditioned. Unfortunately, it didn't open on Mondays until 2:00, and it was 1:00 that we arrived. We could not bear to wait an hour out in that heat, so we caught the 1:16 train from Pontessieve to Figline instead. This train car was a little slice of pure heaven. It was air-conditioned, and we could actually feel the cool air on our faces as we opened the door. We enjoyed the short ride to our apartment like no other since I can remember. I wanted to stay on that train until someone kicked me off, but alas, it was not to be.
Back home, we shopped at our local store, called the SPAR, and then went back to our apartment and took another afternoon nap, We had mixed green salads with tomatoes and mozarella for dinner, along with some bread dipped in some fantastic balsamic vinegar and olive oil for dinner. Steve had made some tortellini as well, but when he added milk to make the sauce, it separated and clumped all over, and was a complete disappointment, so it had to be thrown out. I had no interest in anything hot to eat, so it made no difference to me, but I felt bad that he hadn't been able to eat it.
We called Melodie and asked her to mail a set of scriptures, both fan spray bottles, and some zip-lock sandwich bags - all things we meant to bring, and forgot. She got them shipped, and USPS says it will be 3-5 business days before they arrive. We can hardly wait!
We went out for yet another gelato at about 10:00pm, and then came back home and watched a few minutes of THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN before we both fell asleep.
Tuesday, June 28th, 2005
We made reservations this morning to rent a car on Friday. We'll take a drive around Tuscany, and see a little more than we've yet been able to do. I'm really looking forward to that!
We left our apartment this morning in search of a dentist. Steve ate a sandwich on the flight between Amsterdam and Rome, and broke a molar. The whole inside side of it broke off. It's not hurting him, but it will need to be fixed, possibly crowned. Augusto recommended his own dentist, and pointed us in the direction of his office, which is just a short 30 steps or so from our front door. The receptionist spoke no English, so she motioned us to wait and went to find someone who could communicate with us. A young, tanned Italian dentist in a white coat came to the front desk, listened politely to our dilemma, and asked us to wait about 20 minutes and he would help us. When Steve was called back, I left to find an ATM machine, as their office doesn't take cards. Surprisingly, this ATM would allow a withdrawal of as much as 800 euros in a day! I took out 400, and went back to the dentist's office. By the time I got to the front door, Steve was already there. He said that they filed it off so that it wouldn't have a sharp edge, and told him to go see his own dentist when he got back home.
We decided to take the train back to Pontessieve to see if the COOP has portable air conditioners. The train ride there was pleasant, and the store was very well air conditioned. I wanted to move in. The only drawback to this store was that it was basically just a grocery store, and about half or three quarters the size of our Smith's store in Farmington, so it didn't have the air conditioner we had hoped to find. We'll have to go check out the ones we saw in a little shop in Figline. We found more food items that we hadn't found in the SPAR, though, and had three full bags to bring back with us.
Another cooled train car made the whole round trip to Pontessieve a very pleasant one. Back home, we put away the groceries, stripped down to our unders again, and set the fan in the direction of our bed, so that we could lie down to watch a movie. We put THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN back in, since we hadn't seen much of it last night, and this time we actually stayed awake to watch the whole thing. BLACKBEARD'S GHOST went in next, but this one, we both fell asleep watching, so we'll have to start it over again some other time. Steve made cheeseburgers for dinner, with onion and tomatoes on top, with a side dish of Pringles chips. I guess I was feeling a little bit homesick, and he was sweet to accommodate me.
We watched a little television after dinner, keeping an eye on the weather, which doesn't seem to be changing any time soon, and then went out again for gelati. It has become a food group all its own, and a most delightful one! We didn't leave the apartment until 11:30, and weren't sure if the passiagata would still be going on, but we needn't have worried, as the streets were still full of people. The numbers were slightly diluted, and noticeably without small children, but the traditional strolling was still going strong.
Upon our return home, we tried BLACKBEARD'S GHOST one more time. I fell asleep immediately, and didn't see more than a few minutes of it.
We made reservations this morning to rent a car on Friday. We'll take a drive around Tuscany, and see a little more than we've yet been able to do. I'm really looking forward to that!
We left our apartment this morning in search of a dentist. Steve ate a sandwich on the flight between Amsterdam and Rome, and broke a molar. The whole inside side of it broke off. It's not hurting him, but it will need to be fixed, possibly crowned. Augusto recommended his own dentist, and pointed us in the direction of his office, which is just a short 30 steps or so from our front door. The receptionist spoke no English, so she motioned us to wait and went to find someone who could communicate with us. A young, tanned Italian dentist in a white coat came to the front desk, listened politely to our dilemma, and asked us to wait about 20 minutes and he would help us. When Steve was called back, I left to find an ATM machine, as their office doesn't take cards. Surprisingly, this ATM would allow a withdrawal of as much as 800 euros in a day! I took out 400, and went back to the dentist's office. By the time I got to the front door, Steve was already there. He said that they filed it off so that it wouldn't have a sharp edge, and told him to go see his own dentist when he got back home.
We decided to take the train back to Pontessieve to see if the COOP has portable air conditioners. The train ride there was pleasant, and the store was very well air conditioned. I wanted to move in. The only drawback to this store was that it was basically just a grocery store, and about half or three quarters the size of our Smith's store in Farmington, so it didn't have the air conditioner we had hoped to find. We'll have to go check out the ones we saw in a little shop in Figline. We found more food items that we hadn't found in the SPAR, though, and had three full bags to bring back with us.
Another cooled train car made the whole round trip to Pontessieve a very pleasant one. Back home, we put away the groceries, stripped down to our unders again, and set the fan in the direction of our bed, so that we could lie down to watch a movie. We put THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN back in, since we hadn't seen much of it last night, and this time we actually stayed awake to watch the whole thing. BLACKBEARD'S GHOST went in next, but this one, we both fell asleep watching, so we'll have to start it over again some other time. Steve made cheeseburgers for dinner, with onion and tomatoes on top, with a side dish of Pringles chips. I guess I was feeling a little bit homesick, and he was sweet to accommodate me.
We watched a little television after dinner, keeping an eye on the weather, which doesn't seem to be changing any time soon, and then went out again for gelati. It has become a food group all its own, and a most delightful one! We didn't leave the apartment until 11:30, and weren't sure if the passiagata would still be going on, but we needn't have worried, as the streets were still full of people. The numbers were slightly diluted, and noticeably without small children, but the traditional strolling was still going strong.
Upon our return home, we tried BLACKBEARD'S GHOST one more time. I fell asleep immediately, and didn't see more than a few minutes of it.
Wednesday, June 29th, 2005
This morning, as it seems happens on most mornings, we find ourselves awake at about 5:30. We then drift in and out of sleep for a couple more hours. Steve has been reading the Florence travel guide, and we looked through it to see what items of interest we might like to see while we're here.
We made french toast for breakfast, and enjoyed it so much! I cleaned up the kitchen while Steve called the insurance company to ask about his tooth repair, and to double check on what it would cover in this case. They told him they would cover it if it was considered an emergency, and agreed that it was one. He got dressed to go downstairs to make an appointment with the dentist, and I put in BLACKBEARD'S GHOST a third time, this time absolutely determined that I would not sleep through it. I was barely through the introduction when Steve returned, saying the dentist's office was not yet open. It was 8:45, so we were rather surprised, but he sat down with me and we watched the movie together. He had stayed up late last night watching the entire thing, but must have enjoyed it enough to want to see it again. At any rate, when it ended, he went back down to the dentist's office, and promptly returned. They made an appointment to see him at 6:00 pm on Friday, the day we've reserved the rental car. I guess we'll have to make sure we're back by that hour, and then maybe we can run back out again later in the evening. It would be fun to visit another town that night.
We didn't really have anything we needed to do today, so we asked Augusto where the rental car agency was. He gave us some very loose directions, telling us to follow the main road down until we came to the COOP here in Figline, and that the car rental place was on the road next to the store. He said to look for the VW sign, and said that they sell cars there, as well as renting them. We started off in the direction he had sent us.
The morning sun was hot, and beating down on our backs until we were both very uncomfortable. There was no shade on either side of the street, as the sun was almost directly behind us, casting no shadows except those made by our own bodies. We walked and walked and walked (almost like pioneer children!), and just when I was ready to turn back, we came to the COOP. Although we couldn't think of a thing we might need, we thought it would be air-conditioned, and decided to go inside to cool off for a while. We are so pathetic, but it can't be helped! It is just so unbearably hot! We shopped a little bit, and bought a few small things, like needles and thread, and a few pairs of socks, and when we felt cool enough to brave the heat, we went back out into it.
The car rental place looked like a sales center, a regular dealership, so we weren't sure that it was the right place. We went next door to a smaller place that had other brands of cars, and looked more likely to be the rental agency, but they spoke no English and couldn't help us at all. We returned to the VW place, and sure enough, they led us to the desk where they rent cars. The young man at the desk couldn't speak much English, and didn't understand that we already had a reservation, so he informed us that there were no cars available for Friday, but that we could try back again tomorrow. He was sweet, and really tried to help, but the language barrier was just too much. We took his card and thanked him, reluctantly leaving the air-conditioned oasis.
Walking back, we took the other side of the road, as the sun had moved just enough to offer some slight shade from the buildings and occasional trees that we passed by. We decided to look for a place to have lunch, hoping for an outdoor location in the shade, but all along the route, the only eatery we could see was closed, and in full sun. We passed it by in favor of sore feet and sweating brows. Eventually, we made our way to the Piazza Averani, and found a beautiful little cafe on the north end with some inviting shaded tables under an awning. We decided to check inside the Caffe Fanin to see if it was air-conditioned, and to our delight, found that it was. The young lady behind the counter greeted us in Italian, and noticing our feeble attempts at returning her greeting, spoke to us in somewhat broken English, offering us a menu, and telling us to seat ourselves.
The menu was full of tempting dishes, salads, and sandwiches, and when another young lady came to take our order, she suggested a meat and cheese salad that Steve took her up on. I didn't want any meat, so I ordered a caprese salad and asked for some bread, mistakenly using the word crostini instead of panini, and ended up getting both. Steve's salad was enormous, filling a platter-sized plate instead of a dinner-sized one, but he finished off almost all of it, it was so good. My salad and crostini were excellent, and our two little waitresses were so dang cute! We told them how much we enjoyed our food, and thanked them for taking such good care of us. They asked if we would like any dessert, which we declined. About 5 minutes later, one of them came back to our table and asked, "Do you have just a little more room? We have our special house cake for you. Is very good!." She was so sweet, we hated to disappoint her, so we agreed to share a piece.
The dessert cake was rather like a croissant that had been sliced cross-wise. Each slice was laid out on the plate and drizzled with chocolate sauce and powdered with cocoa. It was actually quite tasty. They brought with it a bowl of diced pieces of watermelon and tiny slices of orange doused in some kind of liquer, along with two tiny glasses of a strong dessert wine that Steve said look more like a brandy than a wine. The smell of it was enough to knock me out. We didn't want to insult them, since they'd been so kind, but we couldn't figure out what to do with the drinks so that they wouldn't be hurt. We had an empty water bottle with us and decided we could safely smuggle the drink out in that. We went to the counter to pay, and again thanked them for such a lovely lunch. They were quite pleased with themselves for having made our day, and very surprised when Steve left them a small tip, as tipping in Italy is not common. When we returned to our rooms, we looked at our receipt and found that they had not charged us for any of the dessert items at all.
We strolled back to our hotel, and were again heated up beyond belief by the time we got there. We put in the movie called THE DEEP, and watched it almost all the way through. Steve might have made it through all the way, but I fell asleep. The room is very hot today - I think it's about 95 outside, with high humidity (for us, anyway), and the heat really saps the strength and the will to accomplish anything at all. I can't wait to be able to rent the car and get out of this apartment! After the movie ended, Steve called the rental agency again, and reached the same English-speaking fellow he booked the car with a few days ago. He assured us that the car was reserved for us, and that it is air-conditioned, and he even said he will actually bring it to us at the train station, which is really sweet of him. That gives us something tangible to look forward to!
This morning, as it seems happens on most mornings, we find ourselves awake at about 5:30. We then drift in and out of sleep for a couple more hours. Steve has been reading the Florence travel guide, and we looked through it to see what items of interest we might like to see while we're here.
We made french toast for breakfast, and enjoyed it so much! I cleaned up the kitchen while Steve called the insurance company to ask about his tooth repair, and to double check on what it would cover in this case. They told him they would cover it if it was considered an emergency, and agreed that it was one. He got dressed to go downstairs to make an appointment with the dentist, and I put in BLACKBEARD'S GHOST a third time, this time absolutely determined that I would not sleep through it. I was barely through the introduction when Steve returned, saying the dentist's office was not yet open. It was 8:45, so we were rather surprised, but he sat down with me and we watched the movie together. He had stayed up late last night watching the entire thing, but must have enjoyed it enough to want to see it again. At any rate, when it ended, he went back down to the dentist's office, and promptly returned. They made an appointment to see him at 6:00 pm on Friday, the day we've reserved the rental car. I guess we'll have to make sure we're back by that hour, and then maybe we can run back out again later in the evening. It would be fun to visit another town that night.
We didn't really have anything we needed to do today, so we asked Augusto where the rental car agency was. He gave us some very loose directions, telling us to follow the main road down until we came to the COOP here in Figline, and that the car rental place was on the road next to the store. He said to look for the VW sign, and said that they sell cars there, as well as renting them. We started off in the direction he had sent us.
The morning sun was hot, and beating down on our backs until we were both very uncomfortable. There was no shade on either side of the street, as the sun was almost directly behind us, casting no shadows except those made by our own bodies. We walked and walked and walked (almost like pioneer children!), and just when I was ready to turn back, we came to the COOP. Although we couldn't think of a thing we might need, we thought it would be air-conditioned, and decided to go inside to cool off for a while. We are so pathetic, but it can't be helped! It is just so unbearably hot! We shopped a little bit, and bought a few small things, like needles and thread, and a few pairs of socks, and when we felt cool enough to brave the heat, we went back out into it.
The car rental place looked like a sales center, a regular dealership, so we weren't sure that it was the right place. We went next door to a smaller place that had other brands of cars, and looked more likely to be the rental agency, but they spoke no English and couldn't help us at all. We returned to the VW place, and sure enough, they led us to the desk where they rent cars. The young man at the desk couldn't speak much English, and didn't understand that we already had a reservation, so he informed us that there were no cars available for Friday, but that we could try back again tomorrow. He was sweet, and really tried to help, but the language barrier was just too much. We took his card and thanked him, reluctantly leaving the air-conditioned oasis.
Walking back, we took the other side of the road, as the sun had moved just enough to offer some slight shade from the buildings and occasional trees that we passed by. We decided to look for a place to have lunch, hoping for an outdoor location in the shade, but all along the route, the only eatery we could see was closed, and in full sun. We passed it by in favor of sore feet and sweating brows. Eventually, we made our way to the Piazza Averani, and found a beautiful little cafe on the north end with some inviting shaded tables under an awning. We decided to check inside the Caffe Fanin to see if it was air-conditioned, and to our delight, found that it was. The young lady behind the counter greeted us in Italian, and noticing our feeble attempts at returning her greeting, spoke to us in somewhat broken English, offering us a menu, and telling us to seat ourselves.
The menu was full of tempting dishes, salads, and sandwiches, and when another young lady came to take our order, she suggested a meat and cheese salad that Steve took her up on. I didn't want any meat, so I ordered a caprese salad and asked for some bread, mistakenly using the word crostini instead of panini, and ended up getting both. Steve's salad was enormous, filling a platter-sized plate instead of a dinner-sized one, but he finished off almost all of it, it was so good. My salad and crostini were excellent, and our two little waitresses were so dang cute! We told them how much we enjoyed our food, and thanked them for taking such good care of us. They asked if we would like any dessert, which we declined. About 5 minutes later, one of them came back to our table and asked, "Do you have just a little more room? We have our special house cake for you. Is very good!." She was so sweet, we hated to disappoint her, so we agreed to share a piece.
The dessert cake was rather like a croissant that had been sliced cross-wise. Each slice was laid out on the plate and drizzled with chocolate sauce and powdered with cocoa. It was actually quite tasty. They brought with it a bowl of diced pieces of watermelon and tiny slices of orange doused in some kind of liquer, along with two tiny glasses of a strong dessert wine that Steve said look more like a brandy than a wine. The smell of it was enough to knock me out. We didn't want to insult them, since they'd been so kind, but we couldn't figure out what to do with the drinks so that they wouldn't be hurt. We had an empty water bottle with us and decided we could safely smuggle the drink out in that. We went to the counter to pay, and again thanked them for such a lovely lunch. They were quite pleased with themselves for having made our day, and very surprised when Steve left them a small tip, as tipping in Italy is not common. When we returned to our rooms, we looked at our receipt and found that they had not charged us for any of the dessert items at all.
We strolled back to our hotel, and were again heated up beyond belief by the time we got there. We put in the movie called THE DEEP, and watched it almost all the way through. Steve might have made it through all the way, but I fell asleep. The room is very hot today - I think it's about 95 outside, with high humidity (for us, anyway), and the heat really saps the strength and the will to accomplish anything at all. I can't wait to be able to rent the car and get out of this apartment! After the movie ended, Steve called the rental agency again, and reached the same English-speaking fellow he booked the car with a few days ago. He assured us that the car was reserved for us, and that it is air-conditioned, and he even said he will actually bring it to us at the train station, which is really sweet of him. That gives us something tangible to look forward to!