Anyways, we began the day by trying to find the Post Office to mail off a permit of stay form that we had previously filled out. The post office, once we found it, was actually quite beautiful and historic looking. Katy and I agreed that it reminded us of the DMV because you had to take a number upon entering and wait your turn in line. Unfortunately, nothing in the post office was in english, at all, but we got lucky and ended up choosing the right form that we needed after all.
After this we went off to just walk around a explore the streets. A minor detour lead us to find a couple of cute scarfs and a beautiful pair of new earrings for Katy. I learned that earrings are her weakness and I'm not allowed to let her look at them too long or too often. I guess her excuse today was that she forgot to put a pair in earlier that morning so she really did need them. That's okay, my weakness is shoes (well, I guess coats and bags too, really) and so I tell her to keep me away from those things. It works out well.
We stopped off at a little cafe to get some cafes and pastries, being careful to stay standing until we were told that we could sit down without being charged extra since we'd boughten more than just coffee. I guess you just never know here in Italy.
Later on we ended up meandering out way down a street full of vendors selling just about everything: bags, sunglasses, clothing, jewelry, masks, journals, you name it, they probably had it. That was pretty fun, and now we're both wondering weather you can haggle in Italy like you can in Mexico. The shop workers seemed rather pushy though, following you around and being very, very attentive. Before too long we also realized that the market was a lot like the Alaska State Fair in that after about 50 feet it seems to repeat itself of the products available. Still, it was fun to walk along and see what all there was.
After we finally found out way back out of the maze of people we made out way into another market called Mercato Centrale, or for you folks that don't know Italian, Central Market. :)
This market was AMAZING. The lower level was full of fresh pasta, cheeses, breads, and even fresh cut flowers. There was also fresh meats cut right before your very eyes by a real live butcher. But that's not all! Upstairs was teeming with fresh fruits and vegetables, everywhere you looked there were apples, bananas, pears, oranges, carrots, lettuce, eggplant, tomatoes, etc. It all looked wonderful, and it was cheap, too!
Katy had a fun experience buying some fruits from a nice Italian lady... I typically let her do most of the talking as its' proven to be much safer and effective. The lady was very sweet and even congratulated Katy on her Italian and completing the money transaction correctly: Brava! The market was a really fun experience and we will definitely be going back next week.
After leaving this market, we went off to find an actual "supermarket" for the food items that were not at the market. The supermarket was deceivingly small, and we soon discovered that it was somewhat similar to a river, with how it wound around corner after corner. The real excitement, however, came when we went to buy some meat from the deli counter. Katy and I had discussed that we are both kind of turkey meat people so we looked for something that looked most like it and hoped for the best. Neither of us knew how to say "quarter-kilo" when we ordered the meat, so Katy said "half-kilo"... we're still eating turkey sandwiches, but thankfully, they are in fact, turkey (tacchino, aparently in Italian, for anyone who wants to know)
We spent the rest of the day wandering and exploring. We crossed the Arno river and went across the bridge to the "other side" of the city. It was a beautiful night for a long walk and ended beautifully with the sound of the 5:00 church bells calling for Mass all around us!
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