So I arrived at my new home, its on the ground floor, really spacious, ceilings about 12 foot high, and a bed i can almost lie widthways in, i'm in heaven...
There's also a little courtyard, surrounded by the balconies of other flats, so there is constantly the noise of crockery being washed, food being eaten, kids playing with a game that sings baa baa black sheep in english.. and a constant background singing of italian, wafting over me, mostly lulling me to sleep... i've been sleeping about 10 hours a night, with a good two hour nap in the day time. My room, when the shutters go down, is like a cell. Its very conducive to sleep...
So Day 1 i went to a little fruit market over the way, i realise pretty sharpish how bad my italian is, but manage to buy myself an apple and a plant.. (i was pretty tired)
Later on we took a walk to central makret, about 15 minutes walk away, every possible fruit, vegetable, meat, cheese, fish on offer. It was too much, i was literally overwhelmed, and i couldn't even buy anything, there was too much choice, i was like a kid in a candy store, but too much. I realised that my decisive powers are the first to go when i am tired, so i trudged home, and took a nap for three hours :)
Day 2, early trip to market, the second biggest after central market, and i am determined to try some florentine stuff, being a local and all that..
On the way to the market we pass a florentine delicacy, panino di lambredotto, cow stomach sandwich... i was tempted, but i wasn't sure i wanted it to be the first thing in my stomach... So we wandered the market, i bought honey, bee pollen, porcini mushrooms, fresh pasta, biscotti, loads of fruit and some little sweet things. So with a slightly full stomach we amble past the stomach sandwich man, and i jump in and grab one, crusty batch, with boiled cow's stomach, loads of salt pepper and a chilli sauce, and the top of the bread dipped in the water.... You know? surprisingly nice, a little hard to stomach (!) the whole thing, but i would definitely have it again. Home for another nap (obviously) and then wake up to make some dinner, fresh pasta, fried porcini mushrooms, and pecorino on top. Fresh porcini literally melt when cooked, even though the stalks took longer to cook, it was still amazing, i felt proud...
Day 3 lazy day reading lots of asterix in italian, trying to learn enough to have an intelligent conversation at a bbq next saturday, Graham, the guy i work with, keeps laughing at my notorious napping ability. I went for a ride around Florence and had my first ice cream, i had fragola (strawberry) pretty phenomenal.
I also pottered down to see my first view of the river, and its little grassy knoll, with lots of leathery italians sunbathing in speedos. Only in Italy...
Graham doesn't go to bed till about 11:30 so i have usually fallen asleep when i have to help him to bed with the nurse/carer szofie from hungary. So every time they call me i am usually fairly bleary eyed...but at least he gets to chuckle at me before bed..
So i am yet to have my first pizza, and i have been told of a florentine steak that is the best thing i will ever eat apparently, i had been thinking when i was in france, that i might go veggie, i still might, but not jsut yet....
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