Firenze di Notte

Today was quite a long day; in class we had a quiz (that fortunately I don't think I failed contrary to my opinions last night). And unlike UNC, when we finished our quiz, we did not hand it in and walk out of the doors kissing the sorry test goodbye... no. we still had three and a half hours of class left. To get me through the second half I decided to try my first "italian espresso" let's be real though, it was from a vending machine and had less flavor than Ferris Bueller's teacher. (You know you liked that comparison...) Anywho, Kaitlin and I had smiles on our faces when Irene, our favorite teacher, walked into the room and said we were learning about cinema today rather than passato prossimo. We began to was La Vita E' Bella (Life is Beautiful) when of course the sound stopped working. Much to our surprise Irene continued to play the movie--- with us reading the sottotitoli. We had the assistant teacher stopping and playing the movie so we had enough time to even read what was being said.

Finally class was over, and I rushed back home to cook lunch and skype with my dad and then mom. It had been a few days since I had talked to them, so it was really nice to catch up! Afterwards it had already gotten to 3:00 pm...where did this day go? I journaled some and tried to plan more of my Spring Break and other weekend excursions. Not the greatest at planning, I decided to leave the train and airline websites behind to go watch the sunset at Palazzo Michelangelo. I was happy to see Anna at the door, and to hear she wanted to come too. We packed up our cameras and headed out trying to beat the sun there. We made it just in time and the setting sun allowed some incredible photographs to be taken even by an amateur like me. We ended up staying outside for almost two hours and when I got home I found that I had taken over 200 pictures! But it was worth it for the few gems that I found. It was really nice getting outside and exploring a little because classes and cultural activities didn't leave me much time to do it this week. As we were walking up to the Palazzo, we realized how warm it had become as the clouds were departing from the sky and the birds were chirping. It felt and sounded like spring was on its way! (I guess it's still January though...) Either way it made for a perfect evening.


The night just got better when we all went to a Pizzeria near the Ponte Vecchio. I went on a limb and ordered the ravioli stuffed with pear and cheese. Creamy or cheesy sauces are usually not my pastas of choice but I had to try it because of the pear. It was delicious! (And incredibly filling) But overall I was happy with my choice. And the bread we had there was the best I had tasted so far since I have gotten here. It felt like pound cake it was so soft. Using what we learned from Marco earlier in the week, my side of the table went with a white wine--- because we all had light colored meals. Match the color of your wine to the color of your food. Thanks Marco! We ended the meal with lots of laughs, and a few snorts as well... It was a great night filled with good food, good company, and great views.

Tomorrow the apartment is off to Pisa (and hopefully Lucca!!) I'm excited to finally get out to the beautiful countryside of Italy and for a little change of scenery! Until tomorrow, goodnight i miei amici!