No Internet = Long Blog Post

Hi.  I haven’t had Internet since Tuesday morning on account of moving into our new place.

So let’s start there.

THE NEW PLACE

We were staying in a dorm-style apartment temporarily last week until Ged and I could move into our more permanent place in Florence on June 1.  The new place is north of the center of the city and right next to a tasty vegan/vegetarian restaurant called “Il Vegetariano.” 

Let me be straight up with you:  We’re living in a freaking historical monument.  It’s called the Palazzo Pandolfini and it’s actually listed as an historic building on one of my maps.  It has its own Web site.

We’re all the way up at the top in an attic-like room.  Getting there is quite the task. 

I have four different keys for four different doors.  Let’s just say I feel safe inside this 500-year-old fortress.

Let me take you through a step-by-step process of how to get to my apartment.

Giant front door:

Another big wooden door:

And a glass door behind that, which leads to a room with antique paintings and furniture:

Walk to the teeny-tiny elevator and press "2":

Go up some stairs (I've tripped a few times on these because it gets really dark in here):

Go up some more stairs:

And you're in!  This is the living room.

Kitchen table with bedroom behind the arches:

Bike by the door:

This place is definitely the most unique place I've ever stayed in, and it's cute in it's own way.

The only problem is the kitchen/lack of kitchen.  There's no oven and the stove is something I would take with me on a camping trip.

TUESDAY

I had a delicious lunch at "Il Vegetariano."  Some sort of seitan concoction with yellow rice and a mixed salad.  Yum.

And then I tried to ride Ged’s “Lunchtime Ride” but ended up getting lost for an hour and a half.  A nice Italian man tried to help me with directions when I was stopped on a corner looking dazed and confused, but he only spoke Italian, and alas, I don’t.  I kept trying to tell him that I didn’t understand but he kept going with a big smile and eccentric hand gestures.  I listened anyway and then pedaled away when he was done.  I eventually found my way back.

Dr. Pandolfini, the man who owns our building and lives there as well, caught me with my bicycle in the building and told me that I can’t bring it in anymore.  He said the floors I was wheeling my bike over were too old and delicate for bicycles.  Looks like we’ll be storing our bikes in Ged’s car, and I’ll just have to take off the wheel when I put it away.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday was wet.  I went for a walk in search of a large supermarket and then the heavens opened up and soaked the streets.  I stood in someone’s doorway for 30 minutes while the rain poured and people skipped over puddles. 

I ended up staying inside most of the day and started watching Ged’s collection of “Rescue Me” DVDs.  It’s a pretty good show.

We headed to the MUV Music Festival in Cascine Park.  Basically, it was like this:  Throbbing bass, neon-colored lights, three cups of wine, funky dance moves.  It took place in a mini-colosseum.  Quite cool.

I'm not exactly sure what happened to the lighting in this next.  I think a spotlight just happened to shine on us when I snapped the photo.  Regardless, we look pretty cool.  Especially Ged.

AND FINALLY, TODAY

Today is wet as well.  I just got back from an indoor produce market.  There was A LOT of meat, and I was definitely grossed out by the slabs of bloody ribs hanging everywhere.  But the fruit and veggies were good.  I didn’t take any pictures because my camera’s battery is dead.

I managed to pick up:

• strawberries
• bananas
• oranges
• Fuji apples (my fav)
• sundried tomatoes
• sultanas
• almonds
• cashews
• walnuts

I might have splurged a little...

Lunch was another delicious experience at Il Vegetariano.  Tasty bean and lentil dish with sesame carrots, yellow rice and salad.

**BERLIN PROJECT UPDATE

I just found out that my professor has made a rough draft of the Web site showcasing all of the student projects from the Berlin photojournalism study abroad trip I did a couple weeks back.

Here's the Web site

My project is the one labeled "London-born musician looks to become grounded in Berlin."