Lesson #62 Restaurants for groups

     In Italy, it's weird to be by yourself, but if you have an odd number or more than 4 people, it is also weird. We discovered this in Florence . . . Apparently good family run restaurants can turn away your business, especially if you have 10 girls. Well, this good family-run restaurant tried to run in fear from 10 American girls who would sit 2 by 2 just to be fed. They seriously did not want our business, so when that happens, hit the streets and discover your own recommendation spots! The evil restaurant that turned us away was also apparently, only so-so. So, we wandered around Florence and found a place happy to take 10 people and feed them! We all ordered delicious red wine and amazing lasagna. The restaurant ended up being only 2 blocks away from our hotel too! If you're going to Florence, I highly recommend "Le Volpi e L'uva" (also known as "The Fox and the Grape")! It is used often by Bus2Alps groups, and has some gorgeous Italian men serving!

     So, Lesson #62: Find a place named after an animal eating grapes. Chances are, it's quite delicious and has cute Italian servers :)

Lesson #61 Pictures in museums . . .

     Taking pictures in museums can be a daunting task. Depending on the museum, gallery or church, the rules change. Sometimes having a camera out can just get some really dirty looks, other times it can get you kicked out all together. Well, when going to the Uffizzi in Florence, taking pictures of Michelangelo's David is probably the largest boo-boo you can do. The real David is inside the Galleria dell'Accademia and is heavily guarded. So, my suggestion if you are going to violate ALL the rules: take a picture the second you enter the galleria and crop it later . . . (*You can insert evil laugh here*). 

     If you are not as deviously sneaky as I am, there are two options. The first of which is going to the central piazza in Florence and taking a picture with the fake David, but it is fake . . . The second option is following the kid named David on our tour group. David wanted a picture with David, I mean who wouldn't right? But the student David was not too bright . . . He decided to try to pose next to Michelangelo's David and point . . . kind of a dead give away to the fact that he was taking a picture. So this Italian guard woman starts screaming at him, and he runs away. Now for most people that would be enough, but not for student David. Student David came back another 3 times in an attempt to get the perfect picture. Unfortunately for student David, the Italian guard woman got a bit intense and started following him around the museum yelling nasty things at him in Italian for the rest of the museum trip. The sad part of the story is, student David's camera deleted all the photos he tried to take. How's that for karma? 

     Lesson #61: Don't be like student David while sneaking pictures of forbidden museum pieces . . .

Lesson #60 Florence!

     What do you think of when you think of Florence? The worlds greatest history of art? Michelangelo's David? The prisoners? The Medici family? The famous duomo? How about ALL of those! Florence is the most amazing city, but I doubt I expected it to be THAT small. You can literally walk across Florence in less than 2 hours . . . .

Ponte Vecchio

Michelangelo's David

Michelangelo's Prisoner

Lorenzo de Medici

Florence Duomo

Florence Leather Market

     Lesson #60: Florence is AMAZING, and BEAUTIFUL, and THE PERFECT ITALIAN CITY!

Lesson #59 Transportation in other countries . . .

     Did you know the word for train in French? I DO! It's the exact same. Well, that was lucky for Kristy and I when we were stranded in Disneyland Paris and had no idea that the RER transportation was a train, not a bus . . . So in case you are travelling in Paris, the RER is a train, not a bus. Good to know . . .

     Luckily for us, I have taken 7 years of non-existent French and there was a very kind elderly french lady that helped me distinguish my right from my left and gave us directions!

     Lesson #59: Know what "train," "bus," "right," and "left" are translated into several different languages . . .

Lesson #58 I miss my pasta!

     After eating nothing but pasta for 2 months, not eating it for a week was strange . . . very very strange. During our Fall break Kali, Kristy, Laurel and I went to Paris, London and Dublin! For this excursion, we only had one rule: NO ITALIAN FOOD. Which basically meant no carbohydrates in pasta or pizza form . . . Well, I missed my carbs! We ate french onion soup, delicious Parisian sandwiches, fish and chips, burgers, the European equivalent to a burrito and of course hearty irish food!

    Unfortunately, I chose Italy for it's delicious and nutritious pasta choices :)

     So, Lesson #58: LOVE PASTA

Lesson #57 Did you know there is a train station there?

     Trastevere is one of the biggest residential neighborhoods in Rome! There is even a train station there!!!!!!! Well, we lived on Viale di Trastevere for about a month without knowing where exactly the train station is . . . Pathetic, I know. Well, it gets worse . . . When we finally found the train station we realized it was only a block away from our apartment. Yep, only ONE BLOCK! Yah . . . . knowing that probably would have helped us get to the beach in less than 3 hours . . . but what kind of adventure would that be?

     Here is the view from our apartment and the little red arrow is the train station . . . embarrassing . . .

     So, Lesson #57: Read a map and learn what's around you . . .