19 ottobre 2005
the day-to-day in Florence
There's not a lot of space to run in Florence. The sidewalks are too narrow and the streets are too crowded, plus there are few parks or green spaces in the historic center. So I usually run along the river, just 2 blocks from my apartment. I run this route where I cross over a series of 5 bridges, back and forth from one side of the river to the other. It's not so bad, but it's getting monotonous.
Almost every day I ride to school on my Danish-style cruiser with a bell and basket. I need to post a picture, it's so cute!! I am so adept at biking now that I can ride in the dark, in the pouring rain, holding my umbrella in my left hand, and steering the bike and braking with my right!
Our "campus" consists of 3 buildings with a garden in between. Our studios are in a separate building 3 blocks away. Every day I am at school I end up having 2-3 caffelatte's from Bar Elia, inside the main building. The woman who runs it, Elia, refuses to speak any English, and knows me by my first name. She also knows I study architecture and that I am very busy.
My roommate, Katherine, and I eat dinner at home together almost every night. We also, without fail, go out for gelato afterward. We try not to repeat places, but of course we have discovered some favorites. Mine is the caffe-chocolata di noir combination at Grom. Heaven.
yikes. not a favorite.
Florence gets cold in the fall. I didn't really expect that, I guess. It also rains a lot, and when it rains, instead of smelling fresh and clean, everything seems to reek of garbage and animal waste. It's pretty awful.
My studio professor, Nieves Mestre, calls Florence a city caught between being a Renaissance theme-park and a department store for Italian style and taste. I tend to agree. The magic of Florence wears off pretty fast.
I finished Italian class today, so now I only have 2 classes and all my mornings free. I have a museum pass I haven't taken full advantage of yet, so I'm hoping to use that extra time for a little museum perusal and a little more Florence culture.
This week hits the halfway point of my time here in Italy. In two months I will be back home, wondering how time flew by so quickly. How does this always happen?
Almost every day I ride to school on my Danish-style cruiser with a bell and basket. I need to post a picture, it's so cute!! I am so adept at biking now that I can ride in the dark, in the pouring rain, holding my umbrella in my left hand, and steering the bike and braking with my right!
Our "campus" consists of 3 buildings with a garden in between. Our studios are in a separate building 3 blocks away. Every day I am at school I end up having 2-3 caffelatte's from Bar Elia, inside the main building. The woman who runs it, Elia, refuses to speak any English, and knows me by my first name. She also knows I study architecture and that I am very busy.
My roommate, Katherine, and I eat dinner at home together almost every night. We also, without fail, go out for gelato afterward. We try not to repeat places, but of course we have discovered some favorites. Mine is the caffe-chocolata di noir combination at Grom. Heaven.
yikes. not a favorite.
Florence gets cold in the fall. I didn't really expect that, I guess. It also rains a lot, and when it rains, instead of smelling fresh and clean, everything seems to reek of garbage and animal waste. It's pretty awful.
My studio professor, Nieves Mestre, calls Florence a city caught between being a Renaissance theme-park and a department store for Italian style and taste. I tend to agree. The magic of Florence wears off pretty fast.
I finished Italian class today, so now I only have 2 classes and all my mornings free. I have a museum pass I haven't taken full advantage of yet, so I'm hoping to use that extra time for a little museum perusal and a little more Florence culture.
This week hits the halfway point of my time here in Italy. In two months I will be back home, wondering how time flew by so quickly. How does this always happen?
# posted by dena @ 9:41 PM 
