Florence

-
Well, after a long trip I safely made it to Florence. I had a little hiccup at Rome station which I think was partly related to the fact that my brain wasn't functioning after 28 hours of travelling and not much sleep. But I'm finding that being mum to 5 has proven to make me a much better and braver traveller than I was in a pre child life. I was most certainly not an intrepid traveller so for me to do this trip on my own is quite a feat.

 

However, I just don't feel so worried about looking silly (been there done that with many a tantruming toddler at the shops) and keener to just get on with things. Even had a man at the station ask me for help in very fast Italian! Made me laugh.

 

Staying with my friends who have 4 kids pretty similar ages to my own kids is fun and they are thrilled to have an available adult for chats, games and just attention in general. And it's nice to have the time to do that. Helped out with some babysitting last night when parent teacher interviews were on at two schools at the same time. Got to take some of the kids to school yesterday (met some of the school mums at pick up time), visit their local pizzeria at dinner time, go to the supermarket. All the stuff of life that I find fascinating about a new place.

However, have been a good tourist and went out with my friend yesterday and had fun looking at some beautiful shops on the Ponte Vecchio. Actually ALL the shops are full of beautiful things. It was very cold (about 2 degrees) so my nose is looking a little rosy (& I'm also looking a bit weary, which I am). I'm not much of a shopper but the shops are truly quite fun to look at.

 

Today I went for a walk on my own and it was gloriously sunny afternoon. Had frost on the windscreen this morning and a -3 degree start to the day so it was warmer than I'd expected. I just wandered off and thought I'd see what I could find. Found myself looking at the Duomo in the distance and followed the streets until I got there. Even made my way home safely. Not many tourists around this time of the year so quite pleasant.

 

 

 

Looking forward to meeting some of the Italian students tomorrow night (not that I will have a clue what they are talking about, but smiling a lot is my main strategy at the moment!).

 

Comments

Kath said…
How exciting. It looks like great fun. Enjoy!
December 12, 2012 at 9:55 PM
Meredith said…
Isn't Florence beautiful. I have fond memories of drinking very delicious hot chocolotes WITH cream in the Duomo piazza. Enjoy yourself. And so glad you can be such an encouragement to your friends there.
December 13, 2012 at 4:21 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Confessions of an earl grey addict

-
Image
I have to confess in this public forum that I'm addicted to earl grey tea. I used to like the expensive stuff (Twinings) but because I drink so much of it, over the years I've had to buy the home brand version because I couldn't afford to sustain my habit. On Monday mornings I'd go to playgroup and have a cup of tea.  But one wasn't enough.  I'd have to go back for another. I'd visit a friend and enjoy the first cuppa.  But start to wonder if it too rude to ask for another, an hour into our visit. I don't have milk or sugar with it.  That just wrecks the purity of the experience.  I would branch out sometimes and enjoy Lady Grey or French Earl Grey for a treat.  But for everyday purposes my friend was the 'Earl'. But two weeks ago I went cold turkey.  I just decided that it was time to break the habit.  I have entered the world of herbal teas with all its strange flavours.  Peppermint (toothpaste dissolved in hot water).  Camom...
Read more

Going grey at 40

-
Image
I have written about this before , but after broaching the subject on facebook a few weeks ago I've been thinking a lot about the whole colouring your hair deal.  On facebook I asked when having natural coloured hair was going to become trendy like other old fashioned things like quilting and growing your veges?  I am quite tired of how time consuming colouring my hair is and how expensive it is. A very interesting conversation resulted with a huge variety of opinions.  Many of the women said they would be going natural, but of course they aren't gray now (and are my age) so I don't think that really counts.  Until you ACTUALLY start going seriously gray/white you can't see how it impacts on the way you look.  I think it is different to be almost white (like myself) at age 40 and agreeing in principle to going natural when it happens to you in the future (when you will be a lot older than I am now!). Just quietly, I'll believe it when I see it (let me thr...
Read more

Why I won't home school (if I don't have to)

-
Image
Occasionally I get asked what I think about home schooling.  Let me say from the outset that I'm not against it at all.  I was actually homeschooled for Year 3 because I wasn't coping with the local Indian school and I wasn't old enough for boarding school.  I have lots of friends who do it - some out of necessity (eg. missionary friends in remote places with no options) or out of choice (because their child doesn't cope with the mainstream school system).   So I'm fine with the whole concept. I have great admiration for families that choose to provide that education for their kids.  It is hard work and a significant drain on time and emotional energy (usually for the mum).  I also think that it can be a great gift for children who would otherwise get lost in a conventional educational institution. But why wouldn't I do it?  Partly because I did homeschooling myself and found it quite lonely.  I missed the social interaction of school a...
Read more