May I please introduce Katrina

My wonderful wife has decided to post an entry in my stead. I find it difficult to write about the mundane details of daily life, so I will permit her to do so instead.

Buona Sera! Mi chiamo Katrina. Since my husband has not updated his blog in awhile, I decided to take matters into my own hands, and when he sees how awful my attempt is, he will realize to never let me touch his blog again. Like when washing dishes you accidentally break a few so that you won’t be asked to do them in the future.

I am here to give an update to what we have been up to. Our typical day is pretty relaxed… wake up around 9 or 10- have make some café (espresso) with latte (milk), head to the market to buy food for lunch and dinner — buy prosciutto, provolone and focaccia for lunch — and consider buying various meats for dinner until you give up and just buy sausage because it is easier to count the number than figuring how many kilograms of meat to to get — then to the outside portion for vegetables, each vendor having their own way of doing things, and always the two-toothed old man chasing you with a large knife with a small piece of mozzarella on the end as a free taste.

No market trip is complete without our stopping by the wine shop (Baccas Nudo) and have them fill ‘er up. They have large jugs of various wine along the wall and you pick your variety, give them your bottle, and they fill it, cork up, and charge you €2 — can’t beat that deal! Then we go home for lunch or stop somewhere for pizza, Chris works, I read.

About threeish we usually hit the town, wandering around piazzas, exploring outside the center of the city, or going to Piazza Santa Croce to people watch — kids playing football (soccer), mothers taking children out for walks, and teenagers hanging out with a Frisbee, soccer ball, or maybe even an accordion. Then its home for dinner and a bottle of wine.

Afterwards perhaps gellato and a walk to Piazza Republica to see the street performers play an up beat tune that involves abusing an acoustic bass, or a Charlie Chaplin like man who draws a crowd by teasing his volunteers and making a child do obscene hand gestures — always funny 🙂 Then back home to bed, to do it all over again. Yeah, its a rough life.

We have broken out of the routine by visiting Fiesole — a hill-town that overlooks Florence with museums and an extensive array of hiking trails — or going out to dinner at a place that is next door- incredibly cheap, but I am confident it is run by “the Family” if you know what I mean, but I can live with a little Don for €3 tortellini. (As a side note to Mom, I hope this satisfies your blog craving, I will be sure to write again soon!)

Below are a few selected pictures there are so many Sante Croce ones because we spend a lot of time there — it is only 3 blocks south.

A sample from the Market.

Hanging in the piazza on a lovely day.

From the hike in Fiosole along the Etruscan walls.

Countryside in Florence.

Ahhhh…Firenze