Drizzlies!

Here I sit, typing away…

At the moment, however, it’s not as torturous as it might seem. Today was the day we were supposed to go hiking, but after dinner last night (more on that in a moment), I just couldn’t force myself to keep working, so I was obliged to stay home and do it today. Harry went, though, and since they were meeting someplace this morning that was a bus ride away, I decided to walk him to the bus stop and grab a bit of breakfast at the same time, figuring it would be a good chance to get out. The bus stop was near the Duomo--roughly about eight or nine blocks away.

Interestingly enough, when you don’t know your way around, one picturesque street begins to look very much like every other. And one thing you don’t always learn when you grow up in Southern California is that navigating unfamiliar streets is far more difficult from under an umbrella. The umbrella, of course, was necessitated by the thunderstorm that broke, literally, the moment I left the bus stop. Probably the heaviest rain since we’ve been here, and I get lost. Argh.

I finally found my way back to the Arno, but by that time I was several blocks downriver from where I should have been, and over the walk back I had plenty of time to get thoroughly drenched. I’m not complaining, mind you--being lost in one of the world’s most beautiful cities is still pleasant, even when it’s pouring, but it certainly wasn’t something I was prepared for. Anyhow, I’m home now, and finding that listening to the thunder and the rain drumming on the roof isn’t bad, even if I have to be sitting here working.

Last night we had a welcome dinner put on by the CAPA staff, and it was easily the best meal I’ve had since I arrived in Italy. Innumerable courses of appetizers, glass after glass of really great wine, two pasta dishes as main courses (which I hardly had room for by that point), and an excellent tiramisu to finish things off. I felt as though I might explode by the time we left the restaurant. The students on this trip really seem to be a neat group, and we had a lot of fun chatting and taking pictures. One group of girls is headed to Munich for Oktoberfest at the end of this month, and if a class trip doesn’t get moved to that date it might be fun to join them. We’ll see how the schedule shapes up.

I best get back to work, but I’ll post again if anything interesting happens. By the way, I've been posting new pictures on the photography section of my website. To see them, go to www.leannepowers.com/florence.html .

Ciao!
-Leane