Florence, Enriched
No kidding, three Florentines have taken me under their wing. Valerio, Angelica, and Massimiliano have not only shown me around the city -- and taken me to the *good* bars -- but they're also folks kinda along the same path as I am. Meeting up with them has been like the pilgrims gathering along the road to Canterbury (complete with funny and bizarre stories). And at present, I'm even staying at Valerio's house.
This city is completely amazing. It's really and truly ancient. You can see people walking to or from their jobs, and the sidewalk is older than America. I had a truly wonderful dinner at a country house in Tuscany that was over 400 years old; lots of homemade pizzas of various kinds.
And walking around, trying to find the next museum or just some place to sit down and write, I'll look up and see the Duomo towering over the whole street: like God's own palace, with white walls and green trim, dozens of statues on its facade, and truly massive in size. The history here will jump out at you and shake you by the shoulders.
The only problem is that I'm seeing and doing so much that I haven't had too much time to reflect. I didn't get to write about the Tuscany dinner until two days later. Granted, that keeps me pretty active, but it means the little, tiny revelations I have need to stick around with me until I can set them down and actually think about them. (On the good side, this kinda separates the wheat from the chaff: the ideas that stick with me should mean a little more, I'm just worried I might miss something important).
Dad, Angelica says hello, and she would like to meet you. I've given her the two-hour explanation of our family, and the poor girl has now used perfectly good brainpower to actually memorize our names.
I love and miss you all. I'm regaining a long-lost love of poetry and song, all rekindled by Florence and the people here.
(By the way, a latté here is just milk. Milk. No coffee. I wondered why the barrista was so confused when I asked for one. Here, our latté is a macchiato, pepperoni are just peppers, and Groundskeeper Willy from The Simpsons speaks with a Sardinian accent.)
(Ah. Joe, Danny, guys... feel free to laugh. My Florentines are roleplayers.)
(Yeah yeah. Yuck it up.)
This city is completely amazing. It's really and truly ancient. You can see people walking to or from their jobs, and the sidewalk is older than America. I had a truly wonderful dinner at a country house in Tuscany that was over 400 years old; lots of homemade pizzas of various kinds.
And walking around, trying to find the next museum or just some place to sit down and write, I'll look up and see the Duomo towering over the whole street: like God's own palace, with white walls and green trim, dozens of statues on its facade, and truly massive in size. The history here will jump out at you and shake you by the shoulders.
The only problem is that I'm seeing and doing so much that I haven't had too much time to reflect. I didn't get to write about the Tuscany dinner until two days later. Granted, that keeps me pretty active, but it means the little, tiny revelations I have need to stick around with me until I can set them down and actually think about them. (On the good side, this kinda separates the wheat from the chaff: the ideas that stick with me should mean a little more, I'm just worried I might miss something important).
Dad, Angelica says hello, and she would like to meet you. I've given her the two-hour explanation of our family, and the poor girl has now used perfectly good brainpower to actually memorize our names.
I love and miss you all. I'm regaining a long-lost love of poetry and song, all rekindled by Florence and the people here.
(By the way, a latté here is just milk. Milk. No coffee. I wondered why the barrista was so confused when I asked for one. Here, our latté is a macchiato, pepperoni are just peppers, and Groundskeeper Willy from The Simpsons speaks with a Sardinian accent.)
(Ah. Joe, Danny, guys... feel free to laugh. My Florentines are roleplayers.)
(Yeah yeah. Yuck it up.)
posted by Ghostwind | 1:50 PM
11 Comments:
Dear Son,
SO glad to hear from you. I was beginning to think the world was indeed flat and that you had dropped off its face!
But alas, my worries were to no avail. You have been in Good Hands all along (and I don't mean Allstate), One Who has sent you guides for this part of the journey. My best to Angelina and the others.
"Life is so short, we must move very slowly." You are once again poised for adventure, in the right place at the right time. For one on a quest there can be no other place nor time. And when the student is ready, the teacher appears.
Love you with all my heart, child of my being. My spirit goes with you.
D
Angelica, that is!
We are taking care of him, and it's all our pleasure. ^_^
Best wishes to who misses this man.
A.
Thank you Angelica for being God's handmaiden in caring for others and for opening our eyes through your art.
Eddie, in your journey to foreign lands we all go with you. Blog soon!
"Laughter is the beginning of prayer." (Reinhold Niebuhr)
Hey dearheart! So exciting to hear your update. Poetry, art, music..... buena vida! Hello to all your new friends and my thanks also for taking good care of you. Have fun. Drink it all in. Your memories will last a lifetime. Keep in touch, please. Love and kisses. Mom
Ahh, fond memories of Florence...the art and culture so rich. Glad to hear that the "city of Renaissance" is treating you well. Remember, your journey will end and your memories will eventually start to fade, but the lessons learned will last a lifetime. Be well. Be safe. You're in our thoughts.
Happy travels!
- Craig and Sarah
Great, now I have to find out what a sardinian accent sounds like.
Seriously, I'm glad to hear you are enjoying Florence. It's cool that your new friends are gamers, and I hope they are helping you make some really good knowledge (religion) and knowledge (history) rolls.
I like your idea about little revelations being refined by having to wait a while to reflect on them. This seems like the type of journey that you won't be able fully to understand until you can look back over it in its entirety.
Good luck, and keep enjoying yourself!
Dear Eddie,
Anxiously awaiting your next entry, the saga of your adventures.Still in Florence? If yes, give my email to Angelica, since she has a comupter.
All is well here. We prepare for your Grandms's 76th birthday end of this month.
Love you!
D
Still in Florence, by the hospitality of my Graces. I'll write more at a later time. Given Angelica your email, Dad.
Ah... and I've seen David... the... giant... David. He's something otherworldly.
Glad to hear you are enjoying Florence man! Sounds like a truely amazing place.
As cliche as it sounds, don't forget to stop and smell the roses. I'm sure it's hard to sit still there, I know how you love to absorb everything. But I wouldn't worry, even as roses go, you will smell the most fragrent ones you find longer, you will also reflect on those experiences that are more meaningful to you.
Go with what you feel, go with your gut, you'll find what you are looking for.
Well Louisville misses you, I'm sure Cafe 360 it's not the same with a piece of it's background missing. They must be saving a bundle on coffee though...
Take care brother, hope to read more soon.
-Joe
PS - If Angelica has any cute friends in need of a green card you know who to send them too ;)
Hopefully when the time comes I can walk near your paths and see something you did. There is a strange sense to following other explorers. Until then the words will suffice as these are our letters home.
On Gamers: We can smell our own. Remember that Harley and Jacqui were invited to a LARP while they were in Scotland.
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