Peeping garden tourist

I went on a garden tour of Florence last week. I can’t seem to bring myself to go to a museum yet. I’m still settling in as I wander the streets of Florence with no real purpose except maybe a panino or piece of chocolate. The city is bigger than I expected and I’m looking forward to some trips to the country. It is beautiful though, and thriving. The gardens were lovely, very formal. When I scanned my pictures, I noticed that I really only took pictures of the buildings. The gardens were still green, but not blooming any longer so I found myself peeping at the homeowner's private space. Typical garden tourist. There was a festival celebrating the harvest of the grape at Piazza Piatti last Sunday night.

It was a wine tasting in tents in front of the Palazzo Piatti, which was very cool. However, I think wine tasting is definitely better with a friend. I paid 10 euro for a card with 12 tastings and a wine glass. Let me say, there was no way I could have tried 12 wines. The pours were rather large for a tasting and after 4 tastings I needed a break. I sat on the pavement in front of the palazzo and watched all the Italians and tourists indulge in some grapes. It was charming.

I have been doing my Rosetta stone every day (almost) and I’m definitely getting better. Although most Italians I meet ask me why I’m wasting my time learning Italian. They do have a point. Farsi or Mandarin would probably make more sense for business or something. But I can’t imagine spending over a month in a country and not making a sincere effort to learn the language. Plus, you never know when a professional opportunity might arise. When someone says, “I’d like to send you to Europe to …” I want to be able to say yes.

I took Spanish in school for 6 six years and prior to this trip I would have said that I don’t remember a word. However, whenever someone speaks to me in Italian, I immediately respond in Spanish, which the Italians find hilarious. I’m frustrated, but also relieved to know that my Spanish is still there.