Some Random Thoughts VI

1. All over Rome you’ll find fountains through which fresh, drinkable water is constantly flowing. Many people drink from these freely, and others even use them to wash up for the day!

2. I haven’t driven since January, and I don’t miss my car one bit!

3. But now I must fess up. My Italian was far better back in December, when I had been attending Italian class five days a week, than it is now that I’m living in Florence. You see, there’s just not much opportunity to speak Italian here, even if you try. Everyone seems to speak (and wants to speak) English. I know Franco, my Italian teacher, will be very upset with me!

4. One thing you must learn when visiting food markets and shops in Italy is that you should never, never touch the products, especially fresh foods. When you want to buy something, you politely tell the proprietor what you want and how much of it, and he or she will get it for you. And here, just in case, a sign has been placed on a stand in Venice as a reminder. It appears that only tourists make this faux pas!

5. In Heidelberg, restaurant owners have a unique way of keeping their outside dining areas open, even when it’s cold outside. They simply hang thick wool blankets over the backs of chairs to encourage customers to wrap up and settle in. And it works!

6. My apartment in Florence backs up to a courtyard, around which are other apartment buildings. Directly across from me is an apartment with four young girls, all studying fashion design. So here’s what I’ve noticed: almost every night, as I’m getting ready to go to bed, I look across the courtyard and notice that they’re just getting ready to go out. Boy, if that doesn’t make you feel old…

7. At the same time, the last two times I’ve reloaded my Internet Train card, I’ve been charged the student price (for age 26 or younger), even though I was fully prepared to pay the “adult” price. Boy, I love the Internet Train!