Journal Entry: Raining on my Parade & Get Out of My Face

It is raining pretty hard now. It was drizzling earlier, and if you stick to the side of the buildings you won’t get very wet. I put on my packaway jacket to go get dinner. I decided to eat a pizza just this once, since I am in Italy. I asked the guy at the front desk where the best pizza was and he told me, a place called “Pizza Man.” I got the “Napoli.” It had sardines on it, which was a surprise. I thought the menu had said anchovies, but perhaps their English is a bit mixed up (or mine is!). [LOL I was so tired, I was thinking olives, which is not the same at all.] I really liked it although it was nearly cold by the time I got it back to the hostel, what with the cold rain and all. I heated up two slices in the toaster oven. This hostel does have a nice kitchen. I don’t think they’re supposed to be able to have one, but maybe because there is no stove it doesn’t count. 

 

Pizza and a Birra Moretti

Hopefully I’ll sleep better tonight, as I have an extra blanket for my feet. If the rain keeps up, I may have to either buy an umbrella (not from the street sellers!) (one of which I said “basta!” to tonight because I was sick of having them step in front of me and shove an umbrella in my face)** or take a cab to the train station. That would be an interesting ride. I think an umbrella would be cheaper. My pack is water resistant, but not water-proof.

I bought Jan a scarf from a merchant’s stall. I hope she likes it. It sounds like what she was looking for.

I am already toastier with my extra blanket. The desk guy and I were talking about down comforters while he was fetching me a blanket. He didn’t know what they were called in English. I told him I sleep with one year round. He said he’d just put his away and it had turned cold again. It is very cold here compared to Texas, and colder than Naples too. I hope the change in weather doesn’t give me a cold! 

If it’s not raining in the morning, I am going to go to a market that takes place on one of the squares, almost between here and the train station. Also, I will have American Breakfast! 

**The umbrella sellers were the most obnoxious part of this trip. These were the same people selling fake purses (which are ILLEGAL), and the second it started raining, the purses would disappear, and the umbrellas would come out. Except,  they didn't keep the umbrellas on the ground like the purses. No, they would step out into your path and shove the umbrella nearly into your face and keep saying 'brello, brello, brello' while trying to follow you as you attempted to avoid running into them. Absolutely annoying. They were all over Florence and Pisa, and I would think twice before going back to either because of them.