I had to take an hour long nap today just to have the energy to get this blog post in before the rest of the week overwhelms me. Looks like I will have to post more often or run the risk of letting these gems get away from me...and you!
First, Thanks to those who have commented and or sent an email to say hi, you know how you are. Cant tell you how nice it is to get some info from the motherland, in my own language, that is not an online news feed about militia and cia killings...blah! I just wana have a good timeAnd speaking of good times, here is a re-cap of last weekends shenanigans, a little exploring, a little drinking and experiencing L'cultura Italiano, and some working without enough sleep to sustain a modicum of self-respect through the day (and Im talking about James there...Kidding.)
Saturday James and I got up late and sat around in the sun before trekking to Santa Marina with Jonathan and Elisa, the other two housemates who work and live at La Fattoria. They were picking up bikes that turned out to be stolen - BUMMER! and I got my first chance behind the wheel. Quite fun in the little Panda. We then went to Faenza, the nearest town, for Aperativo (happy hour) where we sipped some amazing and cheap local wines and a drink called Spritz. Sounds gay I know, and it totally would not be a masculine beverage in the states, so Im having one every time I go out - Im on a mission for the best Spritz in Romangna (our region) while Im here.
This is Jonathan and Eliza settling a bet over how many centiliters is in a classic "media" the half-beer, cause beers come in three sizes! You can see on Jonathan's face that it was a tie...both 40 AND 50 centiliters - depending on where you are and who your bartender was. Ours for the night was a big bear with a long goatee and he pours 50's. We will be going there for halfs.
...outside the aperetivo bar... 
...inside, and yes you can stand in the street with your drink and pay when you are done so try to remember what you had.We then ventured to a place for dinner where the room is smokey sweet with the smell of grilled meats of all kinds cooked perfect on local hardwood coals. The menu is in the local dialect and portions are classicly Italian, you order meat, you get served meat - probably the best turkey Ive ever eaten, bonus that it was sliced off a sword!
We then went to a cool after-hours speak easy of an art and music space in the village called Lugo. After 10 years in SF I can attest to this being the coolest insider thing I have ever done anywhere. Unfortunately the camera quit so I have no pictures of the metal noise band playing pieces of plastic and cymbols with pick-ups taped to them over the extreme static feedback, or any pictures of the kid who made his own cello out of a cattle skull! Really cool shit! We hit the late night bakery that opens its doors in the middle of the night to make a killing selling treats, both sweet and savory, to drunk kids from miles around and headed home to get a tiny bit of sleep before our time change and the long trip to Fierenza (Florence) then next morning.
SUNDAY - Part of our job here is to deliver bikes by train or van to customers who have paid to rent bikes from us for extended periods of time. Last weekend we got to experience our first delivery, a tandem delivery to Fierenze by train. I elected to ride the tandem to town solo, which elicited strange stares from roadies along the way, and James took the Panda so we could get home after. No one mentioned that Tandems dont fit well on the regional trains and so we rode with it in a noisy compartment meant for luggage...or cattle. No matter we had the area to ourselves and could admire the view and open windows without rustling anyone's hair. BELISIMO!
these were taken from the train.We made it fine, and waited for the brits to pick up their bike, got them styled out with a custom fit, pedals and seats swapped with the stuff they brought and set out to explore Fierenze on foot...with tourist backpacks...on about 4 hours of sleep...on palm sunday in a catholic nation. Needless to say we didnt get very far before we dove into some overpriced food and set out to find a place to nap in the afternoon sun and people watch. We did bump into some amazing monuments along the way though, kinda hard not to!
I heard someone call this La Domo, and James and I made Domo Arregato Mr Roboto jokes for the next 20 minutes in shitty Italian accents. That is a full size bus, still 2 big blocks away. The Domo is HUGE! We walked around slack-jawed at the ancient beauty...
Untill James had a close call with a giant marble penis shown in the background of this picture! Close one buddy!
Feel free to make this amazing work of photography your new screen saver, and you can thank me for cutting out the olive branch touting hordes of people. It was seriously a line around the block to get in the joint, and since James and I could not collectively think of a single thing between the two of us we should confess - we stayed on the outside.
James again with the quote of the day, exhausted from a 4 hour nap, a little hung over, and unwilling to admit that he was probably hungry AGAIN! - "We should Huck Fin this shit." Very matter-of-fact, and very very true, save for the 3 meter waterfall just down stream.We made it back on a crowded train, I fell asleep with my head in my hands and awoke to a puddle of drool on the floor, we get back to the Panda just to find we somehow lost the keys during the day. L'CRAPA!! Our boss came and drove us to the Farm and we slept late the next morning!
All in all quite an adventure and some beautiful sights. Note to self...get some sleep, travel early, avoid the days when there are play-off football matches involving the region you are traveling in, and dont take a tandem unless you absolutely have to.
S.
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