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I'm off to the land of wine, opera, and beautiful men - all the things I love! Let's see what God has in store for me in Italy...

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

the good, the bad, and the funny

Aside from the obvious Nutella, wine, and ridiculous amounts of beautiful people and places, Italy has some quirks I think you’d all enjoy.  Though, even though I hate to admit it, there are some amenities I miss from the states.  And although I will never get used to hummers on small philly streets or a starbucks on every corner, there are a few things where I think the US has italy beat.

The good:

1.  - Bus tickets.  They are available EVERYWHERE.  Ever go through the “oh crap I’m late and don’t have a token” rush?  Don’t fret because the tobacco shop will have a bus pass, and if they don’t I’m sure the café on the corner will!

2.  - Piazzas.  My saving grace.  1. More often than not, they are beautiful.  2. In this big city, it’s the most secure way of traveling.  When in doubt, find a piazza.  I’m sure there will be some connecting bus or marker to help you find your way.

3.  - Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.  (Literally.)

The Bad:

1.  - they don’t use towels to dry off in italy.  They use terrycloth bathrobes.  Which is fine, if that’s what you’re used to.  I’ve never been a fan of the big, heavy, and sometimes itchy robe myself, so it has taken some adjustment to wander back to my room dripping wet inside a big bathrobe.

2.  - Everyone wears jackets and long sleeves in 70 degree weather.  Like a Los Angeles winter, people are dawning their scarves and mittens while I’m prancing around in a sun-dress.  I don’t care if they know I’m American, you’re not going to get me to dress like an Eskimo in this beautiful weather.

3.  - In case you didn’t know, the first floor of every building is known as the ground floor.  That means, the “second floor” in American terms, is actually the first floor.  Sound confusing?  It is.  I’ve been here three months (wow really?) and I still haven’t gotten used to it.  I keep entering elevators and exiting one floor too short.

4.  - Carpet?  I don’t think they’ve ever heard of it.  ALL floors in italy are marble, tile, or wood.   Hence my need for slippers.  Thanks mom!

5.  - Fruit silverware.  Strange, yes.  Fruit after dinner is a normal here, a thing I like for sure.  But EVERY fruit is cut with a fork and a knife.  I definitely looked like a savage grabbing an apple after dinner the first night and taking a bite. 

6.  - Bars.  Yes, there are bars/restaurants/etc.  However, try to find one that actually has a BAR where you can sit and have a drink.  Harder than you think.

TheFunny:

Ita - Italy likes to take the most god-awful television from America and turn it into an even bigger piece of crap than it is in the states.  Whether it’s Italy’s Next Top Model, or Who wants to be a Star?  Live Italian television always seems to fall short (and fall hard.)  Watch some late night television here and you will see.  It’s like a talk show spoof on SNL, except for real.  It’s bad.

 

2 comments:

Liz said...

expecting to experience all the good, bad, and funny of italy in two fast moving, short, so much to get done before hand weeks...

and then to you.

Secret Chef said...

I always enjoied the lovely sounds of big city mornings like the jack hammers and the "Hey! You Mother &*%$$%" and "Fergettaboutit".

The rosey aroma of the fish market in china town and the wonderful sound of taxi horns.

Unfortunatly for me, if I want to be a sucessful chef, the big city is where I need to be.

Its not so bad in Nashville, but the foodies arn't exactly good either.

C'est la vie.