Football Fever

Football (aka soccer) season is starting up again in Europe and I went to see my first match of the National Championships the other day here in Florence. Italy and Slovenia played a close but somewhat boring match with Italy coming out on top 1-0. My next game is going to be a Fiorentina match which are meant to have alot more atmosphere and colour.
Unfortunately I forgot my camera, so these were taken on my phone... sorry!

 

Although I didn't get any good photos, Lorenzo's Dad was working at this game as a sports photographer and snapped a photo of us in the stand...

Ona ona ona, ma che bella rificolona...

L'è più bella la mia di quella della zia. La mia l'è co' fiocchi, la tua l'è co' pidocchi...

September 7 is the day that the little kiddies get paper lanterns on a stick, with a candle inside and walk through the city of Florence in a big parade. It's called La Festa della Rificolona and Lorenzo was saying that sadly it is a dying tradition and that it used to be a much bigger event when he was a kid.
Never the less, when I found out about this festival for children I naturally bought 2 lanterns, one for me and one for Amelia, and along with the rest of the kiddies we took to the streets of florence.

You have to be careful though, the little boys (and some evil little girls) have pea shooters and try to break your lanterns. We were targets from the beginning, but I'm happy to say we survived and our lanterns are still in tact!

GOKARTIIINNNGGG

6 minutes of practice followed by 6 minutes of qualifications followed by the 12 lap race.  I have never driven a go kart before, and I do believe  I was a little out of my league racing against 7 experienced Italian drivers. And I admit that after those first 6 minutes of practice driving, getting a feel for your kart, I may have had a few complains about holding people up on the track… but by the final race I certainly felt like I was going fast and I was right up there with the winner when the checked flag was waved (I may have been a lap behind him, but I was there all the same!). It was so much fun I really can’t wait to go again! Unfortunately I don't have any photos... but you can imagine right?!

Moving to the Country, Gonna eat a lot of Peaches.

This weekend Lorenzo and I made our way out of Toscana and into Emilia Romagna where his family have a house in the countryside. In winter it is all snowed in, so we wanted to get out there in Summer while the fruit is plentiful and the sun is shining... and it was beautiful! The house is actually the train station-house for the town Strada Casale-  a “town” with a population of around 100- and is surrounded by fruit trees, vineyards and rolling hillsides.

 

 

It was such a relaxing weekend with a walk through the hills (stopping to pick figs, plums, grapes, walnuts, apples and what we think was a cross between an apricot and a peach- yum), an afternoon at the pool, local delicacies at a nearby country festival (as well as dancing with the locals- who, I’m pretty sure, thought we were those young hooligans who didn’t know the steps) and stargazing (my first shooting star in years).

We also stopped to get some milk... One vending machine sells either plastic (20c) or glass bottles (50c) and the other machine- with the drop of a coin and the push of a button- fills your bottle with super cold, delicious fresh milk (500mL=50c, 1L= €1). I love the (technically advanced) country.

Big City Lights.

First and foremost... I'M SORRY! I know it has now been some ridiculous amount of days since my last post, and there is just no excuse that will cut the mustard. So I won't even bother...
So anyway, since my last post I have been working in the pastry section at the hotel from Monday to Friday (9am to 2.30pm) then for 2 or 3 of those days I also work at the pub from 9.30pm to 2.30am, which then means that I have the weekend free- yipeee!! Now that Simone- the head chef at Hotel Brunelleschi- is back from holidays I am exclusively in the pastry section and am finally doing the work I want to do! Breads, gelati, petit fours, creams etc etc. Simone is full of knowledge and, luckily for me, is a really good teacher so I am really enjoying my mornings there.
I don't yet have any photos of the kitchen or the Hotel or anything yet (though I should be going there for dinner on Saturday, so I'll have some soon) so I will leave you with a few photos I have taken of Florence at night with MY NEW CAMERA! (Nikon Coolpix P300- it's a light compact camera but is equipped with some great settings and (in my opinion) takes a pretty decent photo!)

 

Elba

I kinda forgot to mention that 2 weeks ago, just before I started my stage at the hotel, Lorenzo and I made a trip to Elba Island - the biggest island in the Tuscan Archipelago - for 2 days. Unfortunately most of the fist day was pouring with rain, but we made up for it by eating ourselves into near coma states with delicious fresh seafood, and by the next day the sun was out and I was able to enjoy beautiful Elba as one should.

We may have also taken a super fun train ride with the kids... you're only as old as you think you are!

Keeping Occupied.

With working at the pub, my new stage, a friend coming to visit and my school friends leaving town, this past week I have definitely been keeping busy.

My good friend Jenna, who I used to work with in Brisbane, has spent the last 3 months travelling around southeast Asia and the UK and has now made her way into Italy, so for the past week she bunked with me. We took a trip up to Fiesole, drank in some of my favourite bars and I managed to give her a quick tour of the city, but unfortunately I was working a fair chunk of her stay so she had to entertain herself. I must say that she is a must more motivated tourist than I am and I think she has now seen more touristy things in Florence than I have!! Even though it was only a week It was so nice to have a friend like Jenna come and stay and she even cooked us dinner!! Thanks JJ…

I have officially completed the first week of my stage with Hotel Brunelleschi. I am holding my opinion for now because I know that this is one of their slowest months and until the 16th of August the head chef (who I organised this whole thing with) is on holidays. So I my update is that I have survived the first week and that there is a lot less to do than I was expecting… other than that you’ll have to check back in after the 16th!