Postcards and Address

Buon Giorno Blogger Readers,

It is a bit cloudy and murky outside today...

Outside my Kitchen Window

It is the first day of March and my third month outside the USA ( January, I was only gone for a couple of days... haha)... I've finally figured out my side of town and can navigate most of the Historical Center of Florence, but I always carry a map of the city in my back pocket. Why? Well, the third night of living here, I was lost and straggled outside the center of the city, where graffiti and nicely dressed ladies waited on the street corners. I am not jumping to conclusions on their profession, but it was late, and the environment was foreign... So your mind begins to play tricks on you, and the little kid down the street suddenly looks like a thug that will shank you, and all the stories you hear about getting robbed, suddenly creep out from the back of your mind.

Okay, so it wasn't that bad. haha.

I found my way back, but still, it was intense... So maps are critical! Just a basic one could make a huge difference. They are about a Euro... Just get one!

The good thing though, is that the parties and the Italians that go to them stay out late. Most clubs and pubs, for example, do not really open their doors until 11, and people don't show up til about 1:00 or 2:00 am then close at 5:00. And that goes the same with some of the small little cafes and restaurants.

The weekends here bring on a new set of tourists, and just like me, they'll have their large maps and frazzled looks on their faces as they wander in the wrong direction. People from all of the world come here and its interesting to see what they came for. I met a bunch of Americans from "Philly" as they called it, and helped them find their way to a point across the city... I think that was the moment when I felt a little more... at home...where I am. If that makes sense!

Today, even though I've written a bunch of postcards, I haven't mailed any yet, because I couldn't find the stamps! But now I have them. So in about two weeks, you should receive a letter from me!

Yours might be here!

: )

And if you want to write me:

Alex Twomey
c/o AIFS
CLI Dante Alighieri
Piazza della Repubblica, 5
...50123 Florence
Italy


Ciao for now! :D