Ho fame di pizza

 Fun fact: my last semester of my undergrad, I had credits to fill so I could be considered a full-time student as I only required one or two classes to satisfy my major and minor so I filled my schedule with Spanish I, Latin I, and Italian I classes....then answered an entire Italian oral exam in Spanish. Thankfully, my Italian professor knew I was also taking other languages (my minor was actually in German Language) so she allowed me to retake it after I took a few deep breaths to mentally "switch" my brain to the correct romance language, making sure not to answer in French as I have several years of that under my belt. phew

It is truly amazing what the brain is capable of processing and in former years of language study, I've always envisioned that little toggle switch in my brain for changing languages. Mind you, I'm not proficient in the least, albeit I work on keeping up my language skills with Duolingo to keep vocabulary and grammar fresh. Your brain is a muscle and needs exercised - if you don't use it, you truly can lose it.

As such, I could sense some of my Italian coming back, picking up bits and pieces. Goodness, I love this part about traveling....bear with me and my divulgence down memory lane and logophile drive.

Ah yes - Firenza. Florence. Uffizi Gallery. The David. Piazza Della Signoria. So much art and history in this beautiful city which seemed so much less crowded than Venice, thank goodness.



Between walking tours of the gorgeous city, I popped into the Holland Chips shop for some chips and to try a Tennent's Lager by T Caledonian Brewery. Despite it being late October, the sun was shining down and a cold brew cooled me down, not to mention I was able to try another semi-localism beer hehe.

I'm glad we have a few days to catch our breaths in this easily walkable city. With all of the walking, I'm not so much worried about the sheer amount of carbs I've been consuming, although calories don't count on vacation, right? That's the rule, isn't it? Right? *nervous laugh* As long as my pants still button, we shouldn't have any issues.

Earlier, I damn near pinched myself to ensure I wasn't just dreaming this. Life feels so easy while on a trip. Having just moved into a new place at the beginning of the month, I do miss my new digs and especially my fur baby, Loki. He is being well looked after, but when one does not have any human children, the fur babies truly are family. In each daily update, I'm reassured he's being mischievous and naughty as usual so I need not worry too much about him.

This afternoon I enjoyed two brews at the JJ Cathedral Pub which is not far from the Leonardo (da Vinci) Interactive Museum and the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella: a lovely Belgian strong golden ale by La Castellana and a strong Scotch ale by Bass Brewers. When in Florence, drink diverse European brews, non?

  • Tennent's Lager by Tennent's Caledonian Brewery: a lager makes for a nice pairing with my chips
  • La Castella by La Castellana: nice & smooth at 5.5%, no complaints
  • Best Scotch by Bass Brewers: oh my, this was too smooth for a strong 9% beer
  • Martin's Pale Ale by Brewery John Martin & Brewery Timmermans: mmm mmm mmm, great taste, smooth, and not too high of a % that I can't walk straight

A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything. Third is a good beer.

Location: Florence, Metropolitan City of Florence, Italy

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