More culinary experiences to talk about from Italy. On Saturday night we went to a Chinese restaurant. I know, how come I'm not getting more Italian food? Because I can't eat another panini. I wouldn't mind if I never eat another ham and cheese panini again in my life. The Chinese food was pretty good, though not as good as the place in Rome. Oh well. Yesterday evening another group of us took the bus up to Fiesole to check out the sights and grab a bite to eat at a highly recommended restaurant. The views were stunning, although it was slightly overcast which meant that the pictures didn't come out perfectly. But dinner was good. I got another fillet, this one wrapped in bacon and covered with some sort of grape flavored sauce. It was really good, much better than the other steaks I've had. So, the beef here isn't all bad after all. Anyway, here's some pics from my trip up to Fiesole.
I almost forgot: yesterday afternoon I visited the Tempio Maggiore di Firenze, the Great Synagogue of Florence. This synagogue is one of the oldest in all of Italy and was finished in 1882. You have to remember that Italy is predominantly Catholic and the Jews were repressed here for centuries. They don't let you take cameras or any metal objects onto the grounds, so I wasn't able to snap any pictures of the inside. But if you click on the link at the beginning of the paragraph, you can read more about the history of the synagogue and see some additional pictures. One of the more interesting facts about the synagogue is that during World War II the Nazis occupied the building and used it as a garage and supply depot. There are still bayonet marks on the Holy Ark, where the Torah scrolls are kept. Also, in 1966 the building was flooded and over 90 Torah scrolls were destroyed. Inside the building you can still see the marks on the walls indicating the water level and it was close to five or six feet high.
After getting back from Fiesole last night we joined up with another group heading out to a club called Twice. We enjoyed a nice walk to get there; well, it was nice because we were enjoying some Tuscan wine on the walk. Anyway, about thirty minutes after our departure we arrived. This club was pretty swank inside, but the price of drinks was about the only thing that reflected this at 8 euros for a mixed drink (about $12). The first thing I noticed about Twice is that it was missing perhaps the most essential element of a dance club: bass. I'm not sure if the subwoofers were broken or what the deal was, but the dance music consisted of mid-range and treble only. No bass. Let me tell you, It's awfully hard to shake your ass without a bass line. The other thing I noticed, but that I wasn't astonished by was that our group and a few other Americans were the only ones dancing. The Italians were just standing around on the dance floor. Shake your groove thang damnit! Ugh... At least we were having fun and I enjoyed myself. I just wish they had some bass.
Okay, I gotta go throw my laundry in the wash and I probably should start studying for my exams coming up this Friday. How horrible does that sound? Exams? I think they should just pass me for coming to class every day and staying awake (for the most part). I have three exams: two 2 hour exams and one 1 hour exam. Wait, here's the best part: they're back-to-back-to-back like Tom Emanski's AAU champions. It's gonna be terrible. I thought the summer was supposed to be for relaxing, not for examining...
Ciao!
1 comment:
Bravo Mr. Gelato. Alittle history lesson woven into your blog! I wish I could picture where the synagogue was in relation to the areas of Florence that I strolled about! It is big enough and noticeable that it must have been well away from areas that I visited during my short stays!
Good luck with exams and completing your laundry!
We are checking on the condition of local golf courses and would like to inform you that they are doing quite well probably as a result of the copious rain and milder than normal temperatures.
Ciao.
Pedro
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