#they where everywhere at the cantina!! and where so cute my mom tried to pet this one for some reason idk y

[theghostofwilburtheworm]

FUCKERRRR!!!!!! :DDD SILLY GUYYY SPOTED!!! (Ignore my voice)

[patimbeau]

Christmas Vacation 2017-2018, part 5

Rome day 9!

Boxing Day! … or St. Stephen’s Day! (which means everything is closed!)

Sylvain and I decided to take an easy day. Sahra and her parents went to the Vatican, I’d seen enough of it, and so we ventured around the neighbourhood. We came upon an amazing little café called “Café Gourmet”. They served us a cheese plate with some sort of dark brown honey, and what I can only describe as the best lasagna I’ve ever had in my life. It had zucchini in it and I didn’t even care.

We then jumped on the metro to go into town where we walked around the gardens of the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica. Quite a lovely place. My highlight was being able to pet a friendly stray. Made me miss my kitties quite a bit.

We then grabbed the metro back and just happened to get on the same metro as Jess and Peter, before going back to the apartment for beer, wine and dinner. Hung out with Sylvain a bit before saying good-bye. It was nice to see him.

 Rome/Tuscany – Day 10

This was a day of highs and lows.

We packed up our bags and took a taxi to the rental car dealership. Our plan was to drive to Greve in Chianti, for a four day stay.

High/Low #1 – They only had a Nissan Juke (totally fine) and what I can only describe as a black bus. A seven person van. Need I remind you that we were in Italy – land of crazy drivers and narrow roads. The bus (as it shall forever be known) was covered in dents. Shocking.

We left Rome (which was horrifying…never drive in Rome, one-way streets are merely a suggestion) and hit the highway to Greve – although not before an impromptu stop at a natural hot springs.

High/Low #2 – The hot springs were gorgeous. Milky blue water that was warm as a bath. Although we had not planned the stop at the hot springs, so we had no towels and we had not chanced. And it was pouring rain. And everything smelled of sulfur. Oh well. It was so warm… Sahra and I went up one of the rapids into a calm pool to wait for the others who had to changed…well I thought was a calm pool. Sahra got swept away into the next pool and “rescued” by an English woman and her Italian boyfriend. We chatted with them a bit – she was a yoga healer, she said. And then she stood up, and we learned she was very naked, and so was her boyfriend.  They said they weren’t nudists but invited us to also get naked, you know, for the freedom of it. I personally appreciated the layer of material between my personal areas and the rock. She decided she was cold and they left as the others joined us. After what seemed like a very long soak, we ran back to the cars, drenched and stinky (ugh, sulfur…rotten eggs). We tried to get changed as best as we could and hit the road.

High/Low #3 – driving in Tuscany is all narrow, winding roads full of hairpin turns and switchbacks, up hills and down again. The “high” was the fun company that Sahra and Peter were…the low was everything else. It was dark. It was pouring rain. The roads were bumpy. It was terrifying.

We made it. Grève in Chianti.

Then we went for dinner. For Sahra and I, it was the first real food we had seen. I had had a “vegetarian” sandwich at a gas station (two pieces of white bread, no crust, with a thin layer of salsa), and Sahra had had chips. We were famished. Luckily, La Cantina, the place we went for diner, was fantastic. Great pizza, great pasta, and hilarious server (“Which wine would you recommend?” “The one with my face on it.”)

We walked back to the hotel and after a shower (ewww..sulfur smell still!) we fell asleep.

Greve Day 11

My back was killing me. Sahra was feeling ill. We tapped out and did nothing all day.

The biggest two excursions were to the Co-Op for pasta to cook for dinner, and for a late walk after dinner. It’s a cute town.

I’m going back to bed now.

Grève - Day 12

Intense back pain again. I argued with a laundry machine then hung dry the things that had been in the “dryer”. 

Took pain meds and slept. Woke up for a few hours and played Stardew Valley (a farming simulator). Felt peckish and as the others were having a chicken dinner and Sahra wasn’t hungry, I decided to go for a walk.

Feeling uncreative, I went to the restaurant where I had been the night before : La Cantina.

I told the waiter, who spoke english, “No wine for me, I’m going to take pain meds.” So he brought me Proseco. I ordered a Robillita Tuscan soup with some bread and a light salad. It was exactly what I needed. Just hearty, healthy soup. Yum. Then I ordered an espresso - so he brought me San Vinto (desert wine) and a brownie and a small slice of pie...then the coffee. Italians, man.

I went back to the house and crashed. My back was NOT happy.

Grève/Chiocchio/Prato - Day 13

My back started feeling a bit better, so I joined Sahra and her mom on an excursion to the local market. The square had been transformed into a mix of flea market and farmer’s market. Clothes, food and tourist junk everywhere. Then came a text from Sahra’s father : we had to get back to the house immediately, we were being kicked out because of a screw up with the booking.

We rushed up and quickly packed, searched for a hotel that was available and headed out of town. We decided to stop in Chiocchio, a small town where Sahra and her family had previously been. They were welcomed with open arms, hugs all around for the family from the Italian man at Locanda Il Gallo, a lovely restaurant. What was going to be coffee turned into one of the best meals of my life : toast with roast artichoke, other toast with cheese and sundried tomato, followed by truffle topped fresh gnocchi (light as air) in a cream sauce, then crème caramel and macchiato. I was so stuffed I didn’t eat until the next morning.

We waved goodbye and went off to Florence – well Prato, the suburbs where we had booked our hotel. It was next to a mall, so we decided to go see what a mall in Florence is like. Turns out, pretty much like one in North America, except you can have beer and walk your dogs inside (so many dogs). I didn’t recognize most of the stores (except Wind mobile…so weird), and H&M which is where I lost Sahra and her sister for awhile. They booked an appointment to do their nails, so I called it an early night and headed back to the hotel to read a book and get some rest.