Lost

Today was a lost day. I was lost, and never really accomplished anything. It was even a slow day for photos. I suppose that I was up for such a day, but it just wasn't a fantastic day in Florence.

I did walk and get time to reflect on a few things. For example, I did think about photos. Florence is, of course, a veritable Kodak moment, or I guess, a Nikon or Canon moment, or a SanDisk moment. I guess I found one camera store that even sold film, but it is a digital world, and I noticed a few things. I can't believe how many people are trusting their phone to "remember" all that they saw in Florence. Really. People who have traveled from Japan and Australia and the US are simply pointing their I-phones and Droids at sights that they probably will never see again. Hmmm--not so sure I would trust my phone for that. But then again, I saw one guy taking photos with his Canon 5D, an exceptional camera worth about $3,500 while holding a gelato the size of his head. Who knows who photos will be better, the gelato head or the careful phone photographer.

I usually address fashion on one of my foreign correspondence moments. Italy, after all, is supposed to be one of the fashion capitals of the world. And it is pretty fashionable. Here is what you need to do--imagine me. Then imagine the total opposite, and you have an idea of Italian male fashion. Lots of black or tight white shirts whether they should or not, and dark jeans. The tight part of that is what is hard--I can't imagine wearing clothes as tight as they do here. But I have it easy, as compared to women. Hear the trend here first! Short, and I mean short skirts or shorts with leggings. And tight. American women of most ages would have a difficult time imagining how tight or how short. I am guessing that this won't hit St. Cloud anytime soon, if for no other reason than people would freeze to death. Actually, the more conservative dress for women is pretty classy. A white shirt, pressed and tailored, with dark slacks. Or a skirt and boots--I have seen lots and lots of boots, some for sale and many on feet. Hard to tell on the heels--this is tough terrain for high heels.

I have been starting to gather "prizes" for the home, though I am pretty careful on the shopping. I suspect that most prizes will be edible, which might not be so bad. I had to buy myself a prize today. I had bought a 10 euro smaller bag so I didn't have to carry my big camera bag, and I got what I paid for. The bag strap/buckle broke and just came apart today, tripping its owner. It wasn't like I was carrying cobblestones but the strap broke and and as it fell, I got tangled up in the strap. There were only about 300 people nearby witnessing my grace. I fell, which is a trick with a few cameras hanging from you. No visible damage to the cameras or me, though I am sore. So, I bought a new camera bag that I had been eying. Can't have too many bags.

Actually, if I could bring back prizes, I would bring back food. I love the grocery stores, and everything from pasta to chocolate to cake mixes looks like fun--I want to bring it all back. I mentioned cake mixes because I picked one up and tried to read the directions. I am kind of familiar with making a cake, but I had no clue. I think that it would be fun just to buy a few mixes of different sorts and try and make them once I was home. I wonder if I can bring them back...

I am winding down for the night. I ate from the market tonight, and had my new favorite salami, salami Tuscan, an aged cheese of some unpronounceable sort, bread (yum!) olive oil, and my new favorite condiment, balsamic vinegar. It is very different here, especially the aged balsamics and the older bottles are pricey! Say, if it is 50 years old, it costs about $150.00 for about two ounces. But even the four year stuff is pretty good, and much better than I have ever had before. On cheese, on bread, on the salty salami, or, if you are really good and don't mind a bit of a mess, all three at once with a bit of olive oil.

Tomorrow I hope to less lost, but I guess there are worse things...maybe the next movie will be "LOST under the Tuscan Sun."

Just a few photos today, and most should be self explanatory. A different shot of David, and one of his neighboring statue. Didn't they think of telephoto lenses? A great little fruit market and another cool bike.