Alle Viola!

I have just returned from the calcio partita! Through LdM, students are able to receive 5euro tickets to see Florence soccer games... and so Patee, Marielle, David, Austin and I went to see the Florence vs. Roma game downtown in our purple Florence shirts. Marielle's friend, Rob, was in town for the week too so he joined us there. It was so fun! It was also so crazy... they are so intense about their soccer teams and victories. Before the game begins, everyone pretty much stands outside on the streets "tailgating" and drinking beers until we go in. When we got inside, we noticed that two sections near the Roma section (which was blocked off with plastic walls) were empty and there were security men sitting in rows as if they were guarding the Roma section... we later found out that fights broke out when Florence fans banged on the plastic walls of the Roma section, breaking them, and assaulting Roma fans..... before the game even began! We weren't able to catch onto what everyone was saying in the cheers, but we did catch onto the phrase, "Alle viola," which means go purple! The Fiorentina section was cheering or yelling the entire time - even if we scored a goal, they weren't happy - they just kept yelling as if they were dissatisfied. Well, we won the game 4 to 1, which was unpredicted! It was a really big deal... and the Fiorentines were celebrating all the way home by chaotically driving their mopeds and honking in big mobs... it was a bit scary... but such an experience! Before the partita, Patee, Marielle, Rob and I went to Boboli Gardens because the sun came out for awhile. Usually it is 10 euro to get into Boboli Gardens, but it is free museum week so we got in for free! I don't understand why it costs money to go into a park, but whatever. We sat on the grass on our blankets under the sun and read for awhile, soaked up the sun while it was there and enjoyed a nice afternoon out there. It felt so relaxing!

On Wednesday, Patee, Marielle, Rob and I went to Rimini, a beach on the Adriatic Coast. We had been planning this trip for months because it is known as the "Italian playground" during the warm weather. Unfortunately, the weather absolutely sucked... it was actually pretty cold. We had originally planned to stay from Wednesday through Saturday, but that changed pretty quickly - we got our money back and Patee and I only stayed one night because I came down with a sinus infection. While we were there, we rode bikes that the hostel let us rent out for free... it is a beautiful little town and would be awesome during the summertime. The boardwalks are filled with playgrounds, sports, umbrellas, restaurants, bars, and other really neat stuff. We rode our bikes along the beach and to the dog park where we sat and watched the dogs, and I was wishing Fluffy was there to play too. We also rode a four-person bike, which was hilarious because there were no restrictions to it (go figure, it's Italy), so we were riding on the roads with the cars... until suddenly Patee started screaming because her purse fell off the bike onto the road..... hahahah... luckily, the car behind us had noticed it and stopped without running her purse over. It was absolutely hilarious. We also went to see sand sculptures that seemed to be entered in a contest... the sculptures were AMAZING! I have never seen art out of sand except little sand castles, and this was incredible! Rimini is truly a beautiful little town, but not much to do if there is no sun!

Speaking of weather, it is so depressing. Apparently this is the first year Italy has had weather like this during the "spring." Every single day it is droopy, dreary, rainy or cloudy and it makes us miss good 'ol North Carolina weather at this time of year. It also doesn't allow us to get out of our apartments and do anything outside like play soccer or lay by the river (which we are dying to do any day now!!). It is also making my sinuses feel horrible - I mentioned above that I had a sinus infection, which is nothing unusual to me... but I got to experience socialized medicine by going to the doctor and getting my medicine. It amazes me that there aren't any drug problems here with the easy accessibility of medicine. All the doctor did was write my prescription and I had to go to the "farmacia" to pick it up - the pharmacist took the paper, got the medicine from the back, rang it up to only 10 euro and handed me the prescription back ... which means I could go back and get it any time that I want to. It's amazing... and bad... but I do love the prices!

Jason and Elizabeth Dugas came to Florence last week and I met them for dinner at I Latini, a wonderful little authentic Italian restaurant near the river! We had a great time enjoying our five-course meal in the quaint little restaurant and it was great to see familiar American faces and hear the southern accents! :)

I have become even more addicted to Diet Coke (or "Coca Cola light") since I have gotten here. It has gotten reallllyyyyyy bad - worse than it was before I got here. I don't even want to say how much I drink per day because I will hear Mom yelling at me from across the Atlantic. Needless to say, my first purchase in the States will be a Diet Dr Pepper... and I will drink it in front of my mean sister Jill on Skype ;) . Maybe I drink it so much because it gives me a good taste of home (literally).

Allora... off to read in bed now. I have gotten addicted to the Twilight series since I have been here and am about to finish the third book. I promised myself I wouldn't read them, but oh well! They are pretty addicting and I want to know what everyone else is talking about!

Ciao Ciao!