Being an uber tourist...

My mom and brother left italy today. It was so much fun having them here and we had such an amazing time. I hadn't seen my brother Michael since he left for college last August, but we seemed to pick up where we'd left off. Wandering the streets of Bologna, Verona, Milan, and Venice, we all laughed hysterically and made up for lost time. In Venice, we found this little restaurant that was hidden off the main tourist area. We wandered there by accident at first, after having taken a wrong turn. We ended up eating there twice, two of my most delicious meals in Italy so far. They didn't have a menu, they'd just say what they had each night. The food was sooooo good. We left so full our stomachs hurt. They gave us free limoncellos the first night and free prosecco the second. They seemed to know everyone who came in, and we only heard two other people speaking english the whole time we were there! It was amazing.

Venice was an incredibly beautiful city, although the masses of frenzied tourists definitely subtracted from it's charm. I'd always heard it described as one of the most romantic cities, but I really thought that part was tacky. Romance to me is getting lost in back alleys or drinking coffee at a quiet sidewalk cafe, surrounded by locals. Venice was about as romantic as Disneyworld. Tacky souveniers filled every corner, and unless you were in your small, overpriced hotel room, it was impossible to find yourself alone on a winding sidestreet. Tourists were EVERYWHERE. And while there were dozens of couples, they were all forced to make out side by side, being as there wasn't enough space for them to have more than a few feet of personal space. Being as I wasn't looking for romance, but rather catching up and seeing sights with my mother and brother, I had a marvelous time. I even had a marvelous time being cynical and making fun of the tacky couples in my head!

Today, I took a boat to the train station and boarded the train to Florence. On my way to the train station, a pigeon actually practically landed on my head, it's wing actually touching my head as it flew past. On the train, two American guys helped me figure out where to put my bag. We ended up talking for a good portion of the train ride. They are Mormons who met when they did their missonary work together in Portugal. They go to college in Utah, one at BYU and the other at some small, obscure school. We ended up meeting up for dinner tonight as well. They were really funny and I enjoyed hanging out with them.

But directly after I got off the train, I seperated from them as we were staying in different hostels. And boy oh boy, would you not BELIEVE the hostel I'm staying in!! It's AMAZING!! I can not believe the ammenities this place offers. It's pricey for a hostel, at 26 Euro per night, but it's well worth it. Free breakfast, cheap laundry, free filtered water, free walking tours (I won't be there), and, get this, FREE INTERNET!! Legit free as much as you want it internet with 6 computers in the lobby and a computer in each room. There is also an outdoor courtyard and free pasta dinner on thursday through sunday nights. It's also just really really gorgeous and amazing. And it's right in the middle of town, two blocks from the train station and 5 minutes from the duomo.

But I didn't eat the free spaghetti dinner because I'd already made plans to meet up with the Mormons. We tried two different restaurants that offered 3 course meals for 10 euro, but both were closed. Then we found one with 3 courses, a bottle of water, and outdoor seating for 9.80 euro. It wasn't the most delicious meal, but it was filling and completely decent. A total bargain! We talked a lot about religion as they didn't know that much about Judaism and I don't know all that much about LDS. They definitely respected me and didn't try to convert me or anything. We developed this running joke that I was a figment of their imagination. It started because one of them (Nate) kept jokingly accusing me of lying about everything. And then the other one (Cory) said "Maybe she's lying about everything! In fact, I think she's lying about being here right now! She's not here, she's just lying." So I pointed out that if I was lying about being there then they must have made me up. From then on they referred to me as their imaginary friend. It probably sounds lame, but it was funny at the time. They're also going to Pisa tomorrow, so I may see them at the train station or on the train!

Anyway, I gotta go get my super clean laundry out of the drying and then I'm going to go to sleep in my fabulous hostel. Buena Notte!