Il Papiro

My TA Carolyn from last semester told me about this amazing stationary store called Il Papiro. Jasmine and I stumbled by it on our walk home and decided to go in. The owner was there and showed us how to make marbled paper and told us all about the history of marbled paper. One of the king louis wanted to find a faster way to make paper and they found it in Turkey. It is one of the coolest things to watch.

I ended up buying these really great bookmarks based off of an 18th cent. model. Nine euro was a little much for some bookmarks, but I made friends with the owner and he gave me a discount card. I have no doubt that I will be buying more from this store, perhaps even gifts for other people.

They also have a store in New York! So I'll be visiting that location when I get back. I recommend to everyone that you check it out.

CARNIVALE!

So I was going to go to Venice for Carnivale, which is pretty much the New Orleans Mardi Gras of Italy, but I was too disorganized and now I don't have anywhere to stay. So it looks like I'll be staying in Firenze for the weekend. Emma and I did see some people dressed up and rocking out to some music by the Uffizi in Piazza della Signoria. One of them forced Emma to take a picture with him. Photocred to me!

I caved in

Ok I know that some of you will question my judgement in this endeavor, but I think it will be a good way to actually document my travels abroad. I've been here for about 3 weeks and it feels like it's been so much longer. So I will try to adequately summarize what I have been up to:

I live in Via Maffia 19 on the south side of the Arno. It's a 45 minute walk to class but it's worth it. My side of the river is way more charming. The apartments around the Duomo are plagued by tourists and gypsies.

Of course, the Duomo is beautiful and I can't believe that I walk by it every day.

I've been to the Uffizi twice now and was ecstatic to see the Doryphoros and the Laocoön group, two of my favorite sculptures.

And now the nightlife. So far, my favorite place has been this one lounge-type bar that is full of bookshelves. A lot of the books had Egon Schiele portraits on the front, but they were in Italian so I couldn't read them. It is a wonderful bar, but for some reason, no one knows what it's called. The name is not posted anywhere.

The food is great. I've been cooking more than I did in New York, and I'm really starting to enjoy it. Also, the other day, Emma and I were at the leather market and all these Italians were getting these sandwiches from this cart, so we figured we'd get one too. They were MERAVIGLIOSO! Best thing I've eaten in Italy yet. I thought they were pork, but when I googled it I found out that its the fourth stomach of a cow. My Italian professor was very impressed when I told him I loved my panino con lampredotto.

Anyways, those are just some highlights. I'll keep everyone updated. Ciao a tutti!