Bureaucracy and Bialleti

Well we've been here for a little over a week now, but the past several days have mostly been consumed by fighting back the tide of paperwork that has accompanied our arrival, as well as cramming in as much Italian as we can. We've both been taking private lessons for the past week and I will be starting another 4 weeks of Italian in a class next week, while Linda will be starting her classes again in a few weeks to give her a chance to get her work under control.

In between battles with public servants we've managed to take time out to see a few of the sites. We went for a big walk around the city the other day to take in Santa Croce and the Fiume Arno including, of course, Ponte Vecchio.

In the last couple of days we have also been out with our Italian school for a couple of their social events, once to an Osteria near Piazza Santa Spirito for dinner, and this morning for a tour of the interior of the Medici Chapel, Basilica di San Lorenze. Linda seemed to be following the commentary but I only managed to understand about one word in a hundred, which fills me with confidence. We've also managed to eat lots more pizza and pasta, although Linda has inexplicably lost her taste for both coffee and gelato, a cause for much consternation.

Lastly I have to announce, with much excitement, the purchase of a Bialleti Moka Express (2-cup size), one of our larger purchases so far, at 17 Euro. I have brewed many a cup of coffee on our stove-top, leading up to the caffiene-inspired (remembering it's a 2-cup percolator and Linda isn't drinking coffee) invention of the mochatine. Yes, a mocha made with ovaltine. I'm not sure if my recollections are accurate, but I thought it was pretty great at the time.