First Week - diary filling up

It was a good end to our first week.When you stay in Firenze for only 2 or 3 weeks getting the supplies in is very different; you are always thinking of the leaving date and what you will need to use up. For the first few days of this longer stay we went round the familiar local shops and markets buying just what we needed in the short term. 

By the Wednesday we were ready for a bigger shop and headed across the city to our favourite large market mercarto San Ambrogio which sells everything on the stalls outside and in the large covered area. Not as famous as the more well known mercarto Centrale we actually prefer it - not as "touristy " and somehow friendlier. 

As we walked the familiar route that leads across the Piazza Santa Croce I started to feel "at home" with that feeling of belonging I always get in this beautiful city. In the covered bit of the market there is what I can only describe as an old fashioned grocers. There we stocked up on dry goods like rice, beans, lentils & the essential coffee - freshly ground. It was a bit of a heavy load but good to be buying in bulk and practicing our Italian. 

On Wednesday evening we met our friends from America who we first met here in Firenze a few years ago and we always have a catch up over Aperativo. We met in the caffé Notte (where else) and as we are living above it we just hung out of the window until we could see them coming! 

Friday evening found us heading towards Porto San Niccoló and a bar called Gecko for a meet and greet event organised by a Facebook group foreigners in Florence. It was a fun evening and we met some nice people but on reflection it would be better to meet with people for language exchange.

By Saturday I had managed to catch a head cold but it didn't stop us going to the local Festa in Piazza Santa Spirito in celebration of the Bianchi's winning this years Calcio Storico. Free food & vino at 1€ a glass what's not to like ( we did put a donation in for the food).

Arrival in Firenze checking in to apartment

The train journey from Paris to Firenze involved a change at Milano. Not just a platform change but we had to change stations. Finding out the information before we travelled was a great help. We knew that we could get from Milano Garabaldi to Milano Centrali using the Metro. It was only two stops and proved very easy even with suitcases. 

It was a long day ( we left Paris at 06.30) and arrived Firenze SMN at 17.00. We ate a packed lunch - a baguette bought in Paris - and drank a bottle of wine! Well it's got to be done and we couldn't get a bottle with a screw top, the cork broke so we were forced to drink the whole bottle - what a bummer!

On arrival we phoned the landlady of the apartment and she was waiting for us - having decided to walk from the station but no hardship when you know the way and the sun is shining.

Our landlady is lovely she made us very welcome and said she would get us any things for the kitchen if we found there was something we needed. The apartment itself is very spacious light and airy with a large living room/kitchen equally large bedroom and the best bathroom we have ever had in Firenze. There is also a separate utility room. 

We are right above the caffé Notte which on previous occasions had been our favourite place to "hang out". It now has new owners & changed a bit so at first we were sad as we had got to know the previous owner Daniello quite well also some of the staff and regulars. We have since discovered that there is someone still working that we know. 

We knew that being above a bar was going to be noisy and it was especially the Saturday night as there was a large crowd outside until about 3 am. John was tired enough to sleep through it but I was not. However that was the worst night since then we have got used to it and during the week it's been a lot quieter.