It's been a long time since I've been able to trip abroad. But alas, I finally found myself in Italy.
I arrived with Tay. We rented a car and were staying in a nice hotel, and we had plans to visit Florence the next day. She wanted to make an authentic Italian meal for dinner, so I set off to the grocery store. I was sent to pick up three things; prosciutto, pancetta, and this pre-packaged pasta dish that I have since forgotten the name of.
The store was a fairly small marketplace that primarily sold beer and wine - very clean and modern. It was a simple setup as a square around a central aisle. Impossible to get lost. However, everything was in Italian.
I could not find anything! I couldn't even ask for help! I did find some pancetta and ended up searing it off right in the store. I was frantically looking for the other two ingredients while trying to keep the pancetta from burning. I found the pasta and then left to find the prosciutto, and when I came back I couldn't find the pasta again! I checked every shelf, every aisle, but it was just gone! I snacked on my crispy pancetta.
Tay wasn't very enthused with the whole situation, so we broke up and she left.
I woke up the next morning in the hotel and saw the rest of my family. I caught my grandfather as he was heading out to Yosemite for the day. I ended up walking around town with my parents, aunt, and uncle. Uncle Brian was not wearing a mask despite previously saying how much he believed in them. (Note: he called himself a birther, but I think he meant it in the context of saying he was born knowing masks are necessary. I think.)
I hated driving in Italy. Everything was confusing to me even though I had rented a big American pickup truck. I was exhausted and looking for a parking lot to sleep in, and in doing so ran through a red light and almost plowed into oncoming traffic. After having some issues with my brakes, I was finally able to pull into a parking spot for some much needed rest.
I had intentionally parked next to another large American pickup truck. I guess I thought I'd feel safer being in similar company. The area around my neighbor's truck was absolutely trashed; there were panties everywhere! I met the owner, who was very proud of his Italian "conquests".
The man was a surfer looking guy from Minnesota. I never caught his name, but he looked like a cross between me and Dave Grohl. Nice guy.
