My day started with sitting outside at one of the local cafes, happily working away as the world meandered by… having a glass of wine… and an Italian fellow probably in his sixties (and very good looking, I might add), wearing jeans and a shirt, asked me if I was alone. “Yes – Si, sono solo,” I replied in my best Italian (Ok, so I know about 15 words and that’s about it, but they were three of them). He then pronounced in English with a broad Italian accent…
“a beautiful woman should not drink alone! This is Italy!” waved his hand in the air with a swooping motion, proceeded to pull out the chair beside me, said, “you do not mind, do you”, and ordered two glasses of wine!
So, in a blink, I was no longer working, but happily chatting away with some handsome stranger who seemed to think the fact that I do not have a husband or a boyfriend to be strangest and most unacceptable thing in the world. Welcome to Italy!
Later that evening, I decided to go out to see a band that was playing nearby in the Mercato Centrale.
Walking along the street, I noticed this amazing window and fountain – just wedged in between two shops – amazing!
The Mercato Centrale was built in 1874.
…and, just like at an earlier cafe, playing in the background was disco and boogie music! According to SoundHound:
I wasn’t quite so daring as to sample the “fourth stomach of the cow”…
This is the culinary school…
Cheers!
The Desperate Erotic?
Yes, that was the name of the band I went to see that night!
Hmmmm, they don’t look exactly desperately erotic, but I guess one never can tell. 🙂
While I was there, I ended up chatting with three guys who live in Ipswich, only about 40 minutes from where I had been staying in England for the past five months – AND – one of them…
– his parents used to holiday at the EXACT SAME PLACE! He described the property precisely – although it must have been a while ago, because he didn’t recall large trees around my lovely little lake – but how strange is that!
They were in Florence for a karate tournament.
Then the question that keeps coming up – “Is your husband or boyfriend here with you?”
They were amazed that I am travelling the world by myself, particularly with a mobility challenge.
When I asked the son of the man with the beard (he’s the one whose parents used to visit Mill Farm) what fires his soul about Karate, I loved his answer.
“I have a lot of aggression in me and I want to hit things. Karate gives me focus and let’s me hit things with respect.”
Hmmmmm… It’s a long way down (says I to myself as I stop to take this about half way down) – but I was very proud of myself that I successfully achieved my mission of getting to the bottom gracefully and in one piece!
What’s also funny is that the following evening, I was chatting with a fellow who grew up only about 20 minutes from where I stayed in England! He, too, was baffled by the whole, “yes, I’m travelling by myself” notion – he was in Florence with friends.
So, “si, sono solo” – but I guess when it comes down to it, life is short. I could wait until my Mr Right turns up to share it with me, share it together – or I could seize every minute and make the best of it.
None of us knows how long we have on this little blue marble we call Earth. I want to make each day special, make each day count, as much as I can.
I’m not always successful – and often far from it – but I am doing my best.
Sending love and smiles to all…
~ Bella x
