Offuscato - Blur

Literally, the last few days weeks have been a blur.  I've already been here for a little over a month and it's just flown by.  I haven't been properly updating, but I hope this will change. (Fat chance).  I should rewind past my last entry to my parents visit. 

They came on September 18th and left the 28th to give you an idea of how out of touch I am with my fan base (consisting of Matthew, Jessica and Alli).  They were here and it was wonderful.  You see, I left home at an early age, 16, to go to boarding school.  So while most people became sick of their parents their final two years of high school, I wasn't around mine.  I feel like this has been both an advantage and disadvantage to my growth as an adult.  While most people are on mediocre to temultuous grounds with their parents, I have a great relationship with both of mine.  We rarely fight and for the most part, I feel like I can be completely open with them; however, at times it feels like my sixteen year-old self stills clings to them at times.  Sometimes I feel like it hinders my growth into a fully independent woman.  I often time find myself seeking their approval and sometimes for things they really have no say over.  Most of the time this is all in my head though.  They sound surprised sometimes when I "just check if it's okay".  (This wasn't meant to be the subject of this entry, but get me on my soap box and it's hard to shut me up).

You think we're related?

It was nice having them around if not for the company but for the free meals and day trips around Italy that were not part of my shoe-string budget.  Since they were in Florence for so long, we decided to take a few trips to cities around the area.

First we went to Pisa.  And let me say, if you can at all avoid this city, do.  It's a complete and total tourist trap full of fake bags, gypsies and overpriced lunches.  Don't even get me started on that last one.  But despite the price, I can officially say I had a piece of pizza in Pisa.  And I can also officially say, it was fantastic.  I had no idea how much I liked tonno (tuna) until I came here.  I'd eat it everyday if it weren't for the pesky mercury.   

From Pisa, we took a bus to Lucca.  And on the bus ride I almost got to enjoy the pizza a second time.  But Lucca was so quaint and adorable it almost made up for Pisa's misgivings.  Almost.  No one speaks English there because they're a self-sufficient community that doesn't need to cater to American tourists to keep their economy afloat.  This is in large part thanks to the Kleenex factory just outside of the city.  (I hope you realize I don't have the time or energy to make a fact like that up).  Anyway, the whole no-english thing gave me a great excuse/forced me to use my Italian.  It went surprisingly well apart from a very rude shoe salesman.  Not to mention, I had my first harsh lesson in bra shopping in Italy in Lucca.  Apparently, Italian women don't have breasts bigger than a C cup.  (A fact I don't quite believe but the lingerie shops do). 


But all in all, Lucca was adorable, the church was quaint, the food: fantastic and the people charming (for the most part).  I wish I had more time to update or even some vast self-realization on the trip I could go into, but I don't.  So those will have to wait until tomorrow or Sunday.  Right now I'm off to sleep for a few hours before catching a train to Cortona.  Man, life in Italy is just so hard with all this travel, food and wine.  I don't know if I can keep up...