Over the Easter break, I was lucky enough to spend two nights in Florence. Getting there was quite an ordeal (and the return trip just as much so), but I think it was definitely worth the anguish.
I don’t know where to begin describing Florence. All the streets are cobblestone, framed by beautiful, old buildings. I didn’t realise that Florence was built upon a river. The bridges spanning across the river definitely added to the charm. The river also made the perfect complement to eating the phenomenal ice cream on the warm afternoons.
I didn’t realise before getting here, but I had really missed the greenery that comes with spring, but has unfortunately not arrived in Stockholm yet. I really am starting to miss the warmer weather.
Walking around Florence felt like walking around a film set. I found myself, a couple of times, looking down the street and thinking to myself, what I’m seeing just cannot be real.
In addition to all these wonderful traits, everything in Florence was so cheap! Apparently an expensive coffee was €1,20 and a good bottle of wine went for around €1,50. Insane!
Everyone I met was also fantastic. Communication was sometimes difficult as I quickly learnt that Italians were not so fluent in English as the Swedes. I still managed to get by and I soon became very proficient at my “ciao” and “grazia”. I noticed that the Italians always add “bella” or “bello” to the end of their greetings - they definitely have a way with their words and it felt nice coming from a place where we don’t usually express ourselves in that way, especially with people we have just met.
That is all I can think of for now, but if I remember anything else I will be sure to add it in.
Chokladbollar. Or chocolateballs. Or amazeballs. Apparently they are even called negerbollar. Whatever you want to call them, I love them. Despite what the name suggests, chokladbollar do not actually contain chocolate. Instead they are a delicious cocoa, vanilla, coffee and rolled oats which is then coated in coconut or little granules of sugar. They are the perfect compliment for your coffee during your fika break. Definitely looking forward to making some of these bad boys when I get home and sharing the chokladboll love.
"Twenty years from now, you’ll be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones that you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
— Mark Twain
OK, so, ever since I have joined the gym here in Sweden, I have noticed a great deal of nudity in the female change rooms. At first, I didn’t know where to look. My eyes were just not used to seeing so much flesh.
It has now been a bit over two weeks since this discovery, but I am now proud to say that today, Tuesday 21st February 2012, I finally got completely naked in the gym.
On my way to becoming a true Swede.
Reason #1: Sauna.
Plain and simple. Saunas are the greatest. My first experience was definitely a bit terrifying due to the fact that the sauna was holding way above the capacity, many of which were overweight male university students, who I’m sure were oggling me and getting their perspiration all up in my grill. ANYWAY, a bad experience.
Since then I have truly grasped the essence of a good sauna session whether it be after/during drinking, after the gym, or just to simply sit and sweat it out. I even took sauna-ing to the next level by lying (or rather being pushed) in the snow while in Swedish Lapland. I still have a battle bruise some two weeks after to remind me of this exhilarating moment.
So, I have arrived in London. Surprisingly enough, I am dealing quite well with the cold (maybe I have finally learnt how to dress myself properly).
What I have noticed so far:
- Soho is a very convenient place to be staying in - it is close to Oxford Street, Covent Garden and pretty much all the attractions.
- Everyone crosses the street whenever they wan, wherever they want. Apparently they are above the law of the crossing lights. I have even found myself disregarding whether the little man is red or not.
- I really do not get why the public transport and the police uniforms are frozen in the olde worlde.
- Even the ‘best’ coffee here does not compare to Australian coffee.
I decided to go for a walk today, and managed to find myself amongst all the tourist attractions.
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams"
— Eleanor Roosevelt
