Lundry *sigh*

Laundry in Italy is a trip... To start things off Dave (our tour/school leader) described it like this: Laundry machines in America were designed for efficiency, but not the Italian ones. They were designed to simulate how laundry was done way back when, by laundry ladies. First, you cram all your laundry into the tiny drum. This simulates handing it to the wash lady. Don't plan on seeing your undies again for a long time. Then you close the door, which locks, and it sits there doing nothing. The laundry lady is walking to the local fountain, and then she rests and chats with the other ladies. In a few minutes or so you hear it filling; she is tossing your laundry into the fountain. Then she gets tired and walks to a cafe for an espresso. Once she is hopped up on caffeine the machine runs quickly, but as the coffee wears off, it slows down and she gets another espresso. It goes on like this for oh, about FOUR HOURS. Then it all stops, but she is not done. She is walking back from the fountain, so the machine just sits there. Locked. Eventually, she gives you your clothes back and you hear this soft *click*. Chances are you are asleep when that happens. When you finally wake up you are treated to a big mass of wet clothes that you must then lay on the drying rack to dry in the heat of the day.

On to part 2.

I go to the supermarket and get a box of what looks somewhat like laundry detergent, but not quite. I look at the directions and there is a pictogram of one of the tablets being tossed in, then clothes being tossed in. I do a load of whites, then a load of shirts and pants. They all dried hard as a board. What I thought was laundry detergent, was laundry machine decalsium tablets. So I am once again waiting for the laundry lady to get back from the fountain.

Later

A real blog post and the best Gelateria in Italy

Well, it's 9pm day 3. We are all getting settled. I just plugged in my laptop and it didn't explode (no matter how much I want it to so I can get my Dell *sigh*). Everything seems to be going well besides the heat wave that has struck the area. We are currently experiencing temps in the 90's. It is supposed to be going higher this weekend and then dropping. We have had 2 days of safety and living lectures, but I don't plan on getting ripped off. Take a look at the lock on my door:

It also locks the top and the bottom.

Petty theft is an issue in Italy. Pick pocketing and break ins are a major issue. The Italians see it as paying a poor tax and move on about their business. However, there is little danger of violence, mainly from the illegals (who also try to sell fake D&G belts, bags, etc which will get you in as much trouble for buying them). Also, there are beggars all over the place, some of which are Gypsies who will rip you off without your ever knowing it.

This is the best Gelateria in all of Italy:

And they are directly across the street (I took the pic from our front window) and are super nice. They even put up with our bad "EnglItalian" and complete misunderstanding of numbers. For €1.5 to €2 (or more if you want more) you can get a small cup or cone of awesome Gelato. If you are in Florence, go there.

Oh, and here is a detail from a fresco we saw today: