Part 2

I. Concrete Events
a. Inauguration Day!
b. Beatles Cover Band (Tuesday)
c. Wednesday Night (Colin, Aussies, hilarity ensues)
d. Last night (finally met real Italian people, more hilarity)
II. Ideas
a. "Culture Shock"
b. Colin again...oh, Colin.
c. Photography Class

I. c. Wednesday night Beth and I decided to go to this bar near our apartment called Astor. I had been there with Calen the night before for a little bit and really liked the atmosphere - there had been a black light, which I'm all about of course. We went, not intending to meet anyone, just to get a little dressed up and have a drink together. Of course we ended up falling in love with the bartender, who's name is Ezequiel, and who also happened to be Brazilian. Awesome. We had a lot of fun talking to him, especially after he made us a delicious drink called The Green Vision - what's not to love?
We'd been there for about an hour when a British guy came up to the bar and ordered a Corona. His name was Colin, and he was probably in his 50s. Well, Colin stuck with us the rest of the night. I quickly figured out several things about him: he LOVES Krakow, Poland, is still mentally in his 20s, and LOVES Americans. He was a scream, and probably mentioned Krakow a total of 7 or 8 times during the conversation. Basically, he spends his time traveling, and as I later found out from Beth, sells Harry Potter paraphernalia on E-Bay as a sort of career, I suppose. "Oh, Colin" has become a popular phrase with me and Beth, as though we've known him for years.
Then after the bar closed, I ended up outside McDonald's near the train station, with my new friend Mike from school. I was the only one outside who spoke Italian, the rest were Americans and Aussies, so it was up to me to find out why the doors were locked - typically doors being locked is the universal language for being closed, but we were still hopeful. In the meantime, I made fast friends with an Australian named Evan, who was pretty lovestruck - oh, Italy. He was a really sweet guy, a race car driver with an impressive resume, and of course the Australian accent is always entertaining to Americans. I was happy to show him around Florence (as much as my limited knowledge allowed) for the next couple of days.
That wraps up Part 2, still more to come. I'll leave you with a picture of the square outside the Duomo at night, and maybe...a song.


Sending my love as always...