Discoveries

Another beautiful day. It's gotten significantly colder, but it's perfect in the sun. Luckily, our mountain gets a lot of it. Actually, when I tell people I live in Castagnola, they typically comment on how great the exposure is. So, I ran some errands this morning and am home now enjoying the view.

Ryan sends me these quotes he gets from work every now and then, and this one in particular inspired my post. "He who never made a mistake never made a discovery." Well, I have made LOTS of discoveries, and I thought I'd share.

Everyone dresses up here. I'm not going to say they dress nicely... some of the clothes are a little out there. But they all dress up. In fact, I noticed someone wearing shorts and rubber flip flops, then realized they were speaking English in American accents. Shoes are big here. Heels are high. Sweaters are worn over shoulders and dress shirts (paired with tailored jeans) are tucked in. There are seriously no exceptions.

I've seen lots of make-outs in the park when I run. The odd thing is, you can't always tell who's the boy and who's the girl. They both tend to be skinny, wearing tight pants, and have long hair. It's a conundrum.

Flowers and wine are cheap, food is expensive. But it's really good. When we first moved in I bought a fresh baked loaf of bread, a jar of Nutella, and other unmentionable groceries. The bread and Nutella lasted two days. Ryan had one bite. I haven't bought Nutella since.

You have to weigh your produce and sticker it before you check out. I mentally thank our friend Suzie for telling us that every time I shop. It would have been an interesting encounter at the check out line if she hadn't.

The grocery stores don't give you bags... you either have to bring your own reusable one (which most people do) or buy them there. You can choose everything from a $.15 plastic bag like you're used you, a $1 paper bag with handles, a $1.50 bigger and heavier plastic bag, or a $5 reusable bag with the grocery store's name on it. They even sell bags meant to carry only wine (I had to buy one of those today).

People here don't respect personal space. You know that moment when you go to pick out butter, and someone's already parked in front trying to decide? Typically, I stand at a distance and wait. Here, they saddle up next to you so close you're touching, reach their arm across your face, and grab their favorite. This isn't a one time thing... I've gotten butter twice since we've been here.

Elevators here are 1/4 the size of US elevators. Again, if you don't have personal space issues, it's not a problem.

Cars are a big deal. You mostly see Mercedes, BMW's, Audi's, and Volkswagon. However, I don't go a day without seeing a Bentley, Maserati, or an Aston Martin. I went years between seeing these cars in the states.

Everyone really does eat ice cream (gelati).

Pork is the common meat here. Breakfast at the hotel actually included a ham spread. I didn't try that one. You rarely find chicken and almost never find beef. I bought something today that looks like ground beef, but I really can't be sure. I'm going to take my chances this Saturday.

You have to open the door to the bus yourself. There's a button on the side with a picture of a hand... you touch that, and the door opens. I made sure I stood back and watched that process a couple of times before I tried it myself.

Everyone has dogs (and on very short leashes). Mostly little dogs, but all are welcome... they go into grocery stores, clothing stores, sit under your table at dinner and ride buses. They poop on the sidewalk, and every block or so you'll see boxes fixed to lampposts with complimentary "doggy bags" just in case you forgot yours at home.

I'm sure there are others, but I'm having trouble thinking right now. I have to run to the church and help with Curry Dinner Night. That never happened in Memphis.

Ciao!