Best desert ever

Hey all,

I wandered in to a shoe shop on the way home today, looking for red boots. The shop attendant saw me looking around and approached me. As he got closer, he stopped, looked me very slowly up and down, taking in the scuffed GP's, faded cargoes and Bond's t-shirt. He then looked me in the eye and asked (in good English), “Can we help you?” - but in a confused, astounded tone of voice that clearly implied that surely I couldn't seriously think they (or anyone) could help me, that I was beyond all help, but that he would take my money if I insisted even though I was scarcely better than an animal and it would make him feel dirty to do so. What he was thinking was so obvious that I stood there and started laughing – and then he did too, although this may have been a fear response, it is hard to say.

Quite a good day at school today – not that I got anything yet, but was just in a good mood – maybe because it was Friday – went out to dinner last night with some people from school – a British girl who used to investigate medical malfeasance, the contemporary dancer (who leaves tomorrow) and a young German who dreams of being a journalist. He is about nine feet tall, has different colored eyes, and this kind of mildly dopey non-threatening vibe - there are a couple of Spanish girls in class who spend most of their time staring at him - he could arrange a date simply by pointing at them. Of course, he is too young to realise this. Speaking of Spain, and youth - a 19 year old I met in Rome warned me about Barcelona - he said, and I quote, "I got totally lost in the drug scene there." I asked him how long he was lost in drugs for. "A week," he replied, with zero irony. Oh to be 19.

I had already eaten so just ordered desert – I have a picture of this – the plate it is on is not a desert plate, but a full sized pizza plate, and that pastry thing was basically stuffed full of melting Nutella. And yes, it was just as good as it sounds – the best thing I have eaten in Florence – it is an odd thing, but they use Nutella in everything – Nutella flavoured ice-cream, for example, is available everywhere you go.

The school runs mainly in two and four week blocks, which means that there are a bunch of people who are leaving Florence tomorrow – so may go out somewhere tonight as there is supposed to be some kind of gathering for the people that are leaving. Homework all day tomorrow then planning to go to the Uffizi on Sunday – early, so I don't have to queue all day – you can buy tickets in advance online, but I forgot, so it either means going next weekend, or going early Sunday. Possibly both.

Photos: A tough city to walk to dinner in. Then the aforementioned desert, a sobering roadside memorial I pass on the way to school every day, where I imagine the young lady died in some pointless stupid traffic accident. Then a view from where I had lunch in the rain today back down the street past the school to the big Piazza where that church that I keep taking photos of is; finally, yet another shot of the church through an alley, after the sun came out again.

Cheers, B.

PS - wandered in to a church today, and was going to light some candles, but they were fake electric candles, and it struck me as so tacky that left them unlit (ie, I did not plug them in).