Salamanca and the rain

Woke up this morning with a cruddy and sore throat, so I spent the day mostly lounging in bed except for making a bus trip to school to check on a class schedule and then stopping by Coop, the local supermarket. I love the aisle signs - some roughly translated in English for foreigners:

need a chiropractor? see backery, aisle 19


yest: part of a balanced diet


umm, does that mean bandages? I have no idea


What's also interesting about Coop is when the checkout person starts charging your items, they look at you blankly. I've learned this means, "Do you need a bag?" Many people bring their own bags and so do not need plastic ones to be supplied. Usually I have my backpack with me, but I didn't today, so I smiled meekly and simply said, "Yes, bag." So for all my items, 20 euros worth, I got one bag. I awkwardly filled it to the max and was dismayed to see a tear in the bag. I gestured and it and look pitiful, and the lady was kind enough to give me another bag. With both arms supporting the load, I made my way outside to the bus stop, and it was pouring rain. A huge lightning bolt on the horizon greeted me when I walked outside. Luckily, I just happened to be wearing my floppy sun hat, so it acted as a bit of an umbrella. Walking the last few yards from bus stop to apartment, two older Italian men spotted me, grinned, pointed to their heads, and said "Yes, umbrella hat nice!" It made me grin also.

After drying off a bit, I scarfed down some multivitamin juice, salmon deli-slices and oranges and felt immensely better. That was the extent of the day so far, but last night, well that was much fun also!

Upon being invited out by my classmate Dylan, who has been here in Florence for a year so far, I found a small Spanish/Brazilian club called Salamanca. And when I mean small, I mean the bar took up most of the space in a room that could have imaginably been an apartment's living room. There was one small side room also where people could sit and actually hear one another talk. It was amusing to hear the Macarana being played loudly and no one giggling or attempting to make fun of the dance. Lots of 90s American radio music being played, but there was also some Spanish reggaeton, which I was surprised to recognize. What impressed me most was the tiny area that was the "dance floor." Two things made it very European: a fog machine and green lazer-line projection machine. Oh, and also a strobe light but that's a default. Walking through that small area was surprisingly intense. I don't even see why people are interested in taking drugs to enhance effects like that. I had a hard enough time walking a straight line, and I hadn't even ingested a drop of alcohol. Whoa. Fun though. See for yourself:


Looking to conserve my euros once again, I decided to try just one specialty drink, a Mojito, thinking that a little Spanish bar might make an awesome one. But of course, as with many places looking for profit, I was dismayed to see the bartender fill the glass to the brim with ice. So for the little Mojito I actually had, it was great! As I ordered it, I had a glance at the bartender then also at his coworker who was serving people at the opposite side of the bar. I had a double-take. "Oh wait, are you guys...twins?" He flashed a grin, handed me my drink then winked with a nod. I thought it was pretty neat to have a twin pair of very laid back and personable bartenders (Marco and Paolo) at a little dance club, and at the end of the night, they were kind enough to pose for a quick photo behind the bar.


I really enjoyed the bar also because it had no cover-charge and was not on the drink-card system that I've read is common to many Florence nightclubs. With that system, you are assigned a small card when you enter, and each time you order a drink, they stamp it. When you leave, the stamps are tallied up and you pay then. The catch is though that if you lose this little unassuming card, it takes about 50 euros to make up for it. More on that once I finally run into that situation.

So for tonight, I'll keep sipping my vitamin C juices and take it easy. Perhaps if I feel better in a few hours, I'll explore again.

And I'm not sure just how many of my friends are actually following these daily musings of mine, so please, if you stop by here, leave a note! I'd love to hear your thoughts. :) Click "comments" right below.

<3 Britt