I was confounded. What was that on again off again smell in the bathroom. I imagined it to be some left over scent of some long discredited last century medical practice. It had that “let’s sterilize a little before we put the bolts in his head’ sorta smell. Well, this morning I put my head too close to the flowing water as I brushed. It is most assuredly the water. It smells like some high school chemistry experiment gone awry. Take it from this chemist; it truly is, some form of, chlorine but not the same as ours. And strong. Thank you very much but I will stick to the bottled water. Well, and also the wine I picked up at the Mercato Centrale at San Lorenzo. Around the market is the open-air flea market or more accurately put the nick knack and leather jungle. The tourists are as thick as Crisco frosting on a cheap grocery store birthday cake. I did look for the red beads that Nancy desires but found nothing. I continued to the market where you can buy anything from pig snout to cocks comb and any manner of condiment to fry it in, spice to sprinkle on it, or bizzare ingredients to stuff in the snouts, combs, ears... or more importantly something to drink to forget what you are eating. I have now found cheaper and better places to get most of what I need around the house. Except hair gel, shampoo and mouthwash. I did without these necessities for two days now and couldn’t wait any longer. I went to a Farmacia founded around the time Michelangelo was going through puberty. By association the products I purchased garnered antique status... by association to the property’s tract deed date. $18.00 US for 100ml (do you know how little that is?) of shampoo. It damn well better bring back the youthful color of my hair for that price. We won’t even discuss the gel or for that matter the shave cream that came in a tube so small and dearly expensive it would have been cheaper if I had bought truffle paste.
Enough! These are minor details in the grand scheme. My refrigerator is full. My larder is laden. And I’ve made enough trips to the Pakistani water supply store so I won’t have to resort to drinking from the faucet of Dr. Frankenstein.
Wandered all over the city last night and tonight.
Last night I went to the Duomo. Yes, the dome is impressive. But the inlay marble work is astounding. It is very similar to the inlay of stones in the Taj. Most people wander around the front entrance but you can walk all around. It was just before 8 PM. I was just finishing the last leg of the journey around the whole building when the clock bells began to chime. It was very nice but something I have heard in many other locales. However, when the chiming for the eight o’clock hour ended, it didn’t just stop. The movement kept going on in an ever-decreasing pace and volumn. Slower and slower it went. Sadder and sadder it sounded. Like it was dying. It was very eerie. I just sat there in front of these huge doors with hundreds of two inch iron bolt-heads showing through. Nobody was there on that side of the Duomo. It was a wonderful and introspective moment.
I went back towards the Uffizi, which is also wonderful at night when the tourists are home rubbing their bunions. Then up the Ponte Vecchio which is to be avoided at all costs during the afternoon. At that late hour there was a guitarist playing jazz. Very nice and not more than 100 people. Then towards the Signoria. Last night there was a violinist playing Vivaldi and tonight a guitarist strumming Simon and Garfunkle. Although I had cheese, sausage, bread and wine at home I still decided to have a sandwich. The Italians are great. They will put anything between two slices of bread. Although, I must admit that the Florentines aren’t as bizarrely creative as the Venetians. I topped it off with gelato, again. Then home.
By the way. Just to be totally accurate. I specifically measured the door into the coffin elevator. Each of the two Loretta Young doors is 9 1/2 inches wide. Unfortunately, they don’t open fully so their thickness obscures a part of the 19 inches total width for entry thus making it only 18 inches wide. I will take this into consideration during gelato consumption.
Your pictures for tonight are: You’ve Got Mail – Florence style, the Arno just prior to sunset (looking east) and a street artist’s version of “The Lady with the Pearl Earring” throughout its completion.
