Easter Weekend

Buona Pasqua, Regazzi!

Easter wishes to all of my wonderful friends and family! I hope you're all having a blessed day and enjoying quality time with whichever loved ones you have near.

Today is bittersweet since it's my first major holiday away from my family, but also because I'm celebrating Easter in a country that knows how to go all out for the day of our Lord and Savior, surrounded by my new friends and family here in Italia.

So I can't really say I'm missing out, but it's definitely light years away from ham and hairy broccoli at home with the fam.

This has been another relaxing weekend in Firenze (unfortunately also my last weekend here since I'll be travelling all the rest of my weekends). Friday we did some souvenir shopping (I'm still trying to find a leather jacket that I really like, but still no luck so far... I did find a pink one that looked great, but I can't decide yet how I feel about a pink leather jacket... I had my mind set on a more leathery color), ate lunch on the sidewalk seating of a little restaurant near the Duomo (Bethany and I shared penne al salmone and Tuscan bread and tomato soup), did some more shopping, then went home to change before dinner.

Bethany, Erika, Yelena, Kelsey, and I got dinner at Tijuana, one of only two local Mexican restaurants. We've heard rave reviews of Tijuana almost since we arrived in Firenze, but this was our first time testing it out. And it was SO GOOD. Maybe I wouldn't have been so impressed if this wasn't one of the first times in three months that I ate something that wasn't smothered in tomato sauce or olive oil, but the food was excellent. We all started the meal with margaritas (strawberry for me), then I had tostadas for the main course. They were delicious little corn shells filled with rice, beans, lettuce, spicy cheese, guacamole, and shredded pork. I can't remember the last time I was so full, but I know few times have topped the way I felt after those tostadas. We all ate way too much and waddled to the six-girl apartment to recoup before going to a jazz club Erika read about.

The jazz club was a perfect way to relax after our Mexican food babies. We sat on a comfy black couch right beside the stage and were able to just chill and enjoy the calming atmosphere and cool music for a few hours while our food digested. It was a super mellow evening - very different from most of our nights out - and I really enjoyed the change of pace.

Yesterday morning, Bethany and I crossed the Arno in search of an art exhibit called "Cake Thinking," which I'm supposed to review for Flo'n The Go magazine. Unfortunately, when I checked the website to be sure the exhibit was open Easter weekend, the site gave me the green light. But when we got there, it was a different story; the whole gallery was closed.

Instead, we went to La Cita Libreria Cafe, a cozy bookstore/coffee shop that was right up my alley. It had the feel of being in a friend's apartment, with shelves of books, comfy seating, coffee tables decorated with photos and vases, paintings on the walls, and potted plants strewn about. I'd call it Firenze's equivalent of Coffee Buddha, but larger and less secluded. We sipped an Americano (me) and tea (Bethany) while we people-watched (and there were a lot of people to watch).

Eventually, the cafe began getting really crowded, so we left in search of a bakery Bethany found near the Duomo earlier this week. On the way, we stopped in a bookstore and a few other specialty and clothing stores.

The bakery was filled with all kinds of tempting desserts. Bethany and I both ended up getting adorable (and gigantic) Easter Bunny cupcakes to eat in the bakery and peanut butter brownies to take home (PEANUT BUTTER. My first taste of PB since January 7, although I haven't actually eaten it yet; I'm saving it for the opportune moment).

Then last night, we went out. On the way to the six-girl apartment, we ran into an Easter Eve mass ending on the front steps of the Duomo. A giant bonfire burned at the base of the stairs and clergy stood around it reading prayers (or scripture...? Hard to say since it was all Italian.) We watched this for about ten or fifteen minutes before we realized everyone was waiting for us.

From the apartment, we went to Colle Bereto as a CCI group to dance, then from there to YAB (another nightclub) for more dancing. It was a long night, but tons of fun. Oh, and we finally rode the Piazza della Repubblica carousel, which is a very huge deal.

Just look at Lauren's face.

This morning we woke up to a downpour. We weren't sure if this would affect Easter celebrations at the Duomo, so we put up our umbrellas and braved the rain to make certain we wouldn't miss anything. And it's a good thing we went out because, if we hadn't, we probably would have been the only people in Firenze who stayed in. The Duomo was hopping and the crowd was enormous.

We could hear the fireworks blocks away, but couldn't even see the Duomo when we came around the corner because of all the smoke (we arrived a few minutes late). It took awhile to shove our way through the crowd to a decent vantage point because so many people were packed into the piazza.

By the time we got to the Duomo, we had missed the annual parade to the square, but we did catch the firework display and, with all of the people and the excitement, it was a great time. It was too crowded during the show for Erika, Bethany, and I to attempt to find the rest of the group, but we all met up to wish each other Buona Pasqua and do some serious people watching for a little bit after the crowd thinned out a bit.

Now we're split up for the afternoon and I'm home, but the tentative game plan for this evening is mass at the Duomo, then CCI family dinner at Gatto. Hopefully, it will stop raining before then.

Easter crowd at the Duomo. 

And here's a dog wearing a rain suit.