Florence, Italy
This morning, we headed into Florence via bus, and my back has officially tightened up to the point where I can’t stretch to alleviate the pain. I think our free day tomorrow and the fact that we can finally sleep in will make up for it a bit, though. While we were doing the tour earlier, I spotted a lot of designer stores that I want to check out, especially Gucci.
In the pharmacy today when we picked up some bandage wrap for Casey’s newly sprained ankle, I mentioned a cultural difference between Americans and Italians that I’ve been forming throughout this trip. Italians do not dilly-dally; they’re on a mission. I don’t think they ever go into stores just to browse; they always go in specifically because they plan on buying something.
I’ve also noticed that they’re extremely upfront. If they don’t like something, they speak up about it, or if they want something, they don’t hesitate to ask. I’m sure a lot of Americans are like this as well, but I just feel as though this attitude is more prominent with Italians. Honestly, I like it.
Since we’re talking about Italians, I’ve been surprised by the amount of Filipinos in Italy. We’re everywhere! In Rome, they appeared to be residents, but here in Florence, they appear to be tourists. I saw a guy with a drawstring bag that had the Filipino flag on it and exclaimed to myself, “Kuya!” (That’s the equivalent to “brother” in Tagalog.)
I’ve always wanted an older brother for as long as I can remember, so I’ll keep searching for the kuyas while we’re here.
