Highlights-Florence Day 5
I went to Il Mercato Centrale Firenze for lunch (guidebook: You could possibly grab a quick bowl of pasta). Two women slurping quick bowls of pasta across from me struggled to open their bottle of soda (they tried many maneuvers) until I asked them to give it to me, walked 15 meters to the wine bar, and asked them to open it. I visited the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella perfume store. With a name that long, you know they meant business! Samantha, the tour arranger in Venice, suggested visiting. There were nice smelling products, but nothing that would fit in my suitcase (I probably couldn’t afford them). I walked right in when I arrived, but when I exited, there was a sea of females being kept in check by an usher. An usher? Perhaps the crowd can get unruly.
The smell test
The nose knows
This isn’t street work
It is about to turn into an archeological dig
Smiley
Was Giotto really the ugliest man alive?
The message
This also means it will disintegrate in your hand after the first bite
Notable Items
If you go to a place with a large enough people flux (like the Mercato Centrale), you will eventually see a woman with leopard skin tights and an old guy with a flying monkeys t-shirt (not necessarily a couple). For the woman, dressing this way either reflects a shocking disregard for her appearance or a daring fashion statement she's convinced is working. I don’t know which is more unsettling. An old guy wearing a flying monkeys t-shirt doesn’t care how he looks.