March 9th 2020: We Don’t Need No Education! Unfortunately, my school closed this morning and classes will remain suspended for at least a week. So the teachers will definitely be leaving us alone! The government had a press conference at 2 am that outlined more of their plan to contain the virus, so when I got to school this morning, I found out there was no class. That means that this week I will be learning through the city!! Going into shops and talking with friends here has helped me a lot. Mamma Mia! is on Netflix so I am watching it in Italian, it helps that I know the story…I may have seen it once or twice!
Nonna and I walked downtown yesterday to go to the Palazzo Vecchio. As has been previously described, I loveeee that place! Inside, the gates were down with notices that the museum is closed until April. But no fear here, Perché No! was still open so we popped into say hello and get some delicious gelato. On the walk home, Nonna showed me the Paperback Exchange which could be my new hangout now that school is closed. It is an Anglo-American bookstore that has everything! Textbooks to novels to travel guides to children’s books! I spent the best 9 euros of my life getting Mamma Mia: how can I resist you? the inside story
(I will accept cash and venmo to be spent at PapEx!!)
Since I didn’t have school today, Nonna and I went to the grocery store to pick up some things. Not that it is a competition or anything but we did get the last hand soap and paper towels so that’s a gagner gagner (for you Uncle Mikey! for you non french speakers: win win!!) The store was packed even though it was the middle of the day on a Monday. Many shelves were bare, sadly a lot of the good gluten free stuff was gone from the main section…but I know where the second section is!! That’s right, I got GF gnocchi and I am very proud!
In other news: here, bicyclists can be both cars and pedestrians. It is an interesting freedom that I am occasionally envious of and usually angry about. One minute they are waiting in traffic at a red light and the next they are pedaling up the sidewalk and cruising through the crosswalk. Vespas have this same capability except you can hear them behind you!
Abbie Abroad 