An Especially Pleasant Day

We started out our day by taking a jog along the Arno river...Florence mornings these days are perfect. They're just crisp enough to keep you cool, but not too cold that you're uncomfortable. We started out at the Ponte Vecchio and rain a few bridges down, crossed the river, and ran back up- our last stretch being over the Ponte Vecchio. It was so surreal to be out there jogging today. The shop keepers were all opening up and receiving their deliveries. It's really interesting because it's like tourist season started over night. When I first got here in January, I didn't see a lot of Americans on the streets. Now, the Piazzas are packed and it seems like everyone you pass it speaking English. It's funny because on one hand it's really annoying- the lines are long, the streets are crowded, there are more drunken minors giving us a bad rep....on the other hand when I hear someone speaking English it's a little comforting...like i'm not alone...plus, at this point I have been here for six weeks and they're just off the boat- therefore, I am not the dumbest American in Italy. There are new Americans to make the stupid mistakes that we used to make. I've been promoted by default. It is also really interesting to see what the Italians do this time of year. They are scrambling to ready everything for the crowds so there is a lot of construction going on. Shop keepers on the Ponte Vecchio are repairing their store facades, stores are remodeling, streets are being repaired- it's the final push it seems to be ready for those tourists.
Oh, and about the picture...it is still Carnivale...I thought that it was over on Tuesday but there are still huge celebrations going on in different Italian cities. However, Tuesday was a big day. I didn't realize what day it was until I was woken up by what sounded like a parade going down my street. I still don't know what it was- but I know there were marakas. The next morning the city was even more covered in confetti than before (I didn't think it was possible) and the phones looked like this...It's like...liquid confetti.