where they make the cheese!

BAD NEWS AGAIN
All train tickets to Munich were sold out for the weekend we wanted. Now we have to find alternate plans for next weekend.

Also, weird/unsettling incident happened while we were at the train station. Or rather, outside of the train station waiting for a bus. Two carabineri came up to our group and demanded to see our passports. We tried explaining to them that we were from a school group and our leader told us not to carry our passports around with us, but to instead carry a photocopy of it with us, but they said that was not acceptable. They seemed to be pointing their remarks at a certain member of our group and made comments that indicated they did not think he was American. He did not have even a copy of his passport and they kept telling us we had to have them. We were getting kind of scared because we didn’t know what the consequence would be for not having it – whether it would be a fine or JAILTIME we had no idea, and these guys were putting up a tough front. One of the guys told me to like translate to our friend what the policeman was saying. Finally, they went away, telling us from now on we had to carry our original passports with us, and we jumped on the next bus we saw. From the bus window we saw them go up to a couple of African American guys and write up a report for them. We’ve had a couple of instances with this – off the cuff remarks and insinuations that were actually insulting in a way, and we weren’t really prepared for it. I don’t know.

I was going to write an enchanting account of the Boboli Gardens, which Sarah and Erin and I visited today, but I’m not in quite a prolific mood right now. I’d been looking forward to Octoberfest and was really disappointed when it didn’t work out and then that stupid incident left us all feeling unsettled.

I’ll try soon to put up pictures of the vast area that is the Boboli Gardens, and maybe to write about class, which was in Santa Maria Carmine and Santa Maria Novella (the latter of which houses the first painting to EVER use linear perspective) but don’t count on it.

TOMORROW WE GO TO PISA THOUGH and I’m sure I’ll have an incredibly clever and original picture of me holding up the tower, so that’s something to look forward to! Except we have to be ready to go at 7:45 am. Yuckola, as my dad would say.

Hope life is peachy! I think I’ll get some gelato tonight to make me feel better.
LOVE

PS. ALSO I got Nutella on my skirt today! Way to go, champ.