Tripe & Pigeions

Well, as I mentioned in my last blog, I have started eating fish... well, I have also started eating Tripe now. There was this stand (kind of like a hot dog stand) on the corner near our school and there is always tons of people crowded around and everyday when Emily and I walk by we always say that we have to eat there someday. However, because of the huge crowds of people, we never knew what the stand was actually selling, we just assumed it must be good because of the huge crowds of people daily. So we stood in line for about fifteen minutes and when we finally made our way to the front that's when we saw the display of Tripe (cow stomach). We gave it a try and loved it. They boil the stomach, chop it all up, add some seasoning, and salsa, stick it on a bulky roll and there you have it... cow stomach for lunch! It is a little chewy but with the seasoning and salsa, you would never know you were eating the stomach of a cow. We plan on making the Tripe stand a weekly ritual.

The other purpose of this blog is to discuss my deathly fear of pigeons. They are EVERYWHERE in Florence and I hate them. I have always feared bird for some reason I do not know but here in Florence, my fear has intensified. First, the pigeons are everywhere. Second, they do not move when you are walking. Third, they tend to fly right in front of your face. Fourth, they always seems to fly right at me whenever I am walking to class by myself. I jump (and want to cry) ever time it happens. I just hate birds and really wish they did not exist. One time back at Endicott, all the geese were on the pathway of where I needed to walk but I didn't want to even go near them so I took the long way around just to avoid them. I don't know why but I am just afraid of them, it's never like I had a traumatic experience or anything... I'm just afraid, that's all.

Last night, we went to Amedeus which is a bar where our friend Nathan (who is from Kansas who we met on one of our first nights here in Florence) was bartending! They actually let him work there! We hung out there for a while to see his bartending skills and then were led to this hole in the wall bar, BLOB where we met lots of British people who were sooo friendly. Every night in Florence is different but that's what makes it exciting and all that more fun!