Ketchup

Ketchup
20-11-2005
3:09PM

Well, more like catch-up. I’m on a plane right now, heading back to Chicago. I somehow lasted an entire week without my laptop. I suggest to everyone that you take a real vacation; meaning no cell phone, no Internet*, no laptop, no work, no worries. I’m completely re-energized and ready to go back home.

*I did cheat, twice, over the last week. Checked my personal email and fantasy sports lineups twice. Not bad and I didn’t touch work email until last night. Oh, and I did get the offer for a full time auditing job. I’m accepting it on Monday. Yay!

Last I checked, I left off with the olive picking. In all honesty, I didn’t do shit from Monday-Friday except work. I worked late on Sunday, same thing on Monday, gave my final presentation on Tuesday, worked my ass off on Wed-Fri. Thursday night we had another auditor night out. Good restaurant that I don’t recall the name of right now, but will update later.

Had the steak for two. It was decent, but too thick and not enough flavor. Then off to the Old Stove again for my Pilot Night Out. I got drunk; had a car bomb, jack on the rocks, a few more shots and then the rest of the night is blurry. Didn’t get crazy like the week prior since Tony and Tim had to be on a flight early the next morning.

Got in the office around 10AM on Friday. Didn’t leave until 11PM.

Bored already with this…will need Tasia’s help recalling all the events from the past week. Start off with Saturday when she arrived, and the horrible two hour wait at the Florence airport, where she didn’t even land. Food is coming so break time.

7:05PM

I think it’s only like 12PM CST right now. Another 5 hours before we reach Chicago.

Saturday morning woke up at 9:30AM to pick Tas up from the airport. I got there around 9:45AM and found out the flight was diverted to Bologna due to the fog looming overhead. The passengers on the plane had to take a bus to get to Florence, which didn’t get there until 12:30 or so. Not exactly how I expected to spend our first morning together.

We headed back to my hotel and packed the rest of my things. Checked out around 3PM. Grabbed lunch at a restaurant near the Wash and Fold. Had a crab flavored-flat spaghetti dish anti-pasta and then the fried squid and prawns. Then we went to wash my two weeks worth of dirty clothes, which was pretty much everything I had brought to Italy. Had been going commando for at least 2 days.

Went back to the hotel to rest. Tasia was mad tired from the flight. We eventually got back up around 9:30PM to meet Ashraf at Mr. Kebab. I think it was love at first bite for her. Had a nightcap back at the hotel and rested well for a Sunday full of sightseeing.

9:04PM

Sunday morning we went down to the River Arno and saw the Ponte Vecchio. It was getting a bit colder and you could tell that the tourist season was nearing over. Stopped at the Uffizi and waited about an hour in line. We figured it was either now or never. Advice is to purchase your tickets ahead of time.

The Uffizi was incredible. I was saving all the museum tours for when Tas got here. We paid an extra 4.50EU for these audio guides. Worthless. Spent the first 20 minutes trying to figure out how to work the damn thing. None of the paintings or sculptures were numbered so we either ahead or behind the tape. I gave up 2/3 of the way into it. I bought a book, so if you’re really interested in what we saw, check it out or ask Tasia.

SIDENOTE: There is no more an excruciating pain than being on a flight with a screaming baby. Mommy – please check your child. Their screaming is worse than nails on a chalkboard.

After the Uffizi, we figured we might as well keep on with out museum tours and headed straight for the Accademia. This is where the original David is housed. That thing is crazy detailed, right down to the veins in his hands and the tendon structures in the back of his knees. It’s huge too, much bigger than I had expected.

We figured that two museums in one day equated to more than productive. Walked around the town some more, hit up the San Marco Pizza, San Lorenzo Market Square and the Duomo. Grabbed a quick bite, some gelato, and headed back to the hotel before going out for a nice dinner at Trattatoria Trebbecia.

I’d been there with some people from my team prior, so knew exactly what to expect. We ordered a nice bottle of red wine from Montelcino. Had the duck sauce noodles again and the beef shanks for the main course. Got a little tipsy with dinner then headed down to Cappaccia for more drinks. Called it a night around 1AM.

We still have a little less than 3 hours until we land in Chicago. I’m praying that our bags make it. Long story short, our flight into Frankfurt from Firenze was late and then we got stuck in a super slow line through security again and basically missed our original flight into Chicago. Luckily, there was another flight with a different carrier, so we were able to at least get into the air tonight. We have one more connecting flight at 7 something at ORD so we should be back in Minneapolis by 8PM. Can’t wait…