So where were we? On a bus to Florence!
And Starr had a new seat mate. Ooh La La! Wait that's French and we are in Italy. Whatever. Florence is of course in Tuscany. Everything you have ever heard about the beauty of Tuscany didn't come close to doing it justice. It even diverted me from The Hot Florida Boy.
We rolled on into Florence late afternoon and our hotel was located in the old part of Florence by the Piazza Della Signoria. We checked in and then spent the evening outdoors in the Piazza while the sun set.
About 10 of us had dinner at an outdoor cafe right by the famous statue of Neptune. This would become a tradition of sorts. The tour costs included a continental breakfast, we were on our own for lunch, and dinner was usually something ...interesting. Like Mystery Meat. So a group of us started a night tradition of going to some outdoor cafe every night after our EF sanctioned feedbag torture was over. Oh I should mention, the reason you don't hear about our chaperones much is cause those adults were bigger boozers than we were!
I, of course, was being wined and dined by Hot Florida Boy. Our bus ride into Florence had proved interesting. Turns out we have the same birthday. Not only that, we were born at the exact same time. We had birth certificates to prove it. Of course Hot Florida Boy and a is 2 years older than me so I was informed that I had to ride "shotgun" on the date. Cause he was an Aquariansmartass like that. Honestly though we both found the birthday coincident to be pretty freaky. We spent the day talking music and books.
John - aka HFB - was a huge Rush fan. I was NOT a huge Rush fan. I know some of you are going, "Huh?! But Starr didn't you go see Rush in Concert just last summer?!?!" and you would be right. See the Boyfriend J and the "Friend" T were both HUGE Rush Fans. But the first Rush song I ever heard was The Trees. I fucking hate that song. I STILL hate that song. And those two knew it and so that is what they always played.
So I refused to listen to Rush. John, however, told me I was fucked in the head (those Southern manners I talked about earlier evidently not present during this convo) and that I would love Rush if I would just get off my high horse. Yeah he said that. And lived. Did I mention he was gorgeous? And gave me Gummy Bears? (Freaky! VH1 Classic is playing Tom Sawyer as I type!)
And, well, yeah......I loved Rush. Moving Pictures makes me grin to this day.
Our first full day in Florence we of course spent visiting all the must see monuments. And that afternoon us girls got to go worship to OUR Gods. The Gods of Shopping!
And I think the ladies will agree with me that highest in that echelon is
The God Of Shoes
Shoes, and purses, and hats OH MY!
That night after a group spaghetti feast at the same outdoor cafe, we headed out for a night on the town at a local disco. Interesting thing about Italy. There were a TON of cops/soldiers around. It was kinda freaky. Remember this detail. It comes back to haunt us in Rome.
The disco was the coolest freaking dance club I have ever been to in my life on any continent. It had 2 floors, the second being primarily a balcony setting. And the decor? Alice In Wonderland! Our tables were all shaped like teacups!
The walls were painted with characters from Alice and the background was painted to make it feel like the Cheshire Cat was wrapped around us. It was the coolest club evah. The bar was lucite and had fishes in it.
Oh. My. God. Did we party that night? Yes we did. At some point in the early morning hours, after many a cocktail and gelato spiked with lemon or lavender vodka (which is SO FRICKIN GOOD!) I found myself a top one of those tables singing along with The Boss at the top of my lungs. And that my friends was my first Karaoke experience. Of course in 1985 we just called that drunk :)
Tomorrow we hit Rome, home of the Papal Seat and the I supposed the rest of the Pope as well. And ooooooo....we will have DRAMZ!
Now get up and shake it. It's patriotic, dammit. Oh and for the record, STILL as pure as driven snow.
10 comments:
Can I have the book rights to this?
Man...I am filming 'you' on the table while lying on the floor, looking up...the room spinning round and round...you get dizzy and HFB catches you as you fall backward off the table...
Your eyes meet....fireworks explode...fade to black....
It's would make a hell of a movie!
Actually John was on his own table. Cause he was a goofball just like me. Part of the attraction. And I think a few people were on the bar. It was a very very fun night =)
I've only been drunk enough to do karaoke once time in my life. And if you knew how drunk I have to be to do karaoke you would be amazed that I lived. I know I am. ;-)
Love the shoes! Taking notes on the pickup lines. Teacup tables? Where was the Mad Hatter?
If you are born on the same day and TIME then you should go back and marry him. That's my final answer.
Ya gotta love a man who gives you Gummy Bears. It's in the the handbook and everything.
OH Ditto Jay. Ditto!
Funny think Mimi, we actually talked to each other on our birthday's every year for about 6 years after. He'd call me or I'd call him. And we both got a divorce around the same time too. Odd I know.
Wow.
To think that a discussion about karaoke and drinking led to this ... and it only took HOW MANY DAYS to get to that part?
This is a fantastic story, by the way.
A LOT of days, RWA and bout 2 ours per post. Which is why there isn't one today. Got home too late last night and Rome is a pivotal stop. Gotta be up for Rome!
What? The day didn't end without worshipping the Porcelain God?
Nope we never ended up going back to the hotel. We stayed out at the club until they closed at 4 and then ran around Florence for a bit until we found a cafe that fed us breakfast. Then we had to bust ass back to the hotel, pack and get on the bus.
Yup...you could make your own John Hughes movie.
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