March 30

Mom and Grandma arrived today! It was so great to see them. They looked fabulous for having been on a plane for over 8 hours. I was so proud of Grandma for saying, "I'm not tired, let's go!" Mom's first request: a piece of cheese. Anyone who knows my mom would not be surprised in the slightest. They arrived around 9:45 and they couldn't check into the hotel until 2, so we had some time to kill. First stop: the Central Market. We shopped the fruit and vegetable vendors and got Mama a succulent hunk of pecorino cheese and a delicious Tuscan orange. A true Florence experience! Next, we stopped  by my apartment for a quick tour (in fact, I believe it would be impossible to give a long tour of the little place). Mom said that it looked familiar from our Skype sessions, but that it seemed smaller in person! The apartment was covered with my post-spring break laundry explosion of drying racks. Then we hit the town! We cruised through Piazza de Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Vecchio, saw the river, got cups of tea at a coffee shop, saw LdM classrooms, and grabbed lunch at one of my favorite salad and sandwich shops. These two ladies were kicking jet lag's butt. After they checked into their hotel and saw the comfy beds, they requested a nap. I left them for a few hours and (anxiously!) caught up on emails back at my place. We met again and headed out for dinner. We tried to get a table at Acqua al Due (predictable, predictable), but were immediately turned away and told "not possible." "Not possible" is one of the Italians' favorite phrases. We found a trattoria close by and stopped in after we saw gnocci con gorgonzola e noci (potato pastas with gorgonzola and walnuts) on the menu. It was a charming restaurant with attentive service--a rarity in Florence! We ordered bruschetta with tomatoes (a classic), gnocchi, a cheese sampler, and a side of asparagus (my veggie-lovin' request). Loved hearing about life at home and sharing funny Florence stories. For dessert, we went to none other than Neri Gelateria. Grandma and I got a yogurt-based gelato, flavored with honey and walnuts. Too delicious. Mama went for a Southern Italian classic: cannoli. It was a near perfect day, ending with a walk around the river at night. Bellissimo!