Ah, Firenze

We made it!  After talking about it forever, we are actually living in Italy.  It feels so good to get here and actually unpack the suitcase.  We love the apartment.  It's very Italian from the terra cotta floors to the wood beam ceilings.  We're located right in the middle of the action with Palazzo Vecchio literally right across the street.  After unwinding a bit we found our way to the Super Mercato for all the necessities to fill the fridge.  And while the staples can be had at the mercato, it's all the other little shops that we find the real goodies.  From mushrooms, to pasta, salami (and other meats), bread, gelato, and of course Vino, every shop has it's speciality.  While it may seem like a lot of work to shop for food, it's an absolute pleasure.  Today we headed to the park after lunch to let the kids romp around on the playground.  They were a bit shy to mix with the other kids running around shouting their Italian, although I think it's only a matter of time.  Along the way we were stopped by a few nonne (grandmas) who wanted to admire the bambini (children) and the kids were great as they tried to communicate.  Our other Italian moment of the day was Angie attempting to do laundry.  As she started reading the laundry soap bottle and the prompts on the machine, I started to wonder if my clothes would end up the same size and color.  She did it!  But it doesn't end there my friend.  Italians don't use dryers and there is an art to hanging your clothes out the window, three stories up, on a line across the buildings facade.  If you mess up, your wardrobe shrinks accordingly.  So far so good.  That's it for now, but we're working on some photo slideshows, so check back later.  Ciao.