Je souviens très
peu d’hier soir. I
started speaking French, I remember that. And, oh no... did I try speaking with a Scottish accent? The notes in my
iPhone are jumbled and the pictures are all sweeping blurs. How did I get home
last night? Do I need to apologize to anyone?
As we debark
and walk to the Cathedral Square, other students file in at my side and remind
me of some details concerning the night before. I’m told that I had a really
good evening. For my part, I absolutely hate the idea of losing control of my
mind. But, it seems that I’ve made a considerable number of new acquaintances
and I’m commended on my French.
Perhaps it’s
the looming headache, the threatening storm clouds, or maybe the mob of
tourists, but my first likening to Pisa is not favourable. Scratch that – it’s
definitely the tourists that aggravate me. As we walk the yard, they stop to
take pictures of our guide. Admittedly, he is a sight to behold, clad in a red,
shoulder-length wig with flashing penis antennae, lipstick, a contrasting green
sweater, and black high heels. Nevertheless, I fail to see why anyone not associated with our group would care to look back on such a picture.
After the
short tour, we break off to find food. I’m disappointed to find the rest of the
area just as infested with snap-happy tourists. Six of us stop at a Subway for
lunch – my first chain restaurant meal in Italy. With the time remaining us, we
take the customary leaning tower photos and sit around. As one friend said, “An
hour and a half in Pisa is too long.”
Returning to
the bus, we were caught in the rain and on cue, umbrella salesmen were ready to
meet us. I try to justify their advances as ‘providing a needed service,’ but
the impression remains just as despicable as the twenty men who swarmed our bus
on arrival trying to sell watches and purses. How they got into the insulting
habit of calling men ‘playboys’ and women ‘Lady Gaga’ I’d rather not know.
Our last stop
of the trip was to a beach. The wind and rain turned most people off from swimming,
so instead, we wandered the strip of high-end stores, gelaterias, and
restaurants. I was grumpy as the cold I had been fighting for the last few days
finally started to take hold. Before our time was up, I was perfectly content
to sit in the bus and fall into a fitful sleep.
P.S. At the
time I write this, I am still sicker than I remember ever having been in the
last few years. I was hoping to go to Greece this weekend, but the adventure
will have to wait. I have left my room only for classes and now that I have run
out of cough lozenges, it seems to me imprudent that I should appear in public.
Also because of this, I probably won’t have much to write about until I
recover. Thanks for your patience!
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