I Could

Dam Square from the staff office
Originally uploaded by suzipaw.

Rob sez: It's high time for you to lose control--in the most constructive way possible, please. You can no longer afford to be as tightly wound as you've been lately. While I don't want to lose control--I am a Virgo, after all--nothing like travel to ignite a sense of adventure. Even buying snacks at a foreign supermarket can be fun. Walking back to the hotel after dinner alone last night felt exhilarating. I could live here.

It's been a few days of contrasts--crappy food and little sleep punctuated by delicious, dreamless sleep and really wonderful meals. I've been out of the hotel little during the last four days. A couple of stealth shopping trips to H&M and a great meal at Envy last night. One night a few of us conference folks gathered in one of the meeting rooms, ordered room service, and watched an episode of "Survivor," my second ever.

Random observations: They've build a ferris wheel in the square. It's enormous, and I can't wait to take a ride. I love hearing the unexpected, to me, clang of tram bells as they rumble through the cobblestone streets and chiming of church bells. The withering glance of bicyclists cut off by pedestrians--no epithets are hurled. The Dutch sense of safety is a bit different: while signs note that elevators should not be used in case of fire, there is no map nor signs pointing to stairways; the hot water spurting out of the tap is scalding.

The weather report that predicted showers for Florence this weekend now show partly cloudy skies. I don't know if I'll be able to blog after today til I return to the States, but I'll be thinking of you as I wander the streets of Florence, searching for buffalo mozzarella and for moments of stillness, of perfect appreciation for where I am in the world.