Random Observations, Part 1

Being new to this place, it is unavoidable that I will notice certain things that are unique and different about this place as some of my previous posts have described. Almost every day, I encounter something that I find noteworthy in some way and have been trying to come up with a cohesive way to share these but have struggled in this pursuit. Therefore, this post will present a series of recent random observations. I am guessing there may be more to come so I have called this post Part 1.

1. Italy has a lot of lizards. I did not expect this as lizards are not something one encounters in New England. I first noticed them on the outside walls of my building, small little things about 3" long or so. Then as I started walking around the hill where I live, I would see many of them (a different kind that are much bigger, maybe 5-7") scattering as I approached from where they were sunning themselves on the cobblestones. It's sort of fun to experience nature, reinforces that you're in a different part of the world.
   
   That fun ends when one comes into your apartment, which happened to me last week. As you can imagine I was rather freaked out. Thankfully it was one of the small ones from the wall outside but naturally it ran right under my bed. I had no idea what to do about this. I tried throwing crumbs on the floor leading to the door (a la Hansel and Gretel) but apparently they don't eat crackers, they eat mosquitoes. I learned this when I emailed Clara, the owner of the building, to see what I should do. As soon as she told me about the lizard's diet, I decided that I might want to keep this thing for a pet as Italy also has a lot of mosquitoes. Long story short, I think it left the apartment soon after it entered so I'm stuck to fend for myself against the little blood suckers.
   
   
2. Italians don't eat pretzels. I have developed a pretty strong pretzel addiction at home and despite my best efforts, I have not been able to locate anything like a pretzel here in Florence. I have tried rice cakes and corn cakes but they are not an adequate substitute. For those of you coming to visit, I will be making specific requests for pretzels when you head my way, please leave room in your suitcases.
   
   
3. Italians do eat potato chips. I haven't actually had any yet but have noticed that there are some really interesting flavors. One in particular I saw the other day: Roast Chicken and Lemon. I'm not kidding. I couldn't make that up. I'm now on the lookout for Sweetbread or Tripe flavored chips but I will not be trying those, either.
   
   
4. Diet Coke does not taste the same here. Joanna is going to KILL me but I succumbed to the urge for Diet Coke this past week and got a liter bottle at the store. In fact I am drinking it right now. Here they call it Coca-Cola Light, looks just like the Diet Coke label, but it is totally different. I am not sure what the ingredients are since I can't read them. I think it's more like Coke Zero because it tastes a lot like regular Coke and I don't really like it. So don't worry, Joanna, I don't think I'll be drinking it much more.
   
   

Post script to my last entry about footwear: As noted I check out people's shoes on a regular basis to help identify those who might be American. I realized the other day with a certain amount of glee that no one here has been wearing Crocs! I hope not to alienate anyone with this comment but I find Crocs to be an offense to the eyes, they are the ugliest shoes on the planet. It wasn't until my eyes were insulted by them the other day that I realized it was the first pair I'd seen since take-off at Logan. Needless to say I feel confident the wearer was American.