I was hoping that when I heard Italian all around me, I would remember more. I am unsure whether that is true. Today, friday, I went out early for a coffee and croissant and stumbled over my words badly. The place was not ideal because, while the coffee and croissant were good, the area where you sat was hidden by a screen from what was going on, and stcky- beak me wants to see. When I came to pay he said €3. I said without thinking 'non abbastanza'. I.e. Not enough. 3 euros about $5. He was perplexed and took the time to show me the docket . It was too hard and he was too busy for me to say anything other than grazie mille.
Not far from me is the second ( I think, maybe 3rd) largest market in Florence. I went there this morning and walked around and around and finally settled on one where the lady looked friendly, greeted the locals by name . There were lots of types of different peaches and other fruits that i had never seen before. She was happy for me to pick 1 of a variety of different things of the same price. I bought some goats cheese.
I wandered around more but had forgotten how confusing it can be to walk down 1 street at 7am in the morning and then the same street at 11am feels quite different . At 7 am there maybe 1 cafe and 1 newsagents open and no obvious sign what the closed places are. Today i saw in the same street a dress shop next to a motor bike shop next to a bookshop, then a hairdresser. It is becoming harder for me to keep a mental map in my head. Or maybe it will improve as I get a bit more sleep. Hopefully.
I had a second coffee and a croissant, this time filled with hazelnut stuff. I was only charged €2.50. But it was a small black rather than a cappuccino
I had lunch at the place i found on the map that is open early. I will try there tomorrow and see iif i can sit somewhere where i can see. The lady spoke to me slowly in italian and I understood every word, so hopefully my recall will mprove.
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