The Kookaburra's Kackle: Guests, round one

This post is a bit late since I have been waiting for a few pictures from our visitors. I will have to keep waiting a little while longer, so I will need to make do with the pictures I have so far ;o)

Despite the horrible weather (in the low 90s, without AC, and a bit humid) and the accident, I think (or at least I hope) Seth's parents had a good visit. We familiarized ourselves with the city taxies and managed to get Linda out to the Accademia and then to the Uffizi and the Piazza della Signoria, so I suppose not all was lost.

Upon the arrival of Seth's parents, we had lunch at Trattoria da Rocco (Sant'Ambrogio Market), moments before... the accident.

The next day, Rich got hyped up to try Lampredotto.

Oh, and the reaction shot. Not so hot.

While Rich and Linda were here my cousin Eileen and Aunt Dee arrived from California. Eileen had just completed her masters degree and she and her mother came out to Italy for a full month. Their itinerary included a few days in Florence, then a week-long cruise followed by two weeks on the road driving around up north, then back to Florence. They were able to pack in quite a few sites while they were here, and we all still managed to eat dinner at home together, my family and Seth's.

Rich, Aunt Dee, Linda, and Eileen

Our first dinner together we had a certain Italian friend, Claudia, come over and show us how to make Spaghetti Carbonara. Being home-bound and not having many opportunities to meet the locals and eat food made by Italians, it was really nice Linda could meet Claudia. Claudia was a great representative for her country :o)

As a side note, some notions I had formed in my head about Italians during this past year were solidified that evening. These include 1) Italians are VERY particular about their food and there is pretty much only one right way to do anything. Being extremely traditional and proud of regional cuisine, recipes have very little wiggle-room. 2) Italians are exceedingly generous, witty, and warm-hearted if you can break the initial ice. This ice is quite a bit thicker when dealing with Florentines. Luckily for us Claudia is from Umbria. 3) In terms of food, ALWAYS drench your entire plate in olive oil. If it is not saturated in oil, you did not add enough. Also, there is a myth that one should add a spoon of salt to boiling pasta water. It is not a spoon of salt, it is more like 1/4c or 1/3c of salt. Seriously, it should taste like sea water. I have seen two other Italians make pasta and they all pretty much empty the box of salt into the water. Of course, it is very important that the salt is large rock salt, not fine-ground. There is no explanation why this is important. Also, NEVER rinse pasta after draining!

The second night we were all together Seth and I ditched our families, though we had good reason (we did feel bad, by the way). Seth's mentors from UNC, Dr. Haar and Dr. Nadas, whom we had met with during our first visit to Florence two years ago, were back in town and wanted to get together for dinner. We met them at a really nice restaurant downtown and were able to catch up with them for a bit.

Us with Dr. Nadas and Dr. Haar. Not a very good picture, which is why I am getting a new camera when I return to the US.

When Seth and I returned to the apartment it looked as if our families were keeping each other company and were passing around photos over pizza and a bottle of wine. Very cute!

After a week-long visit, Seth's parents left early Friday morning. We were worried that Linda wouldn't be allowed on the plane with a full-leg cast (their regulations require one's legs to be bent at a 90 degree angle under the seat), but somehow she managed it. Of course they had more problems with delays and lost luggage getting home, so hopefully this trip wasn't so horrible that they never want to leave Geneva, NY again!

A few hours later, Eileen and Aunt Dee hopped on the train to Venice to catch their cruise. I hope they had a nice introduction to Florence, and we look forward to seeing them again soon!

Seth and I had the rest of the afternoon to recover, grocery shop, and spot-clean the apartment in preparation for Danielle's visit. She is one of my closest friends since middle school and we did everything in band together (we both played clarinet and would always room together during the trips). I last saw her a year and a half ago in Denver, and of course she hasn't changed one bit.

Coming to Italy for business, Danielle stayed with us over the weekend before heading to a small town near Parma to visit a solar power plant. Her goal for Florence included walking the town, shopping, and lots of gelato eating, and I think we covered these bases quite well.

Danielle with our snack from the Saturday market: strawberries, apples, Pugliese bread (salted, what a treat!), and pecorino cheese. Mmmm!