Party With The Family

Friday Parting Shots Of Florence, With Commentary

Yesterday we went to the dermatologist because I have an itchy painful welt on one thigh. They have these walk in clinics and it cost about $55.  Nancy translated.  The dermatologist, a young woman, was very nice and gave me a cortisone prescription.  If it does not get better she suggested seeing someone in Israel not in Turkey.  Anyway it seems better today.

After a lunch with Sharon we continued on the the beauty parlor.  It is very difficult because the hairdresser was a he, who now is a she but it is difficult to remember to say she all the time.  She did a lovely job.

We visited Sharon's daughter in law who lives around the corner.  Then we had a a Bellini at the Excelsior where there is a great view but it was too dark for my camera to capture it.  We then continued on to Alesandro's (Sharon's son) restaurant where I had noodles with porcini, Nancy had wonderful chicken liver crostini (secret: orange rind.)  My main course was octopus with white beans and Nancy had wonderful sweetbreads with lemon.  We switched plates in the middle but we really could not finish it all.

Today I made myself breakfast after buying an egg panini and adding some pancetta and sautéed cheese.  Nancy went swimming so I used the wifi and ate.  My hotel is really nice except for the price of wifi and really bad breakfasts.
I went on a tour of the Synagogue which is wonderful in the daylight.  This afternoon we visited an American photo journalist I met on Yom Kippur.  She has a wonderful place with a 360 degree view.  She is also very nice and Nancy and she had photo connections.  Tonight we go to  Stefano's family for a birthday party.  

Tomorrow the corridor over the Ponte Vecchio and then on to Rome for one night.

Nancy's neighborhood

G

 Good hair day.

View of synagogue from Karin Cooper's apartment.

Parting Shots Of Florence

Editor's Interlude: Battle Of The Givernys

Well, there's an exhibition of Monet at Giverny going on now at the Bronx Botanic Garden.  Here're some photos from last weekend's visit.  So if you can't bring yourself (and Janet Weiss) to Giverny, bring Giverny to the Bronx.

Tuesday

Before I went to the Accademia I stopped at a botanical garden which, sad to say, was not too impressive.  Afterward. I went to see the David.  Enormous hands and great posterior. [See bottom. Ed.] This is a photo of another David.  Photographing is not allowed inside.  It was quite interesting because mixed into the many statues and paintings were a few modern pieces like a Robert Mapplethorpe and Louise Bourgeois.  The juxtapositions were very successful.

Last night I went to the Synagogue of Florence.  I'm not used to sitting upstairs behind grillework.  I felt like I was looking out from behind a burka.  The Synagogue is unbelievably impressive.  I couldn't really follow the service which is different than reformed Judaism.  Women don't carry or kiss the Torah.  I'm going to go to the closing ceremony later. 

Now, I'm back at Nancy's using the wifi.

Great Synagogue of Florence 

Only his hairdresser knows for sure.

A Cook's Tour Of Florence, Part 4

Class Results

 

Class Cooking

To Market, To Market

To Market

Today (Monday), Nancy and I bused and walked to Sharon's for a cooking lesson.  We met the other student outside her apartment and we walked to the Mercato Centrale which is only still alive because of the tourists.  However the products were local and of high quality and we shopped for our lesson.  The duck was for lunch but not the head.

We made pasta dough.  Very easy.  We had a sort of cannelloni stuffed with asparagus and taleggio and baked.  She had all the equipment of course.  She also had the coolest pasta dryer where we hung the extra dough after making fettuccine.  [Pictures to follow.]

We had stuffed duck with fennel and apples.  We also had stewed fresh porcini.  We finished off with an Italian Meringue and walnut cannoli shaped pastry filled with ricotta sugar and orange rind. 

Tomorrow before Kol Nidre I go see David. 

Sweet Corner Cafe

 Can You Stomach All This Tripe?

 This Is No Quack.

Smile For The Camera!

But Don't Ham It Up Too Much.

Which Came First?

The chestnuts or the shoes?

I had no idea these were chestnuts.