Time to get my hair done ...

Last Tuesday was a rainy day, which presented a perfect opportunity to experience an Italian hair salon. It was definitely time for a cut and color treatment! I called in the morning and they said I could come in whenever I wanted, so I arrived at 4:30. I was greeted by a handsome 30-something man named Vincenzo, along with Anna who did most of the translation. I just decided that whatever they did would be fine,but I came with my L'oreal hair formula that my regular hairdresser had given me before we left the US. This was perfect because they used the same products. It was "family" time shortly after my arrival -- lots of kids getting haircuts, with babies crawling around on the floor.

After my color was applied I was asked if I would like a caffe. Of course I said yes, and out came a tiny plastic cup of espresso! After my color treatment was washed out Vincenzo came over to inspect the results. "It's green!" he said, to which I said, "no!" He looked at me with a big smile and we both laughed. I had never even thought about the fact that the color might not be right. But my color and cut were great. He spent a good amount of time on each step of the process, seeming to want to be very careful about each detail. After I paid for his services Vincenzo kissed both my cheeks and told me to come back again. Definitely a fun experience!

With living in Florence for the past month, we've had the opportunity to do everyday things in addition to all the interesting tourist activities -- shopping at the local market, buying fruit and catuccini from our favorite vendors at Mercato Centrale, and returning to favorite restaurants for repeat feasts. We leave Firenze in two days to move on to Cinque Terra, Torino, and then on to Provence.