Chiuso martedì
Until arriving in Italy yesterday my language skills have not been overly tested. In Mauritius most of the people I know can speak English, and I can make myself understood in French, thanks to seven years study of the language and a Latinate use of my hands. I still find Creole - the lingua franca of Mauritius - difficult because Mike and I only speak English at home. (I did learn one new phrase while I was there a few weeks ago - to mange mo la vie/you eat my life - apparently a good retort in an argument with one’s dear one. I’m sure it will come in handy - perhaps I’ll save it for work…)
On Monday I flew from London to Frankfurt, then on to Florence. As soon as I arrived in Frankfurt airport I found my German returning - Wo sind die Toiletten? Ich muss nach Toiletten gehen! - and relished the sound of the language. It was a brief interlude and I was very soon on my way to Florence.
But why oh why didn’t I revise my Italian?! What use is remembering the word for toothbrush - spazzolino? Quite useful it turned out as an icebreaker with the lovely lady on the desk here at the Hotel San Marco, Prato. I like to make people laugh.
Nevertheless, some italiano is coming back to me (I learnt conversational Italian for six months back in 1992), helped along again by much gesticulation in a form of charades, an experience I am enjoying immensley. I am remembering important words, like thankyou - although I wish someone would say thankyou to me so that I could say prego in return. What a marvellous word it is! Grazie! Prego! Che ora chiuso? What time do you close? I asked the bakery up the road. Never, came the reply. Our local bakery is industrial strength and open ALL the time!
My colleague Joanne and I are here for a conference, which begins tomorrow. Today was our day to rest and explore Prato, an old town outside of, but now enclosed by, the sprawl of Florence. (Naturally our day also involved revising for the presentation we are giving tomorrow…) But all the museums are chiuso martedì - closed on Tuesdays. So we walked around and slipped into the Italian way. I bought little items of jewellery and things for my hair. We had a lethal hot chocolate for morning tea (while all around were drinking espresso - I gave up coffee in 1996 - a hard position to be in in Italy). We visited churches - always open - and sat in the piazza and ate pasta for lunch. And then, as the shops shut for a little siesta in the afternoon, we returned to our room and snoozed the day away, ready to head out again in the early evening. I had the best seafood risotto ever!
Ciao, Helen…so good to hear that you are in Italy. When I travelled around that country from the bottom of the boot to the top, I found the Italians to be the friendliest people I met in Europe. Enjoy, enjoy!
Oh they are Barb, aren’t they?! We’ve had a lovely chat this morning with our waiter about the bizarre weatherman dressed as a general (there is a TV in the breakfast room).
Ciao Helen,
Lovely to read more about your travels. I left a comment on your London entry, too. Take care of yourself and keep enjoying all the piatti italiani you can sample.
Baci,
Angela
Hi Helen,
Aren’t you having a wonderful time? London sounded great with all that socialising and seeing your book on the shelves and on display! Now you are in Prato.I am very jealous. Hope the conference is interesting and challenging, but I’m sure you won’t be too bothered if it isn’t. Say ‘goodday’ or should I say ‘Buon giorno’ to Joanne.
ooroo,
Rosemary
Hello girls. Life would be simpler I tell you if I drank coffee! Last night we went to a banquet up in a villa in the Tuscan hills and they only served coffee. We asked for tea and they said NO! I wish I knew how to set a long exposure on the camera, because the view was magnificent, with a rising full moon.
Rosemary, interesting and challenging, yes! Not necessarily how you might think!
Helen I have already used “to mange mo la vie” at least 5 times in conversation. Don’t know what I did before that phrase came into my life, bit like mobile phones. I freaked out when you mentioned spazzolino (little brush) cause my sister had mentioned that word a few days before your post as a new word she’d learnt in her italian lessons. I’d never heard of it. No spazz. for 35 years, now twice in one week!! isn’t that crazy?!
Hi Helen :)
I only checked your flickr while you were away and remembered your blog today ! How nice to read from you ! lol I understand so well the language problem :D
Last year, I went to Spain without refreshing my Spanish and wished I had once in Madrid .. and this year, I skim-read a teach yourself Italian before going to Italy and still was lost over there :D
Hope you’ll have a great time in Mauritius and I can’t wait to see your travel photos ! :)
Yes Rachel, crazy, and I’m not surprised you’re finding usage for that phrase - at work I’m sure!
It’s good fun though isn’t it Amelie, if you have even a tiny bit of the language. Now I have to switch back to French/Creole and stop saying grazie. I have about 400 photos so far (about how many you took in one day probably at the water polo!) so not too many, and nothing outstanding, yet!