Shop till you drop

Well, today was shaping up to be a pretty fine day up until a few minutes ago. Earlier I went into Florence with Ashley and the guys. We were going to buy tickets to the Milan-Naples soccer game that is set to take place in Florence tomorrow, but we were denied. The ticket salesman said they were only selling tickets to Tuscany residents for this game because of the danger of riots breaking out between fans. Italians follow their soccer passionately, apparently. Hopefully I will still get to go to a game of a little lower profile. I've heard it's something worth experiencing. So after the disappointing soccer ticket quest, Ashley and I split from the guys and did some serious shopping. The sales in Italy are government regulated and only occur in January and June, so we only have four days left to get the good deals. Ashley finally found the leather boots she was looking for at the great price of 19 Euro, and I bought my galoshes and an umbrella. Now I'm just waiting for it to rain again so I can use them. But hopefully we'll get through the weekend without rain so we can go on our field trips to Assisi and Lucca.

Ashley and I also experienced our first trip to an Italian McDonald's today. I was craving fish big time, as some of you know I sometimes do, so I had a fish sandwich. It's not too much different than the McDonald's in the U.S., but they have curly fries, they don't put ice in your drinks, you can order wine and beer, there's no drive-up, it's decorated nicer, the people working are friendly and dressed up, and it costs a lot more. They also have a separate section for the McCafe, which is like a coffee shop, and they have all different types of coffee and fresh baked goods. So it is a bit higher class than American fast food, but it is the lowest class food you can buy here. McDonald's is the only fast food chain in Florence, and they had to fight hard to be let in here. I think there are three or four in the entire city, with two of them being near the train station so all the foreigners can fill their grease cravings.