Alle Quattro e Mezzo, Io Sono Stanca!

It's only 4:30 here and my day has already been SO FULL.
I've been to two of the world's most famous museums, went to class, and attended a concert.
I couldn't sleep well so I decided that I might as well get up (around seven) and make it for the opening of the Uffizi. I got there about 8:30 and the lines were already wrapping around. I didn't know where to buy my ticket, either, so I had to ask a a few people. I talked to a couple from America and it put me in a good mood to hear them speak English and not be a classmate.
I knowingly went to the wrong ticket office just to ask for help, and the sweet woman gave me my ticket and let me in through the back way...ahead of the whole line of tourists. Grazie, signora! So, at about 8:45 I was one of the very first people of the day to enter the museum. It was huge and houses so many masterpieces. To name a few, I saw "La Primavera," "The Birth of Venus," by Sandro Botticelli, quite a few of Fillipo Lippi's works, and "Medusa" by Caravaggio. Medusa's expression is striking. You have to see a picture of this!
I stayed for about two and a half hours and then went back home to start cooking lunch.
I chopped up some carrot, zucchini, and onion, cooked some pasta, cooked the veggies, threw it all together with some tomato sauce and two small slices of salami, and watched part of the newest episode of Gossip Girl. Perf.
Then I headed to Italian class...boring today: we learned about articles. But, Nada told us valuable tips about Italians and their coffee. NEVER order a cappuccino in a restaurant; it is frowned upon. If you want to be an authentic Italian, you order espresso, a macchiato, or a caffe correto. "What is a caffe correto?" one might ask. I'll tell you. It is a shot of grappa in the center of a shot of espresso. You only live once...so, after class, I asked Nada if I should try it and where to get one. She told me of a fancy bar and to order it "porta da via" ("to go" or "take away") because the table charge is outrageous. So, after class, I chatted with my friends, parted ways, and stood at the bar and drank my first caffe correto. "It's excellent for digestion," Nada added. Hopefully that's true...it tasted fine but I think I'd change the liquor to something more coffee-friendly. Don't worry, I'm not becoming an alch-y. Everything in moderation. I just want to taste and see and feel everything and embrace the culture, bit by bit!
So, then I headed to go get mail...I got sidetracked and ended up at the Bargello, one of the most famous sculpture museums in the world. I was told I was beautiful by a man on the street on my way there. Living here has its perks. Oh, and there was a concert in the courtyard of the Bargello! An opera singer and seven or eight cellists played Bach...it was fantastic. I got to hear them practicing, too, while I was looking at the artwork. I almost cried it was so perfect for the moment.
So, now I'm home, about to read a bit for class and now realizing that I forgot to pick up my mail. Oops! Typical. My roommates are napping, and I think I'm going to finish my episode of Gossip Girl so my sister and I can chat about it. THEN I'll do homework. What? It's been a full day. Please continue to pray for Mama; she's still in the hospital.
XOXO, CB