So. My non-bargaining at the market backfired on me. In asking the Italian how much the pesto sauce would be for four cartons, I thought he was saying that I could have four cartons for four euro. Then I thought perhaps he meant that one large carton was equivalent to 4 smaller ones. So I asked, for four euro? The price of the pesto was 13,90/kg. The larger container weighed ,222 kg. He said with a grin "For you? Four Euro!" When I got home and told Sarah of my purchases, I had the feeling that I had been ripped off on the pesto. Taking it out of the bag, I looked at the receipt: Pesto (kg) ,222. Price per kg: 13,90. Total 3,09. In my attempt to pay the man his price (rather than barter for I hadn't watched the Italians style of bartering yet) and merely asking if it was four euro, I was charged more than the listed price!! So much for not bartering! I need a calculator!
Today, Sarah met me after class and we went to the Mercato Centrale. This is the large market that everyone who has told me about Florence said would be cheap and fantastic. Perhaps it was the time we went (1:00pm rather than earlier due to my class times) and that many farmers had left, but this market was much more expensive!! I got much better deals at San Lorenzo. We saw this fabulous dried fruit for 1 euro/ 100 mg. Some of the fruit was 50 cents more a mg. I had planned to get the different priced fruit in different bags, but the Italian farmer said "no. combine them." So, I did. At Fresh Market (at home) when you combine candies or fruits like that the cashier charges you for the least expensive one. Unfortunately, this farmer did not follow the same principles. She charged me 3 euro for a kind of small bag of dried fruits. I balked a little but didn't feel that I could put the mixed dried fruits back. I paid. Chalk it all up to experience! I won't ever mix bags of dried fruits in Italy again, nor will I wait to barter! San Lorenzo and bartering, here I come!
I am thrilled. This weekend looks to be so much fun! Sarah and I had planned to travel to Sardinia (Sarah has Italian friends who were going. We'd planned to meet them in Piombino and then take the ferry to Sardinia. We would get to stay in their beach house. We also thought of going a day early and staying in a hostel for the first night since her friends would arrive on Sat. and thus, we'd only have one night for the money) Unfortunately, when the bills added up, the trip would cost way too much for the time we;d get to spend there. So! We are planning on either going to Piombino (not Sardinia) or ViaReggio for the day tomorrow and spend the day on the beach! wooohoooo!!! Oh! And I found shower shoes today! The day before yesterday, our community shower shoes broke in the shower. Our shower floods and the drain doesn't drain well. Therefore, with my intense dislike of nasty showers, the first day after the shoes broke, I decided I was decently clean and didn't need a shower. Yesterday, I looked for shower shoes and saw only hideously ugly ones for high prices. Being picky, I wouldn't buy them. So, I came home and scoured the shower with cleaner. The landlord had poured draino in the drain in an attempt to unclog it. It hadn't worked as of last night. This morning when I awoke, I HAD to shower. It's a huge deal for me not to have showered for one day - two I couldn't do. So I got in without shower shoes. The drain actually worked! And then, I found cute shower shoes (crocs) that I can wear also as rain shoes for 4,90! Yipee!!!
Today, Sarah met me after class and we went to the Mercato Centrale. This is the large market that everyone who has told me about Florence said would be cheap and fantastic. Perhaps it was the time we went (1:00pm rather than earlier due to my class times) and that many farmers had left, but this market was much more expensive!! I got much better deals at San Lorenzo. We saw this fabulous dried fruit for 1 euro/ 100 mg. Some of the fruit was 50 cents more a mg. I had planned to get the different priced fruit in different bags, but the Italian farmer said "no. combine them." So, I did. At Fresh Market (at home) when you combine candies or fruits like that the cashier charges you for the least expensive one. Unfortunately, this farmer did not follow the same principles. She charged me 3 euro for a kind of small bag of dried fruits. I balked a little but didn't feel that I could put the mixed dried fruits back. I paid. Chalk it all up to experience! I won't ever mix bags of dried fruits in Italy again, nor will I wait to barter! San Lorenzo and bartering, here I come!
I am thrilled. This weekend looks to be so much fun! Sarah and I had planned to travel to Sardinia (Sarah has Italian friends who were going. We'd planned to meet them in Piombino and then take the ferry to Sardinia. We would get to stay in their beach house. We also thought of going a day early and staying in a hostel for the first night since her friends would arrive on Sat. and thus, we'd only have one night for the money) Unfortunately, when the bills added up, the trip would cost way too much for the time we;d get to spend there. So! We are planning on either going to Piombino (not Sardinia) or ViaReggio for the day tomorrow and spend the day on the beach! wooohoooo!!! Oh! And I found shower shoes today! The day before yesterday, our community shower shoes broke in the shower. Our shower floods and the drain doesn't drain well. Therefore, with my intense dislike of nasty showers, the first day after the shoes broke, I decided I was decently clean and didn't need a shower. Yesterday, I looked for shower shoes and saw only hideously ugly ones for high prices. Being picky, I wouldn't buy them. So, I came home and scoured the shower with cleaner. The landlord had poured draino in the drain in an attempt to unclog it. It hadn't worked as of last night. This morning when I awoke, I HAD to shower. It's a huge deal for me not to have showered for one day - two I couldn't do. So I got in without shower shoes. The drain actually worked! And then, I found cute shower shoes (crocs) that I can wear also as rain shoes for 4,90! Yipee!!!
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