I invited my aunt Mary to Florence, where I was spending several days as part of my seminary on rare plants in Italy. The seminary was part of the University of Florence joined project with Constantin University in Texas, where I have taught for several years. Anyway...My aunt is surprisingly young (there is a lot of difference between her and my mother) she is only 54 and she loves to travel. However up to this last time she had only traveled through the United States and Canada. It seems like the impact with the Old Continent made her feel just how good she has when she is at home.
I have always had a wonderful relationship with my aunt (I call her Squeeny from Squeezable Jenny, her first name...well Jennifer in reality) but Squeeny did not like my trip planning and the places, and the food and the people and so many things I planned for her that I was sure she would have enjoyed.
As soon as she got to Florence at the airport she had to complain why the airplane was so small and why she had to land in Rome and then get to Florence afterwards..I told her..well The airport in Florence is just getting bigger, plus, getting from Rome with the train to Florence is not bad at all, as the train takes you from Fiumicino airport with just two changes in two hours total!
Well, the roads were not large enough for her, as the traffic was too slow during rush hour..I told her that Florence is an old city and that the wider the roads the more the cars in it, so wider roads would have not sped up things. I suggested her to enjoy the cab ride from the very central airport to our hotel right by the Duomo of Florence square where the Campanile of Giotto is.
My aunt was surprisingly grumpy and critical of everything! I mean, this was Italy! and not only that, it was Florence! Well, may be she was just having a bad day or the jet lag got into her.
Next day I told her I had planned a nice stroll along the Rossi street in Florence and the Tornabuoni street, two of the most glamorous streets in Florence. She was not particularly in love with the idea, and did not change much the fact that at the end I was going to take her for a gelato in Piazza della Signoria...alright, a little cliche, but this was he FIRST time in Italy! A little cliche is good!
