The Last Supper

It is interesting how a place can start to feel like home.  I recently noticed I have developed a sense of familiarity with Florence.  It started with small things. For one, I didn't lost as easily and even started leaving my map at home.  Then I started giving directions to others that were lost.  My favorite was giving a group of New York ladies a mini-tour while we were on the public bus together.  I pointed out significant things I knew about and recommended places for them to see.  I found the best places to grab a cheap panino and would run into friends out on the streets.  The most apparent feeling of returning home was when I would go on a day or overnight trip.  I would step foot back onto the cobblestone streets and know I was in a comfortable place.  Tomorrow concludes my time staying at Margherita's house, where I felt at home from my first night there.  She asked me this morning in Italian "Te dispiace?" Now the only context I have used the word dispiace is when you say mi dispiace (I apologize).  So when she I asked me if I apologize for leaving...well no.  I don't apologize.  But then I realized it could also mean "are you sorry you are leaving?" Quickly I changed my answer to yes. For the most part, yes, I am sorry I have to leave. Right now I would describe the feeling as bittersweet. I am looking forward to all of the fun places I will visit in the next two weeks, but I am also sad I will never live in her house again. 

I won't fall asleep to the frogs croaking in the creek nearby or wake up to hear the clanging dishes from the Cafe down on the corner. I won't see the sunset from her terrace or drink a cappuccino while watching the morning show in her kitchen.  But I will take with me the knowledge of how to cook many wonderful dishes I will try to recreate back in the states.  I will use the Italian I have practiced with her.  I will also cherish the memories of us imitating the frogs and watching the Italian television together.  

In Florence there is a student tradition of leaving your bike lock at various points along the Arno River.  If you leave your lock, it means you will be able to return to Florence one day.  The city has tried to dispose of the multitude of locks but after learning this fun fact I continued to see clusters everywhere.  I never did purchase a bike, but if I did have a lock, I would leave it somewhere in Le Cure, Margherita's neighborhood.