Big Bird Extrodinaire

The header for this month is a bird, it is Spring after all. This bird is really huge, made of brass, larger than the average bear. It is near a thruway/expressway on the outskirts of Florence. I don't know why this big bird was made, but it is cute right?

All of Italy is an expressway! The traffic in Florence, as in all of Italy is brutal, as we were leaving Florence, we even had a motorcycle accident happen right in front of us. We were all concerned, but were told that the driver was OK.

The motorcycle, scooters and bikes all squeeze between the cars when the cars stop at lights, filling up all the spaces, then when the light changes, the 2-wheelers squeal off, ahead of the pack of cars.

They use their 2-wheelers in Italy a lot more efficiently then we do in America. We once saw a person holding a child in front of them-no helmets for either. Did I say more efficiently, or should I have said more dangerously? The mirror of the bus obscures her head, but notice the shoes? The women always dressed nicely in Italy!

The quick drivers get from A to B, sometimes even zooming around D and E if needed. I can not imagine driving a car there, we were even challenged to walk across the street!

Step away from the artwork.

I know, I know, you CAN buy too many pieces of artwork, prints, paintings, etc. But listen, it is a picture of the Tuscany area, and I was there, and I loved it, and it represents such a moment in time that was magical for me. A kid from the projects on a tour of Italy with her big, dear SSister#1. We were not challenged to dream as a kid, the schools only wanted these kids to move up and out. And until SS#1 started mentioned a trip, it never occurred to me that I would even put that in my "What if" file, let alone, choose the "Let's go for it" command.

So, please bear with me if I now love everything Italian, and so here it is. Brand spankin' new on my wall:

AAAh, that feels good.