E Molto Caldo in Firenze

     One thing to know about traveling in Europe in the summer...it gets HOT. And I'm not talking about the California/Arizona/Utah/all of West Coast dry heat. Not even the East Coast humidity. Take East Coast humidity and dump a steaming bucket of water consistently on it. That's what it feels like. Like you are constantly being misted with warm water that is in no way refreshing. Oi vey. And it never stops. Even when the sun goes down, that constant slick feeling of your skin is there. You fall asleep to it and you wake up in it. Unless you're fortunate enough to have a fan or even AC out here, which is a biiig rarity. Electricity is precious and the buildings are pretty old. Having AC is a big time luxury.  However, it's all part of the experience right? It takes some getting used to and the locals who live here treat this weather as if it's a regular 70 and sunny. I see people in pants around here all the time. I want to know their secret to not sweating profusely...maybe I can learn someday haha.
     Actually it reminds me of a picture from one of the first times we visited my family down in Southern Italy. It was August (the worst and hottest time ever) and my dad snapped a picture of me and my sister still sleeping. The covers are down, our hair is up in messy ponytails and I believe we're both just in our underwear because it's so hot. And we're in that baby sleeping position with our arms above our heads and our legs kind of spread eagle. I know that sounds so strange but honestly it is pretty much the only comfortable position to sleep in when it's this hot. No covers, no pillows and minimal pjs. Of course we were young then. That sort of picture today can't be talked about haha. But honestly, I don't remember what it's like to feel cold. I know the feeling of a breeze on my face, but it's no where being cold. The AC is barely a relief. It just gets you back to a normal feeling. I know I'll look back on this in oh say November when I'm back in San Jose, freezing cold in my bed and curling up under the covers and wishing I could get warm. Grass is always greener on the other side eh? Ok that's my little rant about the heat. And even though I rant, I do love it here. Just wish it was about 20 degrees (F) cooler. =)