LET IT SNOW!!

Che bella la neve!!  It snowed here in Florence last Friday!  And not just a little bit – it snowed for about 6 hours starting at 1PM.  Even though the paper the day before forecast snow, everyone here obviously didn’t believe the weathermen (they usually are wrong).  But this time they were right – snow and lots of it!!  It was beautiful! I dressed for the weather with my thermals and brought along my camera just in case – and sure enough, it was a sight to see.  It started snowing just as I left school to walk to the bus stop and wait for the bus to the business school on the outskirts of town.  After waiting a while and watching only one bus pass at about 5 mph, I called the secretary and she said they were going to cancel school or we would never be able to get back to the center after class and the students needed to get home as soon as possible.  So I took a stroll around the center and enjoyed the beautiful snow, watching people walking their scooters home or waiting hopefully for a bus that wasn’t going to come, and watching the snowball fights that ensued.  I moved up my last lesson so I finished at 5 – still snowing – and walked home.  Since I usually walk to and from school it was nothing special but it was a little slower going with all the snow coming down pretty hard, plus the occasional stops to enjoy how beautiful Florence is when covered with snow.  The main streets were a mess as everyone was trying to get home somehow, cars were sliding, buses just pulled over and stopped on the side of the road, and lots of people walking.  It’s incredible how a little snow can immobilize an entire city and all of Tuscany!

		SNOW!! VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

      Today is Sunday and there is still snow on the ground.  It snowed about a foot – which seems like a little – but you would think a blizzard hit because everyone is kind of hunkered down and it’s still difficult to get anywhere.  About half the buses are running now but school was cancelled yesterday and tomorrow, our Christmas concert tonight was cancelled and the other branch cancelled church entirely this morning (although we, however, had church as usual with about half the people).  It may seem strange, but it hasn’t snowed like this in at least 5 years, and it has been cold enough that everything has turned to ice (amazingly I only fell once walking home from church today).  There are NO snow plows and few people have chains to drive around – but finally something that the motorinos can’t drive through.  Those who live out in the country and hills are better off staying at home than trying to drive their cars on these roads.  It was warm enough today to melt about half the snow but it will probably just make more ice tonight, although it is supposed to rain.  It is suppsed to warm up in the next couple of days and just rain.  As long as all the airports reopen and I make it to Sweden on Friday (cross your fingers).
It has been a fun weekend – a good reason to stay at home and make 20 dozen sugar, gingerbread and chocolate chip cookies (to give away at church).  It ALMOST made me want to live in the snow – but I’m sure I’ll get my fill in Sweden and then be happy not to have to walk in it every day.  Although, I have preferred this freezing cold to the 2 months of endless rain we had before.  But now it really seems like Christmas with the snow!!  I have been missing all things familiar that make up the American Christmas but this has helped..  Merry Christmas!!