Day 3

Today we had class this morning and this afternoon. We had a speaker this morning on the slow foods movement, he was one of the first ones involved in it when it started in 1989. The slow foods movement means "good, clean, and fair." Slow food can be described as local, fair to producers, environmentally-friendly, tasty, etc. Or you can think of it as the opposite of fast food. I had heard of this initiative but didn't realize that this concept is world-wide. Many people in many countries are involved in the slow food movement.

This afternoon we learned about olive oil and tasted some different varieties. We also made pesto, bruchetta, and tapanade (made from olives). All were really yummy.

Glenda and I walked around for about 2 1/2 hours after class just running errands, etc. We are going to eat a yummy dinner tonight. I have figured out that it is almost impossible to trade US dollars here, no one wants to do it. The bank has done it for others, but not for us. You have to fill out paperwork that's way too complicated for trading money. Some Italian people are really rude but some are really nice, if you meet the right ones.

We are averaging anywhere from 18,000 to 28,000 steps everyday. That's between about 6 and 8 miles of walking. This trip is not for the weak, our legs and feet are sore everyday but not driving anywhere is nice. I may regret saying that if it rains. Tomorrow is a fun day, we will be visiting an exhibit about sustainability tomorrow then making pizza in cooking class then taking the train to Lucca where we can rent bikes and ride all around the city. Everyone who has been there says they love it.