Collegiettes! As I am sure you have surmised from the title, this week’s blog post is entirely dedicated to filling you guys in on one of the funniest things Kristen & I have experienced this semester…a Fiorentina soccer game!
In typical fashion, our plan for the Sunday game was half-baked at best. After being out literally all evening the night before (it was a friend’s 21st birthday…come on!), we dragged ourselves out of bed, threw on some clothes, and sprinted out the door. A horribly hung-over leisurely walk across the Arno later, we found ourselves standing in the freezing drizzle at a random bus stop, with no clear destination in mind. Mercifully, some piercing-riddled, chain-smoking, possibly underage Italian boys strolled up to the stop right at that moment, and Kristen, ever the observant-traveler, noticed one was sporting a bright purple Fiorentina scarf. After some garbled Italian, Kristen managed to overcome our language barrier issues and determine that yes, our new tour guides were in fact heading to the game, and yes, we were at the right bus stop. We hopped on to the next arriving vehicle, and crossed our fingers that we were on the right track.
Now, riding an Italian bus is never a relaxing, or even remotely pleasant experience. Being shuffled back and forth by the unrelenting crowds, while holding on for dear life as the drive careens around angry motorcyclists? Yeah…not exactly my favorite mode of transportation. But add in the fact that Kristen and I were also desperately trying to keep the Italian boys we were stalking following in our line of vision, and you basically have the ride from hell.
At last we realized the boys were getting off the bus, and managed to hop off with them. Scuttling behind them, whispering in hushed undertones and thinking we were super sneaky, Kristen and I followed the boys for a good 15 minutes. But, at last, the underage Italians led us directly to the stadium. I have never been so thrilled to hear the boisterous chants of Italian fans in the distance…
Finally at the right place, and on time, to boot, the rest of our afternoon went fairly smoothly. Well, smoothly if you discount the pouring rain, confusion over where we were sitting, and language barriers resulting from us accidentally choosing seats in the all-Italian section… We ended up finally sitting down squarely behind this charming fellow, who’s frantic shouts and all leather-ensemble truly was the icing on our Fiorentina soccer game cake.
Well, that, and the fact that we were this close to this strapping gentlemen…
New Italian boyfriend, anyone?
See you next week, collegiettes!