All good things must come to an end.

But Italy?

I’m not ready to say goodbye.

This is a picture of our favorite gelato shop, Gelateria dei Niri. (pic by PJ) We visited last  night (and for that matter, most nights). I had a cone with  caramel and stracchiatella which is like a vanilla with chocolate flakes. Usually I have chocolate which tastes like dark chocolate icing. An intense rich flavor. Simply amazing. Florence is famous for its gelato. We tried out all of the favorite shops, but dei Niri, spoons down, is our number one choice.

But gelato is only one reason I hate to leave.

Today we’re cleaning our apartment and packing up. We have to be at the airport around 5 in the morning <ugh> so tonight we’re staying in a hotel close by.

The light at the end of the tunnel–we’ll be eating pofertjes and pannakoeken for breakfast in Amsterdam (Schipol airport).

We took our last trip to the Market Centrale this morning, drank cappuccino and said good-bye to our favorite Barista, a warm friendly man who greeted us everyday with a wide smile. We tipped him. He gave us an exquisite chocolate. It was emotional.

Then we bought bananas from our favorite fresh produce vendor, a serious, don’t mess with me kinda woman. She gave us a knowing smile and a nod. We are only two of millions of tourists and yet everyone makes us feel cared about.

We ran into one of the young chefs from the cooking school where we took courses. He left his group for a moment to bid us a warm farewell. He told us to enjoy our last day.

Don’t get me wrong. I miss home. I’m looking forward to seeing friends and family, and getting back to my manuscripts and 50 metre pool. But still. It’s not easy to leave.
Italy embraces you.

Guess I just have to come back. <sigh>

Note: top picture from du spaghi website