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Italy:
12/31/99
In
anticipation of a very late night, I sleep until noon. Now eating
pizza with - yum - olives and artichokes, gaining strength to shop
for the finishing touch for my NYE outfit.
2:40
PM
I strike out on the completion of my NYE outfit, I can work something
up from the stuff I brought. AUGURI means best wishes! Richard and
I later take this up as a crazy mantra - hollering it to anyone who
will listen. Tommy trails us, amused by us both.
 4:00 PM
And work up an outfit I do . . . jeweled bindi, long black skirt,
chartreuse coin belt, green gold embroidered silk scarf, black sleeveless
turtleneck with beaded fringe trim with my black down jacket (very popular
here) over the whole mess. Oh, and the zills, which get clattered loudly
when we enter il rifrullo for pre-festivities drinks. I order a Kir Royale,
my new obsession. R, dressed in his "aging slickster" all black
ensemble, quite fetching, and Tommy is simply dressed as Tommy (although,
I later persuade him to add one of my Maribou barettes - boy magnets -
to his outfit), which is always successful. The bartenders Massimo and
Cisco are quite amused (or is it merely tolerant?) of my zills and belly
shaking.
The Plaza San Signorelli is a madhouse. There is a HUGE TV mounted
behind a stage that shows each new year around the world. Sydney,
Bejing, New Zealand and Tokyo are a few of the cities we watch before
caffeine loading begins. At Perso, Tommy and I have a cappuccino (no
Paparazzi!), R a chocolate. I ponder swiping an ashtray, suddenly,
they are all gone, swooped away by the waiter. We continue back home
to primp a bit before Y2K hits.
7:00
PM Time to dance!!
Resplendent in my beaded fringe belt and green scarf, I clink my
zills to the amusement of some and the annoyance of many. We come
to the New Market, and there are jugglers and percussionists! T&R (now
my "handlers") grab my down jacket and I fling myself into
the open space - the percussionists go wild! Finally, I get a little
cold, and I've gotten enough applause and cries of "Brava!" to
satisfy my narcissism, and we move on.
8:00
PM Time to eat!
We eat dinner at Il Pagani, a very cute tiny restaurant. With a most
bello waiter, a friend, it seems of R&T. While flailing around
in the street outside the restaurant, I acquire a most bello long
haired fan who follows us- then follows us into the restaurant! I
dance around the restaurant a bit, and pose for pictures with bello
waiter. A perfect last meal of 1999. Then, its time to hit the streets
for the big jubliee!
Clearly, there are more than just Florentines present, as thousands
of people pack Plaza San Signiorelli to watch the huge screens and
the muscians on the big screens.
12:00
midnight! CAPODANNO A FIRENZE!
Felize Buono Anno! We are caught in a crush of people, and are unable
to make it back to the big TV screen for the big countdown. I lose
my shoe in the mosh pit that the crowd has become! Tommy gives me
his scarf - chivalry is NOT dead - to protect my naked foot from
the oceans of broken glass in the street. We pop our champagne, and
it's 2000 before we know it. Richard and I, still hollering "Aguri!!!"
are joined by HUNDREDS of people hollering "AUGURI!!!" It's
fabulous. Happy New Year!!!!!!! WHEeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
R&T and I hug each other - yippee!!!! AGUUUUURI!!!!!! This is my
best New Year's Eve ever!!! We pop back to the apartment for an outfit
change, and for me to put on my other pair of shoes. The only pair
I have left is a pair of high heel ankle boots. Oh well . . . my
feet look great, but this trashed them for the whole trip. A week
later, as I write this, my feet are still a bit achey. Never mind,
like the true chick I am, sometimes sacrificing comfort for style,
I put my throbbing feet out of my mind.
We begin roaming all around Firenze proper. Just walking, walking,
walking around, watching people, sipping champagne and looking for
cute boys to kiss.
02:30
R&T decide to call it a night, just as we are talking to
some girls from Prato - students, textile designers. I roam around
with my new companions, and awhile later, we add Ashfee, a cute Pakistani
boy, to our group. Soon, the two girls must catch the last train
back to Prato, so off to the train station.
07:00 Happy
New Year to Chicago! Ashfee and I are the only ones left in the
piazza. He's so sweet. He walks me to the bridge, I bid him Buono
Anno, and I set off by myself at last. He begged me to call him,
but I didn't. I hear my brother, Jeremy's voice in my head "Predictably,
Erika made some new friends!"
I
leave Ashfee to catch his bus home, and go over the bridge over the
Arno as the sun is rising. I am alone again. Its absolutely spectacular.
I love this city. I wish myself the best New Year ever.
The
cleanup.
 Italy: 01-01-00
After rolling in at 7:30 AM, and gingerly stepping over an upstairs'
tenants vomit splattered all over the hall, I have no problem sleeping
until 3:30PM.
Hah!
No Y2K bugs - can you say "no surprise at all"? I knew
you could.
Note
to self:
Get a worldwide cell phone
We
end the evening at Il Rifrullo, after T's delicioso turkey dinner
but decide we're all too tired to have more than one drink.
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