After the shopping had been put away and our housemates had been told they owed us (actually they owed me) quite a lot of money, especially considering they hadn't initially consented us to do their shopping for them. This is something I didn't realise as Gaby was being so efficient and busy-body-ish that I hadn't even thought to check to see if she'd asked our housemates if they wanted in on our elaborate dinner plan.
Now I have no problem with communal living. What I hate, however, is wasting money and wasting food. When I was at university I made sure I bought only what I intended to eat. I was able to do this because I would plan my meals in advance and buy accordingly. I realise that this is a bit of a sad thing to do, but if it means I can save £5 or even £10 a week, then it's more than worth it.
I had the same attitude when it came to my language course. Gaby didn't. Anyway, that will come out in glorious technicolor in good sweet time.
After we'd put our shopping away, the clouds had rolled in a little. We were going to meet up with Bree for a wander round the town so that we could get to know our surroundings a little. By the time we met Bree at her flat it looked like it was going to rain so though we still went on a walk, we made it short and as indoor as possible.
Our first stop was the piazza itself. There was a statue of a pope in the middle and for some reason we found this quite funny. I want to stress that I don't find the Catholic Church inherently amusing, but sometimes the way its figures are interpreted in art does, unfortunately, raise a smile.
So after we'd laughed at the Pope, we went into the church itself. Catholic churches do tend to offend me slightly with great ornate murals and trimmings and then a tiny wooden box 'per i poveri'. Still, from an artistic point of view, I like to look and admire how even a tiny village church can be as nicely fitted out as St Peter's Basilica in Rome.
We went in and then realised we were getting dirty looks from the haggard old caretaker. Due to the fall in temperature, I was wearing a jumper, so it wasn't as if I was showing my inapporpriate shoulders. Bree was wearing a shawl over her shoulders, Gaby was wearing a cardigan, and they were both wearing trousers. What's the problem then!?
Oh.
My knees.
It turns out you're not supposed to show your knees in church. I mean I realise that under close scrutiny knees are funny things - knobbly and and a bit unsightly - but why should I cover them up!? Why is a knee more ugly than an elbow!?
I'm only kidding. I know why you can't show your knees in church, I just think it's a bit silly.
This somewhat curtailed our visit to the church, not because we were kicked out, but because I found it a little difficult to walk with Gaby's spare shawl wrapped around my legs...
We decided to abort all attempts at sightseeing until evening when it was to be our first group outing - to the theatre...
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