We spent a night in Viareggio, a small beach town next to Pisa where walking the boardwalk is the thing to do (especially since all the stores and restaurants are closed for several hours during the day).
Old friends stop to comment on the day's news. Strangers share a cigarette. Lovers embrace. Mothers push their babes in strollers while gazing adoringly at their chubby cheeks. Fathers hold their daughters' hands, playfully swinging their arms while lecturing about life.
All of this happens on this pedestrian street next to the ocean.
(Actually, I'm totally romanticizing it, but being there really does give you this feeling and the people genuinely seem to be appreciating life.)
Ava is a social butterfly and wanted to introduce herself to every single small person we came into contact with ("Baby!") and show them just what an international sensation she really is. She met a few friends during our strolls, including this girl of the same name whose mother is from there.
I have always admired the style of women in Europe. They always seem so effortlessly pulled together and chic.
(I wanted to do a post on how local Italian women dress, but then I wouldn't know because we came into contact with so few who weren't wearing a uniform. I'm only exaggerating a little; it did seem like everyone was either a tourist or working in the tourism industry.)
This mom (on the right) is dressed very classic with big sunglasses, a cotton scarf, dark skinny jeans, and ballet flats -- pretty much the standard for a typical mom at home. I feel like the lines between how European and American women dress are not as thick as they were when I was in Europe almost ten years ago. (Globalization or just shifting fashion trends?)
But look at this lady's sleek Gucci shoulder bag hanging from the stroller... and then look at the enormous bag around my shoulder. In all fairness, we were on our way to the train station to head back to Florence, but I always have a huge purse or diaper bag on my shoulder. Do we really need all that stuff or can we live a little more simply? I might have to pick up one of those Gucci shoulder bags to test this cultural hypothesis. ;)
Old friends stop to comment on the day's news. Strangers share a cigarette. Lovers embrace. Mothers push their babes in strollers while gazing adoringly at their chubby cheeks. Fathers hold their daughters' hands, playfully swinging their arms while lecturing about life.
All of this happens on this pedestrian street next to the ocean.
(Actually, I'm totally romanticizing it, but being there really does give you this feeling and the people genuinely seem to be appreciating life.)
Ava is a social butterfly and wanted to introduce herself to every single small person we came into contact with ("Baby!") and show them just what an international sensation she really is. She met a few friends during our strolls, including this girl of the same name whose mother is from there.
I have always admired the style of women in Europe. They always seem so effortlessly pulled together and chic.
(I wanted to do a post on how local Italian women dress, but then I wouldn't know because we came into contact with so few who weren't wearing a uniform. I'm only exaggerating a little; it did seem like everyone was either a tourist or working in the tourism industry.)
This mom (on the right) is dressed very classic with big sunglasses, a cotton scarf, dark skinny jeans, and ballet flats -- pretty much the standard for a typical mom at home. I feel like the lines between how European and American women dress are not as thick as they were when I was in Europe almost ten years ago. (Globalization or just shifting fashion trends?)
But look at this lady's sleek Gucci shoulder bag hanging from the stroller... and then look at the enormous bag around my shoulder. In all fairness, we were on our way to the train station to head back to Florence, but I always have a huge purse or diaper bag on my shoulder. Do we really need all that stuff or can we live a little more simply? I might have to pick up one of those Gucci shoulder bags to test this cultural hypothesis. ;)
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