Under a Tuscan Cloud
For the past week I have been in Florence, Italy. Most of my time has been consumed attending CHI 2008, which apparently hit a ‘world record’, although I’m unsure if this is for the number of submissions received or the number of submissions accepted. In any case, the conference wasn’t too bad, I think the best times were had in-between sessions, as well as listening to the swirling cloud of rumour and gossip about particular work and personalities. Unfortunately I failed to get a photograph of it, but one highlight was “Internet cafe” which turned out to be a rather aspirational title as it lacked both internet and coffee, and consisted entirely of a blue sheet of plastic, and about 1% of the required number of chairs and power sockets.
There are many intrinsic Italian things that can be enjoyed. Cheap, good coffee, where the default is espresso (unless you are mistaken for American, whereupon the barista offers ‘Americano’ coffee). Another bonus is the good, cheap wine, which seems to be served everywhere. My only complaint is the food. I really love Italian cuisine, but I just couldn’t find anything that was above ordinary, even at relatively expensive prices. It was remarked by a colleague, that in Australia, a ‘restaurant’ wouldn’t get away with simply serving a plate of pasta and pesto sauce. In Florence, they’ll do exactly that, with everyday pasta and pesto sauce, and then charge you €18 for the pleasure.
But otherwise, Florence is a very beautiful city, and very enjoyable.
Overheard in the Uffizi gallery today
- “It looks just like a photo!”
- “I know it was done by him, but if I didn’t know I’d say it’s shit” (on a da Vinci)
- “What’s with all the Japanese?”
- “But I don’t want to order from my table, I want to order now and eat it there! […] It costs extra to sit?!”
There are some photos online, too.
17. April 2008
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