June 16th: Dancing

I forgot to mention what we saw last night.

Across from Mr. Bloom is a large square patio, which usually holds picnic tables and a small concession stand. During this week of Giostra di Saracino (the joust -- I think I mentioned this earlier), there is so much going on in the city of Arezzo and the surrounding areas.

Side note: we are staying in the "old town," which consists of the part of Arezzo within the walls. The city is actually a lot bigger than I thought at first, because of this.

Anyway, everyone is involved in the fun during this week. Even on a Monday night, there were lots of people around -- mostly young people -- partying, dancing, and having a good time.

Last night was the best though. A few of us walked over to the area where the kids were dancing -- there were probably a hundred, appearing to range from about preteen to college age. There was a DJ up on a small portable stage who held an electronic guitar and two keyboards, and appeared to be in his 50s or 60s. We watched the kids dance to the Y.M.C.A., the chicken dance, and Italian equivalents of party music. One song looked like the electric slide; I couldn't quite make out the lyrics, but it was basically a guy shouting out directions that the kids followed -- step to the left, clap your hands, etc. There was one blonde girl flitting from guy to guy and dancing like crazy, so as we were observing, Daniele kept laughing and calling her a puttana, a little slut.

I'm not sure why I found this so fascinating -- it's exactly what we do in America -- but something about seeing all the young people having fun made me want to get up and dance with them.

Ok -- bedtime!

-Al