The Swedes Conquer All

I finally gave up and succumbed to IKEA. We desperately needed a new shower curtain (the plastic faux Impressionist one we had was ripped and crusted with hard water). And all the shops have been closed all month.

Thinking we could catch the shuttle bus on Saturday morning, we headed to the train station. When no shuttle bus could be found, we took a cab. Note to self: Do not take a cab to IKEA Florence. Twenty-five dollars later, Brent ran the IKEA gauntlet for the first time (not happily).

A few different items to be found in IKEA Italy including: platform beds whose mattresses jack up to provide storage underneath, a grocery trolley I'm coveting for hauling all the bottled water home and limoncello bottles in the kitchen supplies. And, the Italians obediently follow the arrows on the floor, moving en masse between displays. We were definitely going against the flow. Brent and Jack gave up and went to the cafeteria.

And I was left to shop--blessedly--on my own.