Day 12
We completed our discussion of intermolecular forces (hydrophobic and hydrophilic molecules) then dove into acid-base chemistry today. We capped off class in 2 ways: Chef Victoria delivered the cheese prepared by the students yesterday (which she had salted and added some spices) with crackers – the students LOVED tasting the results! Then we performed a brief experiment to determine the pH of various food/household substances using cabbage juice indicator (a bit smelly!) Doh – forgot to take pictures again. On the plus side, the iPad worked terrifically as a whiteboard and for my Powerpoints. After class, Brian and I headed to the other side of the Arno river and had lunch at Golden View Bar with a river side view – lovely. I had the Stracotto al mange e pure (beef stew with mashed potatoes) while Brian had the gnocchi with sausage and gorgonzola sauce. After lunch we strolled west on the Arno quite a ways (passed the US Consulate), then made our way back home via Piazza Santa Maria de Novella. In front of the Grand Hotel Minerva was a Formula One car (Alfa Romeo team) – beautiful! On the building of the hotel I spotted a commemorative plate translating as: "Henry Wadsworth Longfellow / 1807 - 1882 / American poet in the Romance languages teacher / translator of the Divine Comedy / among the Florentine residences had this house in the square which was called "The Mecca of foreigners". Tomorrow brings our longest lab experiment (3 hours) for which the students are coming to our apartment! It is easier to move around – our classroom is very small. I have a marvelous TA (Brian) - wish us luck!