A Tuscan Wedding, Day 1: Bus Dilemmas and Henna Parties!

 A three day Indian wedding was a first for us all but to attend such a wedding in the Tuscan countryside was more than we could have imagined.  But as usual, things started with a hiccup.  

We were told that there would be buses to pick us up outside the Florence bus station at 1:30 pm to bring us to the wedding venue. We had to vacate our Florentine apartment at 10 am and felt that if we arrived at the bus station early (three hours early!) we could just get coffee and read our books. But before we could get to that point, we recognized two things: There was no way we could walk to the bus pick-up location and a cab (or two) was going to be difficult because of Florence’s small cabs and our large suitcases.  Moreover, we never took into account that we would have difficulty calling a cab for two other reasons: We could not communicate with the cab companies because we didn’t speak enough Italian and every time we left our apartment to go downstairs and try to flag one down or call,  we lost our internet connection.  Thankfully, the person who was going to clean the apartment for the next renters was right on time and arrived at 10 am. (One of the few people we met here who was  actually on time!), Fortunately, she knew enough English to understand our dilemma and helped us call for cabs.  Our brother-in-law, sister-in-law and niece took the first cab. 

When Bob and I entered the cab, Bob showed him the address of the “bus station” and he immediately took out his glasses and looked at the address several times.  I naturally assumed that Florentines must not take buses, but in retrospect, it was a clear moment of naïveté on my part. We got in the cab and several minutes later, our driver pulled up to a sidewalk on a street just feet from the Arno River—with no bus station in sight.  The only reason we knew we were in the right place was that we saw Bob’s brother standing on the sidewalk keeping watch on all of their suitcases! Apparently, this was a place where public and tour buses dropped people off. There wasn’t a bench or a coffee shop in sight. (My sister-in-law and niece had already scoped out the neighborhood.). To add insult to injury, it looked like it was going to pour!  

We all set out looking like the Italian version of the Clampetts, dragging our luggage until we found an outdoor cafe (and I use that word “cafe” loosely) so that we could at least sit, get a soda or a beer (It was that kind of morning) and use the bathroom—once you paid for the privilege, of course! We immediately began calling family and friends warning them not to come early due to the lack of the amenities that come with a bus station.Several hours later, the buses did come, and after quickly putting on my Sea Bands, we traveled through the winding roads of the Tuscan countryside towards our wedding weekend. 

We arrived at “Il Borro,” a Medieval town that had been previously owned by Salvatore Ferragamo and now hosted events, such as weddings and spa weekends. Needless to say, it is quite the place. Our suite was both large and cozy all at the same time.

For the first event, the Henna Party and dinner, I knew that we had to wear beige, white or tan but I had no idea what to expect.  Fortunately, we sat behind a lovely Indian couple on the bus who gave us the drill on the evening’s events.  Unlike when bridesmaids go early to help a bride get ready for her big day, one goes to a Henna Party fully dressed. Our new friends explained the ins-and-outs of Henna tattoos, which I knew nothing about, such as we should ask whether or not the dyes are organic and that we should not wash our hands until the next morning.  And the education continued once I sat down for my personal hand artwork!

I learned that the ink stays on top of your skin and the longer you leave it on, the better.  Moreover, you shouldn’t touch it at least until the next day to maximize the dye’s ability to color the skin,  I will admit that I had already had one glass of wine when I sat down, but after my one hand (I only had Henna painted on my non-dominant hand because I’m big on hand washing) was completed, I smudged it within minutes! I blame it on my Italian heritage, as I have never been able to talk without using my hands.  I then slightly messed  up my daughter’s newly acquired artwork while enjoying my second glass of wine. I grabbed for her hand and  completely forgot about the new ink!  That was it for the wine!

Days 2 and 3 to come!