If Samantha Brown does it, so will I

Samantha Brown is my hero. She will try anything (including fried star fish on an episode in China). I diligently watched her shows before we headed for Italy. I wanted to know the ins and outs. Being the research fanatic that I am, I figured it wouldn't hurt to have some pointers. During one of her shows in Italy she gave a heads-up that if you were traveling in summer, and happened to wear a shirt that did not cover your shoulders (ie. spaghetti straps), you would be asked to wear a disposable paper shirt in order to enter most cathedrals. On her episode, tons of women, including Samantha, were shown adorned in these atrocious garbs. But, out of respect for the Church, it's just what you do.

Our first stop in Pisa the morning after our arrival was to the Cathedral. Middle of June, as hot as it gets in Italy, I was wearing a spaghetti-strap shirt. Playing the role of respectful tourist, I obligingly donned the scratchy, bright blue paper smock that was handed to me. I looked more like I was waiting for a physical than about to tour a historical landmark. But, I figured if that was what you were supposed to do, than I was going to play along. As I noisily crinkled my way through the Cathedral, which was so amazing I would have walked through naked if that was the requirement, I noticed that many people were looking at me. Could it be my beautiful blonde hair, streaked from the sunlight (not a lot of blondes in Italy)? Maybe it was my 5'7 frame, accentuated by my heeled sandals (not a lot of tall women here, either). Or perhaps it was the fact that I was the ONLY person in the Cathedral who actually accepted the paper shirt when it was handed to them. There were TONS of women inside walking with spaghetti straps and totally strapless shirts. You know it's bad when your three year old doesn't even want to walk near you. However, I was going to represent Americans well. If Samantha Brown says wear the ugly paper shirt, by God, I was going to wear it.

Ciao' for now!