The honeymoon bliss has yet to wear off... It has now been a week that I've been in Siena. Since it is such a small town I have been able to walk the boundary of the city and through most of the streets by now. I also recognize many of the locals. But those I remember are because of their dogs or children.
On Wednesday I went on a tour of a local Statue Park. On a hill outside of Siena a man has organized a nature walk with sporadic sculptures throughout. He invited artists from around the world to come stay at his house while choosing a plot of land and doing their work. The inspiration for each piece comes from the agriculture in the ares they chose. Some of the works were absolutely incredible. After the tour the owner invited us into his HOME and his wife served us Tuscan appetizers and wine. His house was even more stunning than the park. Everything was art!!!!
Yesterday I went on a walking tour of Siena. SO the parts of Siena I hadn't seen I now have. Cool tidbit: Siena is divided into 17 neighborhoods. As you come into and leave each neighborhood the buildings are marked with the neighborhood's symbol (eagle, goose, panther, giraffe, etc.). Each neighborhood also has its own church. This is amazing when you see how small Siena is!!! During the summer there are two horse races in the square and ten of the 17 neighborhoods compete. Before the race , the horses are taken into their respective churches and blessed by the priest. The race is run bareback BUT the horse can still win the race even if the rider falls off. They say about 40,000 people come to the race. I would love to come back this summer and see it!!!
I had my first Italian exam today and it went very well! Phew. I studied for a while but I do believe this us much easier than French. (so to those of you who have not chosen a language yet, I suggest italian). However, knowing a foreign language at all helps a lot. Italian just seems to be more consistent with less exceptions.
Ciao a presto!! (bye until later)
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