It turns out blog posts are a lot like dirty dishes, the more of them you need to do, the less you want to give in and get them done...but at some point you realize you have a serious mess on your hands and somehow find the motivation...
Much has happened since we last spoke, so I'll give a quick run through of everything. I think it's just as well though, as much of this part of the trip has been the ooooh, aahhhh sort of stuff, and pictures do a better job anyway.
Getting There: Unlike the ferries in Greece, our choice method of travel here in Italy has been the train. The Italian rail system is supposedly one of the best, and you can get to pretty much anywhere, even the smallest towns, by train. And we have ...we have rolled from Bari in the south to many of the Tuscan towns in the north, and from there gone on to see Bologna, Venice, and Siena. Along the way we learned some important things. For example, if you get a ticket to a particular place and don't also buy a seat reservation, then you are allowed to get on the train, but you have no seat. If that train happens to be an overnight train from Bari to Sinalunga, then you sleep in the hallway and hope people are nice enough not to step on you but then an old lady does anyway. If you then learn from that lesson when you buy your overnight ticket and reservation from Venice to Sinalunga, you find that the reserved seats are in small cabins that seat six and have a door you can close. Then at 2 in the morning two obnoxious women get on and join you, one having the plague and the other having a fidgety kid without a seat, both seemingly incapable of controlling the volume of their voices. A final lesson is that planning to travel efficiently by taking overnight trains to be able to arrive refreshed at a new location usually does not work for the previously mentioned reasons, and in fact you will probably "arrive" so tired that you will sleep through the stop at Sinalunga and go all the way to Rome, hypothetically. Ah the wonders of budget travel!
Venice: Wow, it's about a cool as you probably think it is. Although it does not need to be said, I think the captivating part is just how different it is. Front steps of houses go right down to the water, peoples laundry is strung over the smaller canals on lines, boats are tied up out front. We watched a larger boat bring a delivery of beer kegs to the back door of a restaurant which renewed my interest in piracy as a viable profession. Really it is just a normal old city where half of the roads are canals instead, and the necessary differences ensue...but for that reason, it is so unique. Also the Basilica is pretty amazing, and I didn't bother with too many pictures because they just didn't capture it. The ceiling on the inside is covered with millions and millions of colored and gold leafed 1cm tiles that make up moasics larger and more complicated than anything I have ever seen. One final practical note on Venice...have you ever thought to yourself, "I have a pretty darn good sense of direction, I don't need a map to get around"? Well, good luck with Venice...you walk in the right direction for about the right distance, and there's you destination, in full view, right on the other side of a canal.
Bologna (buh-lone-yuh): A lesser known but equally beautiful and historic city in the north of Italy, It was one of the earliest centers of learning in the old world. A walled city, it had gates, towers, and walls to explore. We spent all day roaming around and had our second Italian pizza for lunch, which did not disappoint (although we are already missing Greece's Gyros a little). As you'll see in the pictures, we climbed up inside one of the city's many towers. It was taller and more impressive than it's leaning neighbor, which couldn't be climbed (I assume for safety reasons). It soared above the city and gave an incredible view.
This is dragging on a bit longer than I thought it would, so I'll do Tuscany next time (I think it deserves it's own post anyway). I am recovered form my cold, and have given it to Krista. Other than that we are having a great time here in the Tuscan countryside working on all sorts of interesting projects. Till next time...
Much has happened since we last spoke, so I'll give a quick run through of everything. I think it's just as well though, as much of this part of the trip has been the ooooh, aahhhh sort of stuff, and pictures do a better job anyway.
Getting There: Unlike the ferries in Greece, our choice method of travel here in Italy has been the train. The Italian rail system is supposedly one of the best, and you can get to pretty much anywhere, even the smallest towns, by train. And we have ...we have rolled from Bari in the south to many of the Tuscan towns in the north, and from there gone on to see Bologna, Venice, and Siena. Along the way we learned some important things. For example, if you get a ticket to a particular place and don't also buy a seat reservation, then you are allowed to get on the train, but you have no seat. If that train happens to be an overnight train from Bari to Sinalunga, then you sleep in the hallway and hope people are nice enough not to step on you but then an old lady does anyway. If you then learn from that lesson when you buy your overnight ticket and reservation from Venice to Sinalunga, you find that the reserved seats are in small cabins that seat six and have a door you can close. Then at 2 in the morning two obnoxious women get on and join you, one having the plague and the other having a fidgety kid without a seat, both seemingly incapable of controlling the volume of their voices. A final lesson is that planning to travel efficiently by taking overnight trains to be able to arrive refreshed at a new location usually does not work for the previously mentioned reasons, and in fact you will probably "arrive" so tired that you will sleep through the stop at Sinalunga and go all the way to Rome, hypothetically. Ah the wonders of budget travel!
Venice: Wow, it's about a cool as you probably think it is. Although it does not need to be said, I think the captivating part is just how different it is. Front steps of houses go right down to the water, peoples laundry is strung over the smaller canals on lines, boats are tied up out front. We watched a larger boat bring a delivery of beer kegs to the back door of a restaurant which renewed my interest in piracy as a viable profession. Really it is just a normal old city where half of the roads are canals instead, and the necessary differences ensue...but for that reason, it is so unique. Also the Basilica is pretty amazing, and I didn't bother with too many pictures because they just didn't capture it. The ceiling on the inside is covered with millions and millions of colored and gold leafed 1cm tiles that make up moasics larger and more complicated than anything I have ever seen. One final practical note on Venice...have you ever thought to yourself, "I have a pretty darn good sense of direction, I don't need a map to get around"? Well, good luck with Venice...you walk in the right direction for about the right distance, and there's you destination, in full view, right on the other side of a canal.
Bologna (buh-lone-yuh): A lesser known but equally beautiful and historic city in the north of Italy, It was one of the earliest centers of learning in the old world. A walled city, it had gates, towers, and walls to explore. We spent all day roaming around and had our second Italian pizza for lunch, which did not disappoint (although we are already missing Greece's Gyros a little). As you'll see in the pictures, we climbed up inside one of the city's many towers. It was taller and more impressive than it's leaning neighbor, which couldn't be climbed (I assume for safety reasons). It soared above the city and gave an incredible view.
This is dragging on a bit longer than I thought it would, so I'll do Tuscany next time (I think it deserves it's own post anyway). I am recovered form my cold, and have given it to Krista. Other than that we are having a great time here in the Tuscan countryside working on all sorts of interesting projects. Till next time...
