Quando a Siena e Venezia

So sorry for the delayed update! The internet in our apartment went out again. I was gone most of the weekend and school is also closed--so communication simply has to wait. But that is the Italian way, right? I'm convinced it is with the outrageous charges for cellular phone use. If it's really important, call an ambulance. It seems like there is always an emergency around here. Ambulances and police cars zoom by our apartment at all hours of the day (but especially when I'm sleeping).

Anyway, the weekend was so good except for the rain and chilly temperatures. Friday, we woke up early and took a bus about 1 hr 15 min south to Siena, a hilly town that worships their native St. Catherine. She is the patron saint of Italy and one of six patron saints of Europe. Interestingly enough, however, she is NOT the patron saint of Siena. Her head and right thumb are kept on display in the church of San Domenico. I wish I could post a picture, but they wouldn't allow any in the church. Mi dispiace.

Siena is a town of only about 50.000 (metropolitan) with over 20.000 students! Can we say college town? I didn't get that vibe, but many students come to study language and medicine in Siena. The Piazza del Campo is the primary focal point of the town (aside from the Duomo). It hosts the annual Palio, a horse race among Siena's 17 neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has a mascot--kind of like Harry Potter--and the the winning neighborhood is considered the best in the city until the next year.

Saturday, we woke up to take a 2-story bus to Venice. We drove through the mountains that surround Florence in the valley. There was snow everywhere!! We arrived in Venice and walked through the small alleys and piazze. After crossing the Ponte Rialto, we entered Saint Mark's Square to behold the world-famous Carnivale celebration. People everywhere! It was madness. The best part were the costumes. Later, we wound our way through the small streets some more, bought Venetian masks, and took a gondola ride over a bottle of wine! It was majestic.

I slept the entire way home! Which was great because it took 3.5 hours!

Sunday, we ate lunch at The Diner, which is awesome! Granted, it is geared toward American taste buds, but after two weeks, a bacon cheeseburger and omelets sounded way too good to pass up! And coffee...real, American coffee! But now back to cibo italiano. Later, we went to a chocolate festival at Santa Croce and over indulged for sure.

Last night, we met to plan some European excursions which include Sicily, Prague, various Spanish cities, Amsterdam, and Munich. How fun! We met up with the TCU gang at Kikuya for the Superbowl. It didn't start until midnight, needless to say, we didn't stay the whole time. Class today wouldn't wait for American football.

Pictures of our shenanigans are on Facebook! Ciao, ciao.