Siena è bellissima!

So, I have taken up residence in the city of Siena, and love posing as a local. One German tourist even endeavored to ask me for directions in poor Italian.

However, our first week here we met with almost perpetual rain. The rain was pretty. Picture being in this stunning medieval city with its winding streets and cobbled paths as a gentle drizzle descends from the sky. Yeah, it was beautiful, for about three days.

It is alleged that Italians don't believe in air conditioning, but during the week of rain I learned that they don't always ensure there buildings have adequate heat either. During my language classes I was freezing.

However, it was all worth it when you get to see something like this. I actually kifed this picture from a friend because my camera is incapacitated at the moment. However I did see this rainbow from a different vantage point with my own two eyes and I was able to see the whole arc as it curved over the city. GORGEOUS.

I feel inclined to quote a few lines from John Mayer here:

'Didn't have a camera by my side this time,

hoping I could see the world with both my eyes,

Maybe I will tell you all about it when I am in the mood to lose my way

but let me say you should have seen that...'

Classe di Cucina

I may have started cupcakes on fire before and forgotten on occassion to add the correct amount of sugar to a cookie recipe, but there have been no major mishaps in my Italian cooking classes.

I have had to choke down some mushrooms that have been necessary ingredients in our recipes, but I have made some awesome dishes (with the help of a pro chef and 21 comrades-love that communist terminology!). My favorite was the spinach ravioli. Mamma Mia! Mmmm

Sono in Italia!

I'm stealing pictures off of peoples facebook pages, but here is a picture la mia amica Hannah took. Look at how happy we are.

Perhaps you may notice that I am a little more abbronziata than I was before I left. I may fit in as a dark skinned Italian ragazza before I leave. Or maybe not, we'll see!

Indiana Jones e Il Regno del Teschio di Cristallo

So, it was a Monday night. Non c'é niente da fare. So a group of os got together to catch a few glipses of an even older Harrison Ford, and the attractively scruffy Shia LaBeouf. (Note: I was only there to witness the cinematic grandeur).

Anyway, even in Italian it had a miserable plot. This was my first experience with Indiana Jones, and I was told numerous times not to judge the whole of the Indiana Jones institution from this one film.

I don't want to give anything away, but let's I don't think I won't be eliminating any of the mystery of the plot when I tell you there are aliens. Aliens in Indiana Jones. Quite unexpected, and poorly executed.

However, despite that it was the quintessential abysmal sequel, I enjoyed watching it. Like most unnecessary and unmediated sequels it relied on special effects to compensate for the poor story line.

An old post that I forgot to publish: Ecco Pompeii!

So, my I don't quite know what picture I am uploading when I click on the icon, so it's fun to see what I am going to post, but this is a scene in Pompeii. It's amazing how intact the structures are, and crazy to contemplate that the people who walked these streets nigh 2000 years ago.

Okay, I've tried long enough to get a picture to upload on this computer, so all you get is words. Undoubtedly, my attempts describe the awesomeness of Italy will probably fall short. Therefore, I'm contemplating talking about how our shower in Siena a high-pressured spout separated from the rest of the bathroom by only a shower. There is nothing to seal the water, therefore if we are not careful we manage to send a flood of water down the hall.

Alright, I guess the whole time I was complaining, the picture was uploading! Eccola (look at it)! So, this is a scene from the top of the church that contains the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi. I am horribly disoriented as far as north, south, east and west, so I am not sure which direction I am looking in. However, the region is Lazio. Italy is so beautiful and green and I am amazed at how much countryside there is.

Assisi is a city built in the Middle Ages on this monstrous hill, so hiking the streets to the pizzerias earned you an extra slice (or so I justified my gluttony ;). I know this picture doesn't show a massive amount of the church, but it was built in 1228. I am so impressed by the capacity of people nigh 800 years ago to build such incredible edifices.

Anyway, Italia è bellissima!

So, I haven't posted a picture since I actually made it to Italy, so I moved some pictures to my jump drive, so I chose a random number and decided I would write a little schpiel about it.

Forgive my spelling of schpiel.

Anyway, my random clicking fell upon a rather somber picture, but pics take a while to load on this computer, so you get to see the plaster casts of the people who died in Pompeii when Mt. Vesuvius exploded. It really is awsome that archeologists in the 19th century were innovative enough to pour plaster over the Pompeiian citizens bodies decomposed over the millennia.

I like this snapshot because the figures were behind glass so you get the reflection of the tourists and it kind of looks like ghosts. However, that does not scare me after seeing the church of the Cappuccine monks. shiver.

Anyway, Pompeii is basically unbelievable, and these plaster images of real citizens are just the beginning. History comes freakishly alive in Pompeii. I have never been to a ghost town, but it might be similar, except hundreds to thousands of people didn't suddenly die in most ghost towns they all just moved away.

However, Pompeiian structures are evidence that people were shorter 2000 years ago. Not that I had any unpleasant encounters with doorways, but those leggy Scandanavians might.

Also, there were an odd amount of stray dogs throughout the ancient city. In my superstitious mood, I imagined they were embodiments of the Egyptian God Anubis, one of the gods of the underworld. Anyway.

More exciting blogs to follow with more pictures. I promise!