Still In Siena

We only spent one day in Siena, and it wasn't even a whole day, but it seems I am still writing about it.  It such an amazingly beautiful city.  Again in Siena, I was (understandably) struck by the oldness of it all.  Like, when you 're in a place that was settled by Etruscans in 900-400 BC, it is a little mind boggling.

That's kind of an understatement.

I will pick up where I left off.  I still won't finish up Siena today, but maybe by Wednesday.  Then, next week, we can move on to somewhere else.

When we first got to the Piazza del Duomo, we tried to go into the Cathedral.  What we didn't know is that we needed a ticket to get in!  The ticket was a good purchase, because for about 12 euros, you can then get into the Cathedral, the Museo Dell'Opera del Duomo, the Crypt (underneath the Cathedral), the Panorama, which is a wall you can climb up onto with a view of the entire city, the Baptistry,  and another place I can't remember, because we didn't visit whatever it was. 

Oops.  Bad memory.

This is a shot of the Cathedral from the side as we were walking back from buying our tickets.  There was a guy right below this shot, totally rocking out on his accordian.  I'm not sure why I didn't get a picture of him.  He was playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons.  Pretty amazing!  And, look at that blue sky!!

Our first stop after getting our tickets, was the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, which is full of religious art.  In this picture, you see one of a display of Illuminated Manuscripts (note:  you weren't really supposed to take pictures in here, but I had to in order to show the Chick what I saw, so a lot of the lighting is dark and sometimes the shots are even a little blurry).

There was one whole room that was filled with Holy Relics.  This is the crazily ornate box containing St. Clement.  I have tried to figure out which St. Clement this was, as apparently there are about 8 St. Clements, but so far, I can't figure out who he was.  He was pretty much all inside this box, though:

This is just some gorgeous stained glass window.  I'm sure there's more aof a story to it, but really, it doesn't need one:

I tried really hard not to violate the rules too much and take too many pictures where I shouldn't.  Just a few.  :)

After leaving the Museo, we stopped for some lunch at this lovely place.  I think I had pizza and sparkling mineral water:

This is another view from the side of the Cathedral as we are walking toward it...

...to go inside!  Here is the view down the central corridor looking toward the alter.  I'm sure "corridor" is not the architectural term.  I love the Black and White Stripes!

The floor is absolutely gorgeous inside.  Most of it is roped off and not allowed to be walked on.  They had little paths so that you could get around.  This shot shows a place in the floor where they had various Italian cities featured with their mascot animals.  Siena is Romulus and Remus suckling from the Wolf:

And Pisa is.......A RABBIT!!!  Well, somone had to be, right?  Don't you imagine a great war waging over who got to be the Rabbit?

This is one of my favorite shots-- up into the Duomo!  It was a tough shot to get, because I had to lean way over the ropes, and being a Very Small Animal with Very Short Arms, getting a shot of this was a challenge.  But I like how it turned out:

This is a shot from behind the alter:

And this shows the Black and White Stripey-ness again.  I love that!

On Wednesday, we will go to the Crypt, underneath the Cathedral and a couple of other places, and then we'll be ready to leave Siena. 

See you then!

Flip Friday: This Is Not a Rabbit Movie

You know how these things happen, right?

You are having a perfectly normal day.  Nothing out of the ordinary.  And then

BOOM!

suddenly, there's a fresh kitten in your life.

At least, that's how it happens here in the Lilypad. 

I came home from work on Wednesday for a brief respite before heading to an evening meeting, and the Chick was grouchy.  Not that unusual, right?  If you read her blog, you know that A Grouchy Chick is not a foreign concept here at the Lilypad.  I kept asking her what was up, and I kept not being satisfied with the response.

Finally, she said, "I did something bad."

Well, who knows what that means!  So, I prodded a bit, and finally got the answer I was looking for.

"I looked at the Orphan Angels website and I found a kitten who I think needs to live here," she said quickly.

Sigh.

Today, we are one cat richer.

Tuppy is our new addition.  He was found by a Metal Factory here in town and taken to Orphan Angels, which is the no kill shelter that also brought us Toby and Daisy.  If you live locally, here in Erie, you may know where Orphan Angels is located (8th and Pittsburgh Avenue).  At least, that's where they are now.

What you may not know is that they have to move to a new location and they need to find a new one.

Anyone out there know of a place where about 80 cats and 2 giant bunnies could move into?  If you do, please let us know!! 

While you think about that question, watch this very short (and rather dark because he is still living mostly behind the chair) video of Tuppy (who is named after the Jeeves and Wooster character of the same name.  Tuppy's full name is Hildebrand "Tuppy" Glossup.).


Introducing TUPPY! from marcy hall on Vimeo.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!  Or, try to.  I know, without a Rabbit Movie, one never knows how the weekend will turn out.

On to...Siena!

Well, I thought that I could finish off the second half of the day I began to tell you about on Monday with today's post, but you know what?  I don't think it's going to work.  The problem is, I took SO MANY FREAKING PICTURES and I don't want to shortchange them, and it's so hard to pick and choose what to tell about and what not to tell about, and...

...well, whatever, right?  I'll start today and finish when I finish.

We started this particular day in Tavernelle Val di Pesa at the open Air Market, a tale I told you on Monday.  And after that, we drove a very short way to Siena.

Siena is a beautiful city built in a way that no matter which way you go, you seem to be walking up a hill! 

Siena is another walled city.  Here was the view looking out as we walked along the wall:

In this picture, you can see the wall through the archway.  See, there?  On the left?  That's the wall. (You may also notice the slight incline.  See?  Everything's a hill!!)

This praying station was just inside the main gates of the city.  Up high in the corner of some buildings.  Neat-o-neat!!

In this picture, you can see some of the Siena's flags.  Each little section, or Contrade, of the city has it's own flag.  For more on this, click here.

Siena is pretty darn famous for it's pottery.  I would have brought some home if I hadn't been worried that it would get broken.  After our flight to Italy and seeing how our suitcases got thrown around and, well...lost, i thought purchasing pottery would not be the best idea.  Though there was lots of it and it was all awesome.  I did buy some espresso cups and small pottery-related things, but big pieces seemed like a bad idea.  I took pictures instead!

And, picture this:  You are walking and walking along these tiny, narrow brick streets (made of ANCIENT bricks, mind you, and then suddenly...

...you come across AN AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL CATHEDRAL!!  This is Siena's Duomo.

When I showed the Chick these pictures, she said "It looks like a wedding cake!!"  And it DOES!  In real life it looks like you could EAT IT!  Though, I don't suppose anyone would want to.

Well, maybe a little bite.  I want a frosting flower!

So, more about Siena to come.  TOO MANY PICTURES!!

This is seriously taking away from Rabbit Air Time.

More About Italy

The next day in Italy was so full that I'm going to split it up into two parts.

It began with the part that I'll tell you about today, and it continued and ended with the part I'll tell you about on Wednesday.

I haven't said much yet about the town near which our Villa was located, but it was called Tavarnelle Val di Pesa.  It is about halfway between Florence and Siena on the Firenze- Siena Highway.  Our Villa was about a 10 or 15 minute walk from town.

Earlier in the week, when we had first arrived in Tavarnelle, we had heard that the Open Air Market, which moves to different towns each day, was going to be in Tavarnelle, so of course we decided to go check it out.

They had everything there!  Here, take a look!!

 First, look at this cool weather balloon floating over our villa.  Well, we called it a weather balloon. 

 And, also, here is the Public Library.  It is amazing how they always look the same, isn't it?

 Here we are, coming up on the booths.  That guy is selling some vegetables.

 Then there were flowers!  Beautiful!!

 And, jewelry.

 And scarves and clothes of all types.

 And fruit-- Peaches!  YUM!

 And more veggies and fruit!

Well, and what market would be complete without tentacles?  Right?

Tune in on Wednesday for Part 2 of this day:  SIENA!  

Flip Friday

Here in Erie, Pennsylvania, Winter is approaching.

Winter can get super cold here because of the Lake and stuff.  We get a ton of snow and so winter coats are Important.

Even though Rabbits don't go outside, Winter Coats are Important to Them, too.  And so, each year about this time, They Molt off their Summer/ Autumn Coat and they grow their new Winter Snow Coat.

I say all this to say this:  Rabbits are a little Messy right now.  They are busy molting.  They have bits of hair here and there that just pop up and out.

When you're a Star, you want people to see you at Your Best.

Now, They know that you are not judgmental!  Of course you aren't!  Even so, They are Sensitive about Their looks.

AND, I say ALL THAT to say THIS:  You are getting Old Rabbit Movies Again.  Reruns.  Oldies but Goodies. 





So there you are.   Your Rabbit Fix. 

On Monday, back to Italy!!

Have a great weekend!

Firenze!

On Monday, I told you about our first day in Tuscany.

(Actually, there was a day I missed.  We arrived on Saturday, but pretty late in the day.  On Sunday, we rested, got our bearings, and walked into town to try to find toilet paper.  But, that's a story for another day.  Monday was Monteriggioni and Volterra.  And then, there was Tuesday and....)

.....FLORENCE!

It was time for our first day in Florence (a.k.a. Firenze)!!!

As I mentioned, last week, I was fortunate enough to meet up with my friend, Jenny, who currently lives in Switzerland.  She had to leave from the train station in Florence on Tuesday morning, so off we went in search of adventure and the train.

There's Jenny with the blue backpack, trying to figure out what track her train was on.  They didn't bother to hurry on posting the track number!  But soon, she was off!  BYE, JENNY!!

We left the train station and just started walking.  All roads seemed to lead to the Duomo!  I have to say, it's pretty amazing to walk around the corner and see this sight.

Or this one.  Like I said before, it's hard to take a bad picture in Italy!!  We waited in line for a short few minutes for an opportunity to go into the Cathedral, Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore.  Over the next weeks, we would do this a few more times.

This is one of my favorite shots from inside the Cathedral.  It is generally challenging to take pictures inside the churches because you are usually forbidden from using a flash, but the environment is so dark that you have to hold your camera very still in order to get a clear shot.  It took some practice and lots of blurry photos to get a few clear ones. 

Back outside.  I was fascinated by all the praying stations.  These awesome shrines just show up everywhere on the corners of buildings, or the middle of streets, or off to the sides of streets.  I thought they were cool and I knew the Chick would love them, so I took lots of pictures of them.

I know that I have posted a lot of Italian Cats, but there were also a lot of Italian Dogs.  Here's one now!  He was hanging out in a beauty shop.  As we walked by, he ran to the door!  WOOF!

The famous bronze Baptistery Doors.  This was the Baptistery where people like Dante and the Medicis were baptized.  Just sayin'.

Detail of the bronze doors.

Ummmm....this is ME!  On the steps of the Cathedral, living life.  Gripping my map for dear life.  Well, not really. 

And, random praying station just on the corner of a building.  As you read more about my trip (if you do) you will see lots more of these, trust me!

And so we came to the end of our first day in Florence.  We spent a few days here, so you will see some of these places again.  But now, it's time to go to.....SIENA!!!

Stay tuned for that trip next week.  A Rabbit Movie shall be issued forth for the weekend.

Back to Italy

ENOUGH WITH RABBITS!!!  THEY ONLY GET FRIDAYS!!!

Ha ha ha. OK. Please don't tell them I said that. PLEASE!

Let's go back to Italy. So, there we were in our Villa in the town of Tavarnelle Val di Pesa. Our first day trip was to Volterra. For anyone familiar with the Twilight series (which I am not, though I do work in a Library), you know Volterra, right? Apparently, in the Twilight books, something happened there, though I'm not sure what.

Well, I was there, and I saw NO VAMPIRES!! Weird, right?

Volterra was very close to where our Villa was. Only a short trip.

But, first, we went to Monteriggioni.

Monteriggioni is a medieval walled town built in 1213.  That is pretty much enough to blow your mind, isn't it?  1213???  Yeah, that's what I said.  You can see it there, up beyond that hill.  See the towers?

This is the main entrance to the town.  It is a pretty tight squeeze for delivery trucks going in and out!

We sat and sipped some espresso in one of Monteriggioni's Piazzas, Piazza Roma.  The sugar package you see by my cup has a quote from Dante on it.  Dante mentioned Monteriggioni in his Inferno!!  (I brought that sugar packet home for the Chick.)

One of the town's towers.  This picture was taken from up on the wall that surrounds the city, which you can buy a ticket to walk on.  The views both inside the city and out are amazing.

A view looking the other way-- the outside of the town from the wall.

This is a street level view of Piazza Roma.

A detail of one of the churches in Piazza Roma.  I believe this was San Augustino, but you probably shouldn't quote me on that.

This is a pretty good view that shows the wall around the town. Pretty cool, yes?  I think maybe Erie needs a cool wall!

After a lovely morning of trekking around in Moteriggioni, we were off to Volterra.  Somewhere, in the kilometers between the two places, the weather changed a bit.  What had been a gorgeous, sunny, blue day turned into a bit of a rainstorm.  That was OK, though.  It was Italian Rain, after all, so it seemed fine to me!!

 Here is our arrival in Volterra.  This is the requisite "shot of the sign from the car."

 Random roof and dome shot.  It is really hard to take a bad picture in these places!!

This is the inside of the ristorante where we had lunch.  Part of the wall behind our table was a remnant of the original wall from when the Etruscans had lived in Volterra, which was, oh, back in maybe the 5th century or so.  WHAT??  And I sat and ate noodles there.  Unthinkable!

My lunch noodles.  Mmmmmm.  Eating noodles next to an ancient Etruscan wall.  Yup.

I'm not sure which church this is.  By this time in the day, it was raining pretty hard and I lost track of remembering what was what.  I'm not sure how those two things are related, but I think they are.

Street shot.  Volterra in the rain.  See?  No vampires anywhere, though I guess it is daytime.  Hmmmm.

This was a shot taken while we were on our way back to the car.  I love these roofs -- the lines, the colors.  Just amazing.  The satellite dishes offer a nice touch, too!  Oh, well, even cities built in the 5th century need some updates now and then, right?

Come back for more on Wednesday.  Who knows where we'll end up?  Well, we'll still be in Itlay, but you know what I mean.