Tuscany Continues

Bonjour, mes amis!  I am  home in Houston again  and still settling back into my old groove.  There is always a short adjustment period during which I try to remember how to do things here and how to get where I need to  be.  I stare at the microwave, trying to find the elusive “cook time” button, and miss lots of turns behind the wheel as I reacclimate to driving and navigating.  It takes me a few days, but eventually it all comes back.  I hope.

I have finally downloaded the rest of my pictures from Tuscany.  I wouldn’t mind a little of that cool Tuscan breeze right about now.

Siena was the first town we toured.  It was lovely.  There is a famous horserace here called the “Palio de Siena”  that is run twice a year around the central plaza.  The ten riders, each from a different “contrade” or “district” of Siena, ride bareback  three laps  of the plaza.  Each horse wears the colors of its district, and is not required to still have its rider at the finish line in order to win.  This race dates back to 1656.  Isn’t that crazy?

This is the plaza around which the race is run.

one of the very best things about Italy…..

I have to admit that I can’t find my itinerary and I cannot remember the names of the other towns we visited.  Oh yeah- there was one called Florence.

The other places were not as well known, but equally charming.  Sorry to be so vague, but that’s why they don’t pay me the big bucks to write this blog.

looking over a vineyard

Good night, Italy.