A Day in Siena

Our trip to Siena started off somewhat rocky. The bus ride was a little rough and once we arrived and I attempted to fight off motion sickness while praying that I found some Dramamine before the ride home. However, I pulled myself together and made it through the town. The first sight was the Piazza del Campo, in the center of the city. It was pretty nice, and it was interesting to see all the people laying out or picnicking on just a large brick floor. After getting a look at the Piazza we met up with our tour guide who showed us the synagogue and the location where the Jewish Ghetto began. It was definitely interesting to see how narrow the street was and how tall the walls were. It gave some sense of what it was like to live in the ghetto and how crowded and closed in it must have felt. The synagogue was also very interesting to see. The seats were set up in a square surrounding the beema, which is very different from the shul I attend at home which is set up with rows going back from the beema which is in the front of the room. I thought that the synagogue itself was very quaint and the decoration was beautiful. I loved the bronzed doors and just the overall atmosphere. I have to say though, I found seeing the old texts up in the women's section to be the most interesting part. I find old documents like that, which are still in tact, to be incredible. They were written by the people who lived in the city and prayed at that synagogue so long ago.
The rest of the day in Siena was alright. Lunch was good, although we got separated from the group. We were tired so we ate, explored the city and got to see some amazing views of the countryside beyond the city walls, and hopped on a bus home, just to arrive into shambles in our apartment. But that, is another story entirely.........

Duomo

Our first Wednesday in Florence we all went on a lovely group trip to the Duomo in the center of the city. As we learned in our walking tour the first weekend here, the Duomo has an incredible amount of history in Florence; from simply the construction of its massive dome, to the historical events and the assassination between rivaling families that occurred there. It is truly a magnificent sight to see, even just from the outside. However, going inside is a completely different and unforgettable experience. After seeing the Duomo and how beautiful it is from the outside, I was under the impression the inside would be as well. Once we got inside and started climb up the first set of stairs, I thought this won't be so bad. It wasn't until we got to maybe the 50th step and all I could hear was Nick saying "oh my God" around each turn that I started to get worried. Then we finally got to the level below the dome, looking down over the Church below. the second i stepped out onto that ramp the first leg of the journey was worth every stair. All I could see above me was a beautiful massive painting. Seeing how large it was up that close was incredible, I was in awe and just stared at it. The view down below was just as incredible. Being able to be up so high and look down at how big the inside of the church actually is was very cool. I also found it interesting to be able to get somewhat of an aerial view of the set up of the seats to look like a cross.
It was now time for the last leg of the journey up the never-ending staircase. The rest of the climb was pretty brutal, as A.J. claimed to have a heart condition, but we made it to the top. The view was insane. You could see the entire city of Florence. It was absolutely beautiful. The rainy weather made the walk around the top of the dome a little scary, as I was in flip flops, which do not mix well with wet, slippery marble floors. However, I did not slide off of the roof of the Duomo, so all is well. All in all, the Duomo was definitely an incredible piece of historical Florence that I am truly happy that I got to see and experience.

Arrividerci America!

The trip to Florence was quite an interesting one. Shortly after arriving at Dulles, I met Ana, Samantha, Hayley, Ilana, Rachel, Joe, and AJ. We all patiently awaited our departure and got to know each other while discussing our expectations for this trip. We then got on the plane, everything was going very well and we were all having fun. A few hours into our flight we hit turbulence, and things took an odd turn. I made a wonderful first impression on my fellow classmates and new friends by fainting in the aisle of the plane. After I was alright and everyone had a good laugh at my expense, we arrived in Munich. With our short layover time we had to make a dash through the airport, and finally got on our plane to Florence. The plane was very small, hot, and playing an odd assortment of American music; not to mention that is was delayed. We finally took off on the final leg of our trip into Florence.

Upon our arrival i realized that I had lost a bracelet, and when Ilana told me that one of the flight attendants had found it but ran off with it, I spent my first 20 minutes in Florence hunting down the German Lufthansa stewardess who had my bracelet. Unfortunately I was unable to find her, so we left in the pouring rain to go to our hotel. Finally, we got to the hotel, and we were officially in Florence. All of the mishaps that happened are now just something to laugh at because being in this incredible city has made it all worthwhile.