On to Volterra

On Thursday, we headed to another small town in Tuscany called Volterra. Volterra is a town on a very high mountain and in the winter...it looks like it is floating among the clouds below it. For you Twilight fans...some of the scenes from the movie " New Moon" were shot here. It is also known for its alabaster. We went to an alabaster workshop and got to see how some of the items are made...and of course we shopped for some alabaster. The drive there was also beautiful. So many vineyards and landscapes that looked like they were out of a picture book.:)

Day at the Market

On Wednesday, my parents and brother headed off to Florence and the kids, Guy and I decided to take an easy day and go back into Siena. On Wednesdays, there is an open Market in the town. We had fun looking at all the different things which were there. We did some shopping, had some pizza, and shopped some more. Then, we went into another church in Siena which is dedicated to Saint Catherine of Siena. In this particular church, the actual head of Catherine of Siena is housed in a glass case above the altar. I have to say, it is a very surreal experience to see a relic that old. Her head has been housed there since 1383!!!! It makes America seem like an infant!:)

Wine Anyone??

On Tuesday, we headed off to Montepulcino. This small hill town in Tuscany is known for its wine...and anyone who knows me knows I love my wine.:) I made a conscious decision to stay awake on the ride there so i could look at all of the beautiful scenery on the drive there. When we arrived, we went to a local cantina to taste some wine and we bought some ...of course.:) Very fun. We even saw they were filming a Brazilian soap opera in the main square....there is a story about that...but I will save it for when I can personally talk with all of you.:) After wine tasting, we ate at a small restaurant and had...yes, more wine and then pasta. Then, we walked and looked around inside the church near the square. Jeremy wanted to know why there were candles that were lit, and I told him people light candles when they say a prayer. Guy took him over to light a candle and told him to say a prayer, and Jeremy said," God, I want a flying toy, Amen." I guess we need to work on how to say a prayer.:) ha ha Later on, we walked around the town and did some shopping. It was fun to feel normal again and go in shops to look around without people following me around to haggle the price. It was a lovely day.:)

Day in Siena

On Monday, we spent the day in Siena. We went back to the Duomo to get a better look at this beautiful building.:) We also went to the museum attached to it. It was neat ti see Jeremy looking at everything, in the museum, there were statues of the apostles. He has been learning about them at Sunday School. He saw the statues and I told him who they were. he said " Where is Mathew?" I pointed the statue out to him. It is exciting to see him starting to make connections with what he is learning. At the top of the museum, there was a beautiful view of Siena...even though it was another cold and rainy day.:) Afterwards, we finished up with a pizza lunch..of course!:) The kids were exhausted...and came home and took a nap.:)

Easter in Siena

On Sunday, was Easter. It was a very cold and rainy day, but we were in Siena ...and Siena is still beautiful no matter how cold it is. We went to Easter Sunday Mass at the Duomo in Siena. It was amazing. The church was beautiful and it is amazing to me how old the buildings in all of Europe really are. After we went to mass, we went to a small family restaurant near our villa for lunch. :) Later on, the kids did our traditionally Easter egg hunt.:) ( Although, this year it was inside)

Arriving in Siena

On April 3 we headed to Siena from Orvieto. Once again, Guy did a great job of navigating in the car ...thank goodness he has a good sense of direction ( I was not given that gift when God was passing it out). The villa was beautiful when we arrived there.:) Guy also did a great job of finding a great place to stay. We met my parents there also that Saturday. We stopped off in a small grocery store in Orvieto and picked up a few groceries. Guy cooked dinner for everyone that night. We were all tired...but my parents were especially tired..they had been awake for over thirty hours from traveling from California...arriving in Rome and then driving up to Siena. Here are a few pictures from our villa in Siena.

Heading to Italy

On April 1, we headed out of Lagos and boarded our plane to Italy.:) This was a special trip since it was the first time we bought Elizabeth her own seat. She maxed out on her age of being "lap child" and had her very own grown up seat. She wasn't in it very much at first. Guy was great about walking her around the airplane during our unexpected layover in Ghana. But, eventually she and Jeremy both fell asleep fr some of the flight. Actually, Jeremy fell asleep right when we took off from Lagos and didn't wake up until we landed in Rome. He said " Hey, we didn't even fly!" Guy and I were laughing...he is sch a great traveler!:)
after we landed in Rome, We rented a car and drove to a small town called Orvieto. Guy was really tired since he can't sleep very well on overnight flights...especially with an active two year old!:) But, he did a great job of navigating our way to Orvieto ( and also had the help of a GPS)....which has been declared..his "perfect woman".:) ha ha We actually stayed in a convent in Orvieto. guy found it on the web and it turned out really great. Although, the nuns didn't speak a word of English and we didn't speak a word of Italian. The rooms were very nice with beautiful views and it even had a playground.:) My brother, Andrew, also met us in Orvieto, and he also stayed with us in the convent ( a place he never thought he would end up)....he really didn't have a choice since he had been pick pocketed in Rome and had to stay with us where we were.:) It was pretty funny for me to think of my 28 year old brother in the Navy staying in a convent...but it makes for a great story, right?:) Jeremy and Elizabeth also had their fist taste of real Italian spaghetti.:) when we were looking at the menu, I told Jeremy he could have spaghetti he said "mommy, they don't have any other tasty things for little children?" I said " no, not really, we are in Italy.."Here are some pictures of our stay in Orvieto.:)