November rain

Magnet #647 - Firenze

Ok. So now we're back in business, posting on the day of. What? Ya'll think I'm insane, but seriously, they say after doing something 14 times it becomes a habit. Try doing something after 640 days!

Anyway, Save the World Sister and BIL (now I need a STW couple name for them) brought this back for me when they first visited here a few years ago, and now I'm actually here for myself.

Today was our first full day in Florence, the city of flowers. And rain. Like monsoon rain. Like pouring gatti and cani rain.

A thoroughly trying and stressful day - it's hard to try and shepherd nine other adults. But, that's ok, we got through it, seeing only Il Duomo, the Baptistry, the Duomo museum, and the inside of a Chinese restaurant, two different McDonald's, and a really great Florentine restaurant with really great food. Well, except for dessert - I'm not a fan of panacotta, so the chocolates from the chocolate festival we found in Padua will have to do.

Oh, like you're really surprised we stumbled upon a whole street paved with chocolate.

Oh, when the Saints

Magnet #646 - Saint Anthony of Padua

Ah. I'm finally back on real time for these magnets. Whew.

I promise when I have time and more than 12% left on my Mac battery, I'll do a better version of this magnet.

But, I just had to quickly mention...

Since my dad found out that we were coming to Italy for this wedding, he's been after us about a pilgrimage to Padua. My sisters and I had no idea why, but we soon found out.

Apparently, my paternal grandmother used to pray to Saint Anthony for help getting my dad to straighten out and fly right. Heh. There's something funny about my straight-laced dad being a hooligan. But, it meant a lot for him to come visit the church this morning, so we were happy to go.

We sat through Mass, and walked around the absolutely amazing church. Where Saint Anthony is actually entombed. I know! We Catholics get pretty serious about our saints, and our relics. So file in line to touch the left foot of the tomb, and say a prayer. And then we had to go visit the relics. Ya'll, they had his vocal chords and his tongue, and his teeth all up on high altars behind the sanctuary.

Freaked DC sister out. I don't blame her, it's kinda scary to see that stuff just sitting out where everyone can see it.

As for me, I touched a Saint today. And my hand itched. I really dunno what that means. But it's kinda cool.

Isn't it?

Sigh of something, alright

Magnet #645 - Venice - Bridge of Sighs

Yesterday, while Save the World Couple went off to their Malta honeymoon, the 8 of us remaining went off to Padua, with a quick trip over to Venice.

I've been to Venice once - on my AMA band trip. Where a starry-eyed boy and I spent a few hours wandering the sidewalks and bridges of town and having pizza, so my memories of Venice, are really more of the boy than the town.

Yesterday, I got to make new ones, which were terrific. Though we lost daylight on our vaporetto (water taxi) ride over to Piazza San Marco, we were able to see the beautiful architecture and churches along the way. I was pretty happy - and of course want to watch Italian Job, David Tennant's Casanova and the third Indiana Jones movie.

At least till I saw this treatment of the Bridge of Sighs. I wanted to cry. I'm an adgirl, so I know the wonders of selling valuable adspace for too much money - but seriously, it's almost a desecration. Oh, I totally get they were probably renovating the palace and the prison on either side, but give me a break, the bridge was built in 1602. How is it that 400 years later, it's turned into that? How freakin' sad is that image?

Ah, Venice. I'm heaving a sad, sad, sad sigh for you.

Let's do this!

Magnet #644 - San Gimignano, Italy

Friday was the Save the World Wedding. It was pretty fabulous, even with all the stress that led up to it.

The groom seemed pretty darn relaxed for marrying into my crazy family.

And the bride was all gussied up - seriously, if you've ever seen her climb a wall like a spider monkey, you'd have been surprised to hear the words "bump it" and "where's my tiara" come out of her mouth. But, she turned out beautiful, far surpassing the best wedding quote of the day, "Lookit me! I look like a girl!"

The ceremony was pretty awesome - held at a church with frescoes from the 1200s. Like old ones that were long hidden under layer upon layer of age and updating. Seriously old, folks. Like the center aisle were final resting places of people I had to step over. Twice. Yikes.

But, the best part of the day, I think, was when it was over and they realized they were done, and the bride threw on her chacos and walked her way through the streets of medieval San Gimignano in her wedding dress - groom and photographer in tow. Fantastic memories of them walking hand in hand, surrounded by the old towers of San Gim, with not a care in the world.

Tip to all bridesmaids in destination weddings held in Italy. Buy a dress size larger, and you can eat allllll the Italian courses you want! Hahahaha.

He's her penguin!

Magnets #643a & 643b - Penguins

Another one of my Magnerines collection. What? I love these guys. Of course, I really just line them up on my cube shelf at work, rather than use them as real magnets.

Anyway, I heard somewhere that penguins - like the lobsters - mate for life. No, I haven't seen March of the Penguins, but I could swear I've heard it.

So, the whole reason of this Italian holiday, was for us to be here in Italy for the Save the World wedding - wherein my youngest sister married Save the World BIL (brother-in-law). Our family and his traveled here, and stayed in Tuscan villa. Yes. Exactly like you see in the movies, only minus the French baguettes and peasant shirts and skirts, and the hot guys wearing jeans and white T-shirts, with a cig hanging out of his mouth.

Actually it was a beautiful villa - about 20 minutes from San Gimignano, where the ceremony was. But, it was a nice to see the two of them sort of huddled together like penguins against the world, a little united front, trying to shield each other from the onslaught of family togetherness.

Eh, if they can weather pulling off the Italian dream wedding, I think they're pretty much set for life.

One way, or another

Magnet #642 - London Underground

Well, nuts. I was hoping to keep my daily blogging streak going, but I've been thwarted at every turn during this Italian holiday. Who knew you wouldn't be able to get hotel wi-fi in a Tuscan villa outside of San Gimingano, or just outside the city walls of Padua?

Even now, I'm sitting in a dimly lit "bar," at the end of the registration desk corridor, in a somewhat sketchy (though let's use the word rustic) hotel in Florence, listening to our cute and overworked (well, just since our party got here) concierge snap the wet towels and hang them out to dry on the lines out back. But, hey, I've got wi-fi, and all of our charges are safe and sound in their rustic bedrooms down the hall.

But, what a French farce of a time we had getting here. It's why I'm choosing the London Underground for this first catch-up magnet. London and NYC are two of the easiest to navigate train systems in the world. The Italian train system? Noooooot so much.

Today as we were leaving Padua, we had two of our party - my sister and my friend - get on a train to Geneva. Uhhhh, yeah, we weren't going to Geneva. They didn't even know they'd boarded the wrong train until I texted my friend.

Uhhhh, yeah. This is what happens when you split up big groups.

After loads of parental worries (once the adults realized I wasn't joking about the girls) and reversal of trains (once they realized where they were headed) and more train tickets boughten (once we realized the girls had my train ticket), and yes, loads of laughter (once we were all where we needed to be) and we finally all arrived back in Florence. Whew.

Expensive Eurostar 1st class tickets bought out of desperation? Worth it.

Also. Eurostar - would it kill you to space out the schedule, and perhaps announce trains better, and perhaps order your coaches consistently, so that people with luggage can get to the right place on the platform? Oiy.

Just smile and wave, boys. Smile and wave.

Magnet #641 - New England Aquarium

A friend of mine brought this magnet back for me...I had to look up where the aquarium was. It's in Boston.

I do so love my little magnet - it's adorable. Though, I'm not a huge fan of zoos or aquariums - don't get me wrong, I'm not a huge animal rights person - I do consider both venues a necessary thing to help folks understand the animal kingdom.

I just worry about venues and how humane the animals are being treated - the last one I went to locally freaked me out with their really small enclosures and smelly water.

But, I think that aquarium is set for a renovation, so maybe it won't be so bad. I'd actually consider going to the big ones - Monterrey, Atlanta, Chicago, and this one. At the very least, I'd go just for the supercute magnets.

C'mon, can't you just see this penguin's buggy eyes, just bursting to get out of his little pen here? He's totally planning his escape.