So, after my last panic attack caused by trying to add something insignificant like 4 pictures to a post, clever Meira suggested that I use Flickr in future because they do all the work for me. I messed around creating an account and figuring out all their jargon, then triumphantly reached the step of "blog this!" and had another panic attack when it popped up looking like it had gone through a blender!It is surely operator error, because I've added and subtracted a whole bunch of template-related code without knowing the first thing about what I'm doing...well, I cannot face uploading each picture individually editing its html, so will have to direct you to my Flickr collection. I've added as many photos as I'm allowed (they have a monthly limit) to an album called Italia, and will continue to post pics there because Blogger is very temperamental (and does strange things to my paragraph format when I do manage to beat its system and sneak a picture in...)
So I recognise that I'm the most unreliable blogger in the world, and that once-monthly posting is unreasonable/ridiculous. I don't know how many of you are reading to find out about what I'm up to vs. what's up with Italy; if it's the latter, please check out the more attentively maintained blogs of a few new acquaintances of mine:
* My Life Italian * Ms. Adventures in Italy * With a Rebel Yael
And maybe look at these funny posts while you're at it:
The Bigger the Butt, the Better * As promised * Ugly people need not apply
So, as an explanation of the shot above and of some boat-related pictures on Flickr: the first weekend in June features a national Festa della Repubblica holiday, so Filippo, his cousin Andrea, wife Stefania and I drove down to Lavagna for what was supposed to be a 3-day trip up the swanky Italian Riviera... Though Filippo had been warned, he had not completely understood his uncle's explanation that the motor on the sailboat wasn't working --"it's a sailboat," he insisted, "it doesn't need a motor!" Hmmm, but how to get in and out of the marina? Turns out that we couldn't paddle ourselves away, so ended up sleeping and suntanning on the boat, and going on bike rides and adventurous beach trips for fun. There was one house that I found and fell in love with --I couldn't capture its unique beauty in a picture, so will have to steal a shot which I think explains why I had such a connection with it... (The Mystery of the Moss-Covered Mansion was my first Nancy Drew book.)
"Come, dear children, run this Palio and run it so that only one can possess it."
St. Catherine of Siena
Da da da daaaaaaa
(trumpet noises): it's Palio time! My good friend Clare was supposed to pop by on Sunday, but had to cancel her trip to Italy unexpectedly...so at around midnight last night, Filippo and I accepted an invitation to go to Siena and watch this 300 year-old horse race. Tickets to this event must be reserved literally years in advance and start at about $1000, "so how the heck is Kim getting to go?" you ask yourself...well, enter the Pizza Connection (as Filippo calls it): his pal Andrea (whom he met in Belgrade) is from Siena originally, and his cousin owns a bar overlooking the Piazza del Campo, where the Palio takes place. So we're IN! I'm so excited to be celebrating Canada Day in one of my favourite places in all of Italy (?!), and cannot imagine that in less than 3 days I'll be watching the famous horses snorting and scrambling around the track with my own eyeballs.There are 17 ancient rival parishes (or "contrade") that sub-divide the tiny little town, each with its own animal symbol featured prominently on flags, plaques, statues, etc. within its territory. (I wish I could post a bunch of pictures of these animals, because though the alliances they represent are taken extremely seriously (i.e inter-marriages used to be illegal), I find it hilarious that a guy from the "snail" contrada would beat up a guy from the "unicorn" contrada for talking dirt.) Anyway, the Palio is a race (two, actually: 2 July and 16 August) between horses from 10 randomly-drawn contrade --the winning horse earns a Palio banner that is proudly displayed in his contrada until next year.
I've just glanced at the clock and realised that this post has taken far too long to write, so I'll point you to the Comune of Siena's dry description of the mechanics of the event...ok, this lyrical article, 75 seconds for the Victory, will paint a more sentimental picture of the ceremony and emotion involved --I've got to put in a few more hours of studying now, then pack: we leave tomorrow!
Oooooh, last but not least: take a look at my newly-adopted hedgehog at the bottom-left of this page, and try to figure out how to feed him a strawberry or two!