#essieherself

Day 35: More beach! We basically tried to recreate the previous day, but with more forethought and less stumbling around and lucking into lovely things. Spoiler: Success! The villa we stayed at actually is part owner of a private stretch of beach, so we got a ride there. We didn’t have chairs, but we had a big ‘ol umbrella, and the whole thing was just...great. Like yesterday, we played and frolicked and swam. We built sand things, aided in our efforts by the bucket, shovel, and toys we bought from a wandering beach vendor. (Colleen talked him down from 10 Euro to 7.) #EssieHerself and I went off on a little daddy/daughter adventure, striking out for a rocky outcropping down the beach. On the other side, we found a different type of beach--rocky and man-made--and we swam out to the buoys. We touched them because we were champs. She was nervous about it but ginned up enough courage to let me take her out there. Certain parties may or may not have peed in the water. With the afternoon waning, we gathered ourselves up, got a ride back to the villa, showered, dressed, and headed back into town for dinner. Our host, Mario, recommended Paolino, and it didn’t disappoint. Hardly anyone else was there, but the food was spot on. The owner kept trying to upsell us by saying, “My wife….” followed by some dish that she hand made that we simply had to try. He was right about the seafood salad, though. MmmmmmMm. One of Colleen’s dishes was an entire fish. She dared the girls to kiss it on the lips. Hilarity ensured. Camille eventually did it. (That is SO Camille. She has a history of successfully completing food dares.) Es couldn’t bring herself to do it. We embarrassed ourselves in front of the whole place but did not care. The whole episode lasted something like 20 minutes. We hit up the same gelato place this night as we did last night, because hey why not! Filippo was once again our driver, because he is the best, and we love him. #andiamocolaneri (at Follonica, Italy) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn6Xo7PnSrJ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=fllbcwevk18e

Day 33, part 2: Climbing the Torre Del Mangia One of the two highest points in Siena is the Torre del Mangia, aka the Tower of Mangia. It stands guard over the Piazza del Campo in the heart of the old city, keeping time with its clock and hearkening back to 700 years ago when its bell told the city what was when. Hundreds of years ago, there were many such towers in Siena, but in a not-so-subtle reverse phallic gesture, Florentine invaders toppled all but one. Ascending the tower’s some 300 steps is a must-do before you leave Siena, but we Colaneri managed to burn through 5 weeks and hadn’t yet bothered to tackle it. I was determined not to miss this, and I convinced #EssieHerself to come with me on this adventure. Those 300-ish steps are supposed to be intimidating, but we’d been climbing up and down 60+ steps to our flat every day, schlepping children and strollers and groceries, so facing an extra couple hundo stairs, unburdened by anything but my camera, did not seem daunting in the slightest. In any case, we were in top stair-climbing shape. Es was in full adventure mode, letting her brain explore and ask and pontificate and say “WHOA, Daddy check this out!”. These have always been my favorite times with her, ever since I was home with her when she was a toddler. With hours at a time to kill, we would just...go somewhere, with no agenda, and explore. The view from the top is what you’d expect it to be. You can see the entire city in 360 degrees, and miles (err, kilometers) beyond. The bell sits right there in the center of the loggia. If you feel rascally, you can easily climb up and touch it. Es and I soaked it in, taking turns pointing out landmarks, including the church next to our flat. We took our selfies and, uh, us-ies (?), and I shot my panoramas. Nice people took decent photos of us together. It was nearly evening, and the light was getting softer and warmer. It was time to head back down. Of course, we bumped into Haley on the steps on the way. This jaunt felt like the end of our Siena, and it was a hell of a way to cap it off. Ciao, Siena. Grazie, grazie, grazie. #andiamocolaneri   (at Siena, Italy) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnRJcVvnQBH/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=f8x53kxo8ow9

Day 33: Packing up It's so odd to suddenly be done with Siena. After so many adventures and so much time here, it...it doesn't feel like home, but it feels safe and familiar. And that's something. But today is it. In the morning, we're off to Follonica for some beach time before we return home. (HOME home, that is.) And of course it's bittersweet. We're all a little ready for our normal life (my constantly aching back says I need my bed in the worst way, for example), but we'll miss Siena badly. And not just the city...we had friends here! Our American buddies made our time in Siena 100 point better (“100 point” is in our family lexicon now, thanks to Camille), and we'll miss them most of all, methinks. Young Henry planned a party for our last day (and did it days in advance). We will meet at Fontebranda. We will race handmade boats. We will eat and/or drink. Yes...YES. Awesome idea Henry! The kids had made a ton of little boats out of corks (hmmm how did they get *so many* of those) & toothpicks & paper & bits of junk. Some were plain & built for “speed”. Others had elaborate sails. They all floated admirably. #EssieHerself made one with a working anchor. It did poorly in the race, obviously, but it was a great little bit of engineering. They even made flags for each contrada, so it was a sort-of Palio. A boat Palio. A representation of something that is already a metaphor for something else. I don't remember who won, but the kids were happy, & we parents were duly impressed with their ship-building & banner-making. We snacked & drank a bit while the kiddos milked as much playtime as they could out of the afternoon. We all said goodbyes and stay-in-touches (which actually means something in the social media era). Everyone was a little sad but hid it well. Ciao bell...bellas? What's the plural? I'm still terrible at Italian… After some rest and a jaunt up the Torre del Mangia with Es, we capped the day. Dinner with Haley, shooting glowing trinkets into the air on the Campo, and last gelato. Then the requisite frantic-ish packing and fitful night of sleep that always precedes an early morning wake-up call. 6:30am approached...time to go.

Day 32: PALIO! Today is the big day. The running of the Palio! Since we first learned that we’d be going to Siena, I’ve been looking forward to this. Friends who have seen it before proclaim its greatness. It’s a horse race, in the middle of this little city, and you can stand right. Freaking. There. I decided, much against character, that I wouldn’t bring my camera with me. I wanted to simply experience the race and everything around it without thinking about trying to get a good shot. The race lasts like 90 seconds, which IMHO isn’t enough time to both soak it in and get just the right angles with the right light, etc. Also, I heard that the crowd situation on the #PiazzaDelCampo, which is the center of the racetrack, can get hairy, and I didn’t want to have to worry for my physical safety while protecting a dumb camera. And so I went in armed with only my phone. And I left it in my pocket during the race itself. I do not regret this. For a couple of reasons. But first...there’s a WHOLE LOT OF STUFF that happens in little ‘ol Siena on Palio day. Which I present now, in four parts. Stay tuned. Also I love this pic of #EssieHerself because she looks like she did when she was tiny. #andiamocolaneri (at Siena, Italy)

Day 19, Part 2: Girls and Peacocks In the evening, we headed down to Orto de Pecci. I’ve mentioned this place before: It’s just a few minutes form our flat, but it’s like walking through a portal...you go through a little gate, and suddenly instead of bricks and stone, it’s grass and trees and animals. A long dirt and gravel track leads you to a couple of buildings. Or maybe it’s all one funky building, I’m not even sure. This is the little restaurant with almost entirely outdoor seating. It’s fairly casual food--pastas and pizzas and none of it fussy. Like every establishment in this country, it has good and inexpensive wine by the barrelful. This place is home to many animals, not the least of which is a brood (Gaggle? Harem? Flock?) of peacocks. They are loud and squawky, not unlike our children, but they’re also quite beautiful when they aren’t assaulting your eardrums or standing in your way. Again, not unlike our children. On this visit, the peacocks were feeling especially familiar with humans, and #EssieHerself was totally down with that. And so they had this...dance. Es wouldn’t get toooooo too close, and neither would the peacocks. And neither would Camille. Even though she was definitely thinking about it. Mostly, the kids just got silly, wrestling with each other, almost peacocking, and barely eating their dinner. You know, the usual. Also, Es looks like a real farm girl, replete with trucker hat and overalls. Also also, there’s that giant silver head again. Orto de Pecci is kind of a weird place. But we dig it. #andiamocolaneri @colleenc0801 (at Siena, Italy)

Day 19, Part 1: National Essie Day Every year, we commemorate the day we finalized each of our kids’ adoptions. National Essie Day and National Camille Day. (Or this year, *International* Essie/Camille Day(s)...) #EssieHerself is getting *really* into it this time around. Instead of a special breakfast or whatever, she wants it to be a week-long affair with multiple gifts, like a cross between Hanukkah and a queen’s birthday. We indulged her wishes...by about 7%. The result is basically special time with Mom, special time with Dad, a dinner, and a toy. For Special Dad Time In Commemoration Of National Essie Day I Mean International Essie Day, she wanted to acquire Hello Kitty “gelato” (it’s just a popsicle) from the place a few doors down from our flat and then pop down to the little playground near our flat (#Torre). And so we did. We also did a little shopping, where she bought an awesome hat. And she dropped a few postcards in the mail for her friends back home. She’s such a good kid, dramatic demands for celebrations notwithstanding. She dotes on her little sister. She co-parents (even when we don’t want her to). She’s immensely creative. She loves hard. She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. She could accurately be described as a human puppy. And she loves to spend special time with her people, and play on playgrounds, and eat ice cream. Me too, kid. Me too. #InternationalEssieDay #andiamocolaneri (at Siena, Italy)

Day 7, part 1: Florence & The Rain (great band name) The Logge right there by the Uffizi and Piazza Vecchio is full of statues. Some are kinda old, like 19th century, but some are OLD old, like 2nd century. What a weird mix of eras. Like it's a garage full of whatever-statues, and then someone finally just organized them on pedestals and whatnot. After a rest, we took the girls out. It had just rained, so they were splashing in puddles and generally frolicking. It was cool out, and overcast, and the rain had chased a lot of the crowds away. It was also close to 7pm, so a lot of folks were shuffling off to find dinner. I liked this version of Florence the best. @colleenc0801 peeled off to attend a dinner with the students, while I walked the girls to McDonald's, again, because the only protein they will consume on this continent is chicken nuggets. After, we stopped at a pasta place so I could eat (you didn't think I ate at the friggin’ McDonald's Firenze, did you?). Nice little place. Delicious tortellini with prosciutto and a creamy sauce. Sated and therefore far less cranky, we hiked back at the hotel, stopping for (of course) gelato on the way. Once we got back to the hotel, the kids were zonked. Thankfully. Here's to a better day tomorrow. Included is some miscellaneous pics: Camille does want her picture taken. The best gelato shop, per #EssieHerself. A bizarrely colored taxi with a matching woman driver. A bike hanging three stories up, with no apparent way to retrieve it. A living statue. A hug for Camille from one of the hotel workers, because that's how Camille things go. #andiamocolaneri (at Florence, Italy)

Day 6, part 2: Florence The Arno River is wider than you’d think, and much of the city lines its banks, dramatically bisecting the city There’s a series of bridges to keep everyone connected. Apparently there were many more at one time, but...WWII took almost all of them. The most famous of the remaining bridges is the Ponte Vecchio, which hardly feels like a bridge when you’re walking on it. It’s covered in shops that mostly obscure the river view. May of the shops are jewelers, hearkening back to a time long ago when the wealthy elite 1) didn’t want to walk amongst the peasants, and 2) built this bridge so they wouldn’t have to and 3) allowed only high-end merchants like jewelers to hawk their wares here. By the time we were done with the Galileo museum, @colleenc0801 was almost literally dead. So we stopped at a nearby shop and got more sandwiches, and right next door we got the girls gelato. #EssieHerself is beginning to experiment with ordering in Italian. This hole-in-the wall gelato place had AMAZING canolis. Perfect shell. Exquisite cream. Sprinkled with chocolate on one end and crumbled pistachios on the other. Best I've had, hands down. We went back to our hotel and crashed, Leen asleep and the girls on tablets. I worked on posting pics and stories. Eventually we all roused ourselves and went to dinner with Haley (but not w/o a #WAB). We got the girls McDonald's. Then we went off to find actual dinner for grownups. I found an awesome-looking place online, but when need got there we needed reservations. Plan B was a great little place around the corner. With the girls on tablets, the three adults had a lovely meal. (On the menu: rabbit!) We swung by Florence’s Duomo. It makes the Duomo in Siena look like baby diarrhea, and that's pretty impressive considering the one Siena is astounding. The one in Florence has the exact same exterior decor but is AT LEAST TWICE AS LARGE IN EVERY DIRECTION. You can’t even fit the whole thing in one photo. Hopefully we'll go inside tomorrow. There’s a line. Ugh. I managed to locate and consume one more canoli on the way back to the hotel. All four of us were in bed by 11. #andiamocolaneri (at Florence, Italy)