116 replies to this topic

[tamathumper]

Beware of evil twins if you're on the pooter. The last time I was in Lido (on the ocean side of Venice) there were three at the poolside alone.

http://en.wikipedia....eless_networks)

[AJG]

Get a bicycle and cycle over Tre Cime De Lavaredo! Or maybe the Marmolada, then relax with some nice Barbera D'Asti.

Andy

[rxter]

Its bad enough living vicariously through Bob's car - now I get to do it with his vacation too??? Pictures

[flash]

lol - i'll get some pics up tomorrow

left florence, had a nice drive and spent the day yesterday bopping around siena, ending with dinner with our contrada

unfortunately our jockey killed our horse yesterday in a trial run (no joke), so we're not sure who to root for now - this is a very dangerous event - 50 deaths since 1970

off to the race today - we have a window in an apartment, so this should be really cool

[DaveN]

Don't trust the Wild Boar for dinner tonight, might be a little hoarse after the days events

[flash]

lol - i'm not sure that's not what we had last night

what a race! riders down all over - horses running without them - bodies flying - just crazy

i'll get to posting pics tomorrow

[flash]

the medici palace
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a boy choking his chicken, or something like that
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indians in italy?
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obviously kids are allowed to display their stuff too
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can you imagine the crick in your neck from painting that?
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optical illusion - the tower looks like it's leaning out, no matter which side, but it's not
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who needs, wheels, steering, and a motor? just add a willing worker instead
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[ds968]

" unfortunately our jockey killed our horse yesterday in a trial run "
story was briefly covered on the Euromaxx program we watch occasionally.. the report suggested the horse died of an apparent heart attack. jokeys on the other hand are injured , or killed sometimes by being flung off the horse and slamming against the walls in sharp turns..

it's no " ride in the park" , apparently

[DaveN]

You lost me after "Choking the Chicken"

[flash]

yeah - the horse suffered internal injuries and ultimately succumbed to a heart attack

lol - thought you might enjoy that

i'll post pics of the palio tomorrow - didn't want to do it all at once

tomorrow we're off to the town hall to visit the centuries old book our wedding certificate is in, and then bop around the area some more before preparing to head for perugia on tuesday

[Scott Collins]

That last photo shows that banks are foreclosing in Italy as well...

[flash]

as promised, some shots of palio - the majesty and ceremony of this event is beyond description - you really have to be here to appreciate the level of energy and the depth of involvement of the people - the race itself goes back centuries - it used to be a stakes race, with the winner having the rights to all of the other horses - the horse can finish without the rider, and often does - the history of it is full of deaths of both riders and horses - definitely none of that sissy kentucky derby kind of stuff - these guys don't know the horse they are riding, do it bareback, and only run 3 laps - they are given a stick with which they can beat the other riders - the start is strategic too - they line up to the rope, and when all horses are lined up, the rope drops - it's really quite combative

the race is supposed to have 10 starting horses, having gone though preliminary disqualification rounds - as i said, our horse died the day before the race, so there were only 9 at the start - we saw riders flying off the horses, horses slamming into walls, and riders being trampled - at the end of the race, 7 horses finished - only 4 had riders - the entire race lasted 90 seconds - brutal


a shot from our window as the preparation begins
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remember that cartoon?
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a bit of pomp
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bring on the band
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knights in white spandex?
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the banner guys are phenomenal - note the gathered banner of the contrada with the dead horse
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just a few people here for this
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jockeying for position for start
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and they're off - this is just before a horse slammed the wall and knocked off the jockey
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[lbpesq]

Cool pics! I think those horses need cup holders! lol

Bill

[PhilG968]

Nice pics, thanks, and yes I do remember the cartoon!

[flash]

phil - lol - it cracked me up when i saw it, and thought i'd share

lbpesq - a couple of them could definitely have used ABS and airbags

more pics of more towns tomorrow

[ds968]

forget cup holders, looking at those horses leaning into the turn it's obvious all of them could have benefited from an M030 set up, and Bob should have taken at least one D1 lower brace with him and fit it on his favorite runner before the race

Edited by ds968, 04 July 2011 - 06:56 PM.

[AJG]

As Flash can probably testify, once you're in the square's centre, that's you for the rest of the day, there's no escape. And the heat! It's unbearable!

Andy

[tamathumper]

Cartoons? Are we talking about Fractured Fairy Tales here?

[cosimo]

Flash, don't miss the Duomo. The marble floors are spectacular. Also, you can eat a deliciso dinner at the Villa Scacciapenseri. It overlooks Siena. Follow the signs to the ospedale.

[flash]

we didn't have to suffer the center of the square or the heat - we were in an air conditioned apartment looking down on the masses crammed into the square

did the duomo 2 years ago - spent most of the time attending events and shopping this time - even took a day trip to monteriggioni - we left siena this morning and headed for perugia via montalpuciano