Maya posing for me on the Arezzo wall.  I am so glad to have her as my model! 

Last weekend we visited the cities of Assisi and Siena.  Maya found her own special seat on the train. 

We had to take a bus from the train station up to the actual city and it was packed with people.  I mean packed!  Me and the kids were the last ones on the bus and were standing right up against the back doors.  The bus whipped up the curvy roads and we were all squishing into each other.  Once we got off the bus, Omar asked if everyone had their wallets.  One student said, "Yes I have my wallet, but my dignity was left on that bus."  Ha!

The Furman students outside the St. Francis Basilica.   It was beautiful inside (no pictures allowed).   The kids did great keeping quiet.  We were down in the crypt, which was beautifully decorated, and Isaac was playing with his audio transmitter (what we wear so we can hear the tour guide) and pretending it was a phone.  He screamed at the top of his lungs "HELLO!"  It echoed throughout the entire crypt.  I immediately put my hand over his mouth in case he had more to say.    We all had a good laugh! 

The front of St. Francis Basilica.  The day we were visiting, the president of Italy was speaking in the piazza right off to the left of the basilica.   They had the "polizia" patrolling the place, but didn't seem to be bothered by all of the tourist.  If President Obama had been speaking there, no one would have been allowed near it without high level security! Viva Italia!

This is the church of St. Clare.  She was the good friend of St. Francis.  They both practiced a life of simplicity and devotion to God.   In the crypt of this church, they had some of the tunics that both she and St. Francis wore hundreds of years ago.  It was really interesting.

The kids checking out the amazing view with Deb-wa (Deborah).

The town of Assisi as seen from St. Clare's.  Doesn't this look like a postcard?

The next day we visited Siena.  We started in the huge Piazza del Campo.  Each year they host a horse race in this square.  

The kids wearing their headphones and listening to the tour.

That lasted all of 5 minutes and then they were ready to play. 

The Siena Cathedral was amazing.  The entire inside is striped white and black, the colors of Siena.  The floor is decorated with beautiful marble mosaic floors.  They typically keep them covered to preserve them, but this particular weekend they were uncovered.  It was really interesting to see the floors and how detailed they were.

Omar and our tour guide Shannon had to wait in a long line to get tickets inside.  The Italians don't know how to wait in line.  I know this from experience.  Numerous times I have been waiting in line at the grocery store and someone will just come up and walk right in front of me.  Due to the language barrier, I have not said anything to them.  But geesh!  While waiting for the tickets into the cathedral, an actual fist fight broke out because there was no order to the process.   Meanwhile, we all sat on the steps and people watched.

We thought this sign was funny.   No hamburgers and no top hats!

Overall it was a great weekend!  The students are on Fall Break next week and we will be taking that time to tour more of Italy as a family.  We are very excited!!!  Ciao!