August 8th - Tour of the Villa Grounds UPDATED 8/13

Wednesday afternoon Bruno gave us a tour of the 250 acre villa.  

View from the family's house, Montalbano.

The trees to the left demarcate the edge of the villa estate, and also the very edge of the Chianti Classico region, coincidentally.  Any wine made after this point cannot legally be called Chianti Classico, and can only be called Sangiovese. 

Jackelyn, Bruno and grape vines.

Italy, where every plant is edible.  Lavender in the foreground, olive trees, sunflowers on the right, and vineyards back left.

Don't remember the name of this house on the hill.  Every house has a name.

View from the patio of one of the houses.

View of the monastery in an adjoining property which hid the Pipernos during WWII.

In lieu of a panoramic camera, here's a short video (now would be a good time to turn the laptop upside down).

August 8- Arriving in Siena

We arrived in Siena yesterday afternoon after a long day of traveling.  It started with a 6:30am taxi to Charles de Gaulle airport, then we took a plane to Frankfurt, where we had a layover and then continued with a flight to Florence, where we took a bus into town and then another bus to Siena.  The Piperno's, friends of Andrew's family, have been so generous to host us at their villa for two nights.  These two pictures don't even begin to give justice to the beauty that surrounds us.

Jackelyn at lunch out on patio with large views of the Tuscan countryside.

Another incredible view.

We went into Siena this morning to see the town, and the views of the medieval city were very charming.

Siena is full of paths that are tight, winding, and steep.  It's a miracle/nightmare that any cars try to pass through.

We went to the Duomo di Siena, which has alternating stripes of marble that pay homage to the symbolic colors of Siena (the black and white of the horses of the city's founders).

Dora, Ilmanuele, Giuseppe, and Sofia stayed up with us to play Monopoli (in Italian).  The game hinged upon Vicollo Corto (or that's what kept being discussed every turn).

Aug 6th - Seine River Cruise

In the evening we floated on the Seine and looked at Paris.

 

They had handsets where they pointed out landmarks.  Push 2 for a jolly Brit.

Jackelyn with handset.

Tour Eiffel from the river.

After the cruise we took the metrocto the trendy (and less expensive) Latin Quarter for dinner.

Metro.

Cafe.

Wine selection du jour.

Aug 6th - Jewish Quarter

After the Pont des Artes we went off in search of the historic Jewish quarter, known as the "Pletzl."  Here are some photos.

They have a nice memorial for the Shoah.

Names of the 75,000 Frenchmen who died during the Holocaust.

Pletzl, with kosher Patisseries on the left and right.  "Deux rugelach s'il vous plait."

The Pletzl has four kosher falafel places, with guys outside yelling at you in English that their falafel is the best. 

We came to Paris for the falafel.  

Nom.

Judaica.  All aboard the kiddish train.

Aug 6th - Pont des Arts

On Mondays the Musee de Orsee and Versailles are closed unfortunately. so we did these things:

This is a bridge where lovers attach locks with their names, symbolising the permanence of their love, or something.

Nice face, Andrew.

August 5th - Out and About in Paris (again)

Metro stations are classy.

Paris metro opened in 1900.  By comparison, NYC MTA opened in 1904.  Paris metro is cleaner.

They are fans of pneumatic train tires?

Paris has a rich graffiti history.

Like the "zombie money pyramids."

Paris has better advertising than the USA.

And I can't wait to see this movie.

August 5th - Eiffel Tower

After Notre Dame, we went to the Tour Eiffel:

Maaaw

Unflattering picture of the Eiffel tower's undercarriage.

We bought tickets ahead of time and therefore bypassed a 3 hr wait.  Hooray internet.

View of the spire from the 2nd etage.  

View of Jackelyn and the Palais de Chaillot

The Palais de Chaillot is the site of the 1878 World's fair, where notably the completed head of the Statue of Liberty and Alexander Graham Bell's telephone were showcased.

7th Arrondissement, where our hotel and primary hangout spots are located.  This is a view from the spire.

They have a comparison of heights, distances and directions of cities and buildings throughout the world from the 2nd etage.  As though the Eiffel Tower is the center of the world (why not?).

The Washington Monument (169.3 m) is 6175 km that-a-way

Pretty sure we were elsewhere...