March 22, 2005
Dogs
Italy has a ton of dogs! Most of the people walk their dogs on these beautiful leather leashes which I think are totally unique to any thing I've seen in the States. When we went to the leather factory yesterday I asked the shopkeeper for the name of a good pet shop that would sell leather leashes. She told me the name but when I went to the shop it was closed! I had an hour break today so Stephanie and I raced over to the pet shop while passing huge statures on all sides of us. To my great excitement the pet shop was open! We went in and there was the leash I wanted: black leather with all these clips and metal rings. I am not sure what they are all used for but it looks cool. When Brecken, my faithful Flat-Coated Retreiver, and I graduate on May 22nd she will be wearing the leather leash I bought in Florence with pride!
Gwyneth Watrous '05
From Atop the Tower
Today in Florence, my tiger and I climbed the tower in front of the Duomo. It took us about ten minutes to climb all four hundred and fourteen stairs to the very top. The view of Florence from atop the tower was unbelievable. Even though Tiger passed out face first on the very last step before the top, we had a great time. The dome of the Duomo was very large and an anomaly. Next time I come to Florence with Tiger we are going to climb to the top of the Duomo dome.
Sienna was a great city to go to. I love the small cities of Italy. They feel more down to earth and not overwhelming. Chris and Garrett decided they were dragons, and I am a wolf. These animals represent twelve districts in the city of Sienna. They tried to make me a porcupine but I overruled them. SIENNA ROCKS!!!
Jonathan Speiser '06
Beautiful
Florence is such a beautiful place. The scenery was gorgeous and the moon could be seen during the day, which is an unusual and rare sight. When we walked the streets during the tours it was difficult not to stray from the crowd down the cobblestone streets. It was truly an amazing and inspiring experience. The St. Stephano chapel was an amazing place to sing in and personally I think it was our best concert so far. I cannot wait to roam the streets of Venice and breathe in all the beautiful sights.
Katie Castonguay '07