Planning, planning...

 The Season has well and truly started. The narrow streets of Siena are thronging with tourist groups creating veritable traffic jams, their guides holding poles aloft, where brightly coloured handkerchiefs flutter, acting  as guiding beacons to their flocks. 

And on the last Sunday of April came the most exhilarating sign that Siena has woken up from its winter slumber: The Contrada of the Valdimontone started the season of Giri, ( as they always do): those  17 Sundays in the summer when every Contrada has their  own day to display the finery of their costumes, the skill of their Alfieri and the rousing sound of their Tamburini, as they make their way through the city ceremonial visits to the other Contrade. Here they arrive at their allies, ONDA, where their lunch table is laid out on Via Giovanni Dupre. 

I have finally had a long awaited hospital visit: the Ablatione has been done, and I am now home again, feeling fine, but only a little weak still. If I may give some advice to anyone intending to have anything done which requires hospitalisation in Italy, I would suggest trying to avoid the last part of the week...

that is because here one is not allowed to leave during the weekend, there is no staff to sign your documents. In my case my intervention happened on the Thursday. I had to stay the night. And the following day it was the first of May, Labour Day, and a holiday here. So  only skeleton staff at the hospital... and then it was weekend...so finally let out on Monday afternoon. But it is done! And my heart is beating normally again! 

And using these days of rest to plan my trip around the World for the beginning of the year! More about that soon..