Changing Light in Tuscany - and a case of jet lag

I got back from a quick two week trip to Lausanne, Switzerland and Istanbul this weekend. The trip over was easy - I hit the ground running and barely noticed the time change. I said to myself, "I've finally mastered this long haul travel / jet lag business." I should have known better, because coming home as proven that just isn't so. I got home last Saturday night and went to bed around 2 AM but slept until 8, so far so good. I actually found myself continuing my victory celebration over jet lag.

The last two nights have proven I still have a long way to go to master jet lag. Sunday I stayed up until 10 PM, but woke up at 2 AM and couldn't get back to sleep. I only managed to stay up until 8 PM Monday, which means I went to sleep while it was still light out - very unusual for me.

My strange day of being awake in the dark and sleeping in the light, got me thinking about the difference light makes on our world and reminded me of this set of photos Tuscany I took from my hotel room in Siena. The first one I took in early evening as a storm was rolling in, the second I took at dawn and the final one I took at mid-day just as I was checking out of the hotel.

In case you are wondering, jet lag only let me sleep until 2:45 AM today....but at least I'm moving in the right direction.

"I'm lost in the light, I pray for the night to take me."
Bahamas - Lost in the Light

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Siena City Center

I spent a good share of a day in Siena's Piazza del Campo, a public square in the center of the city. I had a blast people watching and the sky put on its own show with storms moving in and out all afternoon. I probably could have taken in a few more museums in Siena, but the square felt less like a tourist trap and more like people who lived there just out relaxing and I was drawn to that energy.

"Sometimes I can't keep it together, but I never give up."

Ryan Bingham - Keep it Together

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Siena Duomo

This morning, I'm pulling out my suitcase and packing it again. This time for a shortish trip first to Switzerland and then on to Turkey. While I figure out how make this two week work trip with just a carry on, I thought I'd do a bit of a photo dump from my day in Siena. I spent the early part of the day at the Duomo and the surrounding museums.

My favorite part was climbing a suspended walkway near the church with an amazing view of the entire area.

I did very little planning for my day in Siena - so I really arrived not knowing what to expect. I knew it would be smaller than Florence, but I didn't quite expect that it would feel a bit like a fortress in the center of the city - where I was staying and spent most of my time. The city center was on the top of the hill - and I wasn't there long enough to venture down and into the valley - but I hope to make another trip to Tuscany someday - what little I saw was stunningly beautiful.

"May good hope walk with you through everything."

Glen Hansard - Song of Good Hope

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