Sydney to Siena

On the road again, Megan and I have noticed that we fall into different 'travel modes'. Each mode has a distinctive style, and even a kind of mental state or consciousness that goes with it. Now, being a good experimental psychologist, I have to reduce this to a standard 2 dimensional grid, with each axis being an independent variable. One axis is whether we are travelling on land or water, the other is whether we are staying in the one place, or moving about. In a standard experimental design layout, it looks like this (tongue firmly in cheek!):

	Stationary	Moving
Land	Visiting Home	Hotel living
Water	Marina life	Sailing mode

So, over the next few months, we should experience each of these modes. We have just left Ballina, where we were staying with my mother (Stationary Land mode 'Visiting Home'), and we are now travelling circuitously back to Sicily (Moving Land mode 'Hotel Living'). Once back onboard Pavlov, we'll enter Stationary Water mode and experience 'Marina Life'. Come April, when we throw off our lines and head west, we'll enter Moving Water mode as we sail into the Tyrrhenian sea.

Our last 'Aussie Beach' - Terrigal

Breakfast in Hong Kong

Dried goods in the New Territories

Mom and Pop shop

Fancy a bit of pig?

So firmly in Hotel mode, we've adapted to lugging our heavy luggage from small box to small box. It's an interesting mode of travel consciousness: we emerge from our small hotel room, where we've draped ourselves in familiarity by watching downloaded tv series and Skyping all our friends, into utterly unfamiliar surroundings. We see all the sites that we're capable of seeing until our joints wear out, often joyriding on public transport just as a cheap way to see stuff. We go to elaborate lengths to find ways not to eat in restaurants (to avoid the expense), so tend to eat pot pourri of supermarket. As soon as familiarity seeps in, we ups and offs to the next destination. So there it is, the Moving Land mode of travel consciousness.

Overcast Hong Kong harbour

Megan, puzzled by this expat enclave, the walled escape of Discovery Bay

Soaring metal and glass abound

You might have figured that our first stop was Hong Kong. We spent 2 days puzzling over this bastion of consumer capitalism wedged between mainland China and the rest of the world. We then flew to Rome and immediately hopped on a train to Siena in Tuscany.

View from our hotel window in Siena

A Siennese Piazza

Street vibe in Siena 

The main Duomo: St Maria of the Assumption

Siena rooftops from the Cathedral

Siena skyline

Siena was a delightful example of medieval Italy. It was a bit wet and overcast, but wonderfully free of tourist crowds, very little grockle and everything was reasonably priced. We spent most of our 3 days in the museum, the extensive Duomo and wandering the charming streets.

A panorama of Siena from the Duomo roof.

Cherub sculpture in the Museum 

Medieval church art

Church art 

Looking towards the nave of the Duomo

Duomo nave

Painted frieze in the Piccolomini Library

Ceiling of the Piccolomini Library

Medieval Italian master

St John the Baptist by Donatello

\

Baptismal font by Donatello

So we've transitioned from Land Stationary (living with my mum) to Land Moving (Hong Kong to Siena). However, both Megan and I are looking forward to a bit of Water Stationary mode. Returning to Pavlov will be a long awaited home coming, we've been missing the old girl. But needs must.... we have to go to Switzerland first to audition a new guitar. Having sold off all my tools (see my blog on the Plaint of the Tool-less Bloke), I can now afford the ultimate tool extension, a new guitar. So, it will be Florence, Milan and then to Basel, before we take the long train ride back to Sicily. Ciao for now!