Arrival in Turin

 We have finally arrived in Turin, Italy! 

Our tour guide met us outside baggage claim, and helped us load our bags into the car. Giving a brief summary of the day’s plans, he suggested that we go off schedule for just a little bit: we would tour a castle that wasn’t on our itinerary, but was recently restored and was now very beautiful. After weighing the options (do nothing in the hotel rooms/sleepy town our hotel was in or tour a castle), we decided to give the castle a try.

            Now, also note that at this point Daddy and I are still exhausted from the miserable plane ride we endured. But hey, it was a castle. Also, it gave me the chance to put some of my awesome art history knowledge to use.

            We walked around the castle; it was magnificent. Shayna found it hilarious every time I tried to describe an art piece in relation to its time period and correct artistic terms. “You sound so fancy!” I took it as a compliment, and continued to describe the inclusion of fenestration, AKA windows, in the room as a strategic way to alleviate the stress of the roof, in addition to the oculus that resided on the top of the central dome. Ms. Sturgill would be so proud. Shayna was just obliviously cracking up.

            After the castle, we went for lunch at an adorable little café nearby.  Our first real Italian meal! It was very nice.

            Getting back in the car, we took a 45-minute or so (I wouldn’t know, I slept on every car drive) drive to our hotel in Turin. It was beautiful, in a very quiet and scenic village. There wasn’t much around to do but it was gorgeous; vineyards and fields as far as the eye could see. We went for dinner at a the hotel restaurant, then fell asleep in our quiet hotel rooms overlooking majestic Turin.