Sounds of Tuscany

Everywhere I've been in Tuscany I hear the clanking of dishes. Obviously down the streets lined with restaurants, but from the open windows of residences. It seems someone is always clearing...or washing...or setting.

There is also a stillness I hear when I am away. I think that sounds comes from within my own head. I remember the first time I went to the Ritz at Reynold's Plantation on Lake Oconee and when that little knicker-wearing guy openned my car door for me, I think I put my hands over my ears. It was so quiet. It's obviously not like that here, with so many people around, but maybe it's just putting myself in a different setting, away from the noise I hear on a day-to-day basis, makes me realize what else is out there...or not.

The general hum of other people speaking a foreign language, whether it be a native speaking to a coworker or another tourist speaking a language other than my own, I can't tune in to that conversation. I think I do that too much back home. Not that I'm a big eaves dropper or anything--I think I can be easily distracted. I need to work on focusing on what I'm engaged in and blocking the rest out. After all, it is probably just noise.