"You are too far to walk... I come get you in my car"

This past weekend I went to Siena and San Gimignano with 3 girls from DU, Sara Jenny and Sheila.

Saturday morning I got up to get ready and I finally found the mosquito that has been eating me alive in the bathroom. I tried to kill in but being vertically challenged I couldn't get it on the ceiling ... so I showered thinking that the mosquito would not come into the shower because with most insects if their wings get wet they cant fly... NAY The mosquito tried to dive bomb me in the shower TWICE even though hit it with water... I felt like I was in a combination of birds and psycho ... not fun!

Anyway I get dressed and meet the girls at the bus stop only to realize it is the wrong one and watch the 492 bus pass us .... so we get to the right stop and wait for the next one only to miss our buss to Siena by 6 MINUTES! which meant waiting another hour and a half for the next one!!! finally we get on the 10:30 bus. Let me just say that traveling by bus is the way to do it ... it might be a little longer but it is cheaper and you get to see all of the country side and IT IS GORGEOUS !!!

3hours later we were in Siena... we decided to find our hotel right away so we could have the rest of the day to do as we wished. I pulled out my directions and we got on the # 30 to San Rocco and some how missed our stop and are forced of the bus in the middle of nowhere! So I go up to the only person on this little country road and ask him for directions. He says it is down the street on our left. So we walk and walk and walk and there is no Villa di Cavaglioni and suddenly we are in the middle of this intersection with sign pointing to neighboring towns and no idea where we are or where our place is.... so I made sure I put the # of the place in my phone before I left and in Half English and half Italian I try to tell here where we are and when you are in the middle of Tuscany with no street signs it gets hard! so she finally understands and says "You are too far for walk... I come get you in my car" so not even 10 minutes later this little old woman pulls up and we get in ... she explains where we went wrong and shows us where we should have gotten off.

She promptly gave us a tour of the Villa that has been in her family for centuries it was HUGE! and BEAUTIFUL! her land was acres of rolling farm land they made there own olive oil and wine on the premise ... she pointed out her sons little cottage that was about 50 m away on the grounds and seemed quite happy he was still so close. Then took us into the sitting room where all of the crests to all 20 provinces of sienna were displayed on plates. However the crests that are enemies of her family were strategically placed behind the door and out of view.

after settling into our room we hopped on the bus back to the center of Siena. We walked around and took our time strolling in and out of shops. We made our way to Il campo, the main piazza in Siena and then to the Il Duomo which was supposed to be bigger then the rival one they were building in Florence but they never finished it but it is gigantic none the less. After the Duomo we went to St. Catherine of Siena's sanctuary which is my confirmation saint! I saw the room she slept in and her chapel and the cross she was kneeling at when she received the stigmata. I gave an offering, lit a candle and said a prayer. It was almost surreal that I was actually there and standing in front of it because when you pick a saint even though you research who they were and there life there is still a sort of disconnect but not anymore since I was standing where she was just a few centuries ago.


After St. Catherine we went in search of food and a wine bar we went to a rick steve's recommended restaurant and were the 2nd to last people to get a reservation!! apparently it is a local fav.... I had the house wine we split an appetizer of mozzarella wrapped in eggplant and truffles DELICIOUS!!!! and I ordered the veal ... Sara had some sausage that was absolutely to die for! I don't even know how to describe it but it was unlike anything i have had before and it probably is how sausage is supposed to taste. Then we split a dessert, gelato with fresh peaches cooked in brunello di montelcino! YUM!

after dinner we walked around looking for some inkling of a night life ... a band was setting up outside a pub and we were stopped by an Aussie having a beer who was so happy to here someone speaking English. he told us he is living in england and flew in to meet his mom in Italy but is sick of her so he came to the pub for a B.

We said good bye to the Aussie and went back to il campo and split a bottle of wine ... only to be bothered by what we thought was a harmless cute old man but unfortunately this was not the case. he started talking to us and then told us how pretty we were and then tried to kiss Sara and I so in avoidance we stuck out our cheek ... ugh! he just would not go away and then he tried to kiss Jenny and Shiela but I told him no he finally left us alone. soooo creeepy! after the wine we made it back to the hotel ... only to realize it was going to be SUNDAY and Italy comes to a screeching halt on Sunday! which meant the bus taking us into town was at 9:40 or 11:30 and the bus to San Gimignano left at 9:40. so we decided to wait until breakfast to ask anna maria if there was any other way besides a taxi to get into town.

The next morning we woke up to an awesome spread of coffee juice bread and the most awesome croissant I had EVER eaten! And during breakfast anna maria comes up and says I have talked to my friend and she will drive you into town ... she is going that was anyway. I am telling you this woman is AMAZING! so we bought some wine and olive oil from her and her friend drove us into town.

On the way into Siena we learned that she and Anna Maria had been friends for over 50 years! She lives in Florence now though and was only here visiting for the weekend. She then advised us on our trip to San Gimignano and told us not to bother with the wine tasting at the vineyard and just to stay in San Gimignano. but they said "I am sorry do what you want I am being a mother!" haha!

so we get on the bus to San Gimignano and transfered in Poggibonsi and 1 hour later we were in San Gimignano! (the bus ride through the wine country was breathtaking!) And the view from San Gimignano was even better. Alabaster is a natural stone found in the area so there was tons to craft work with the stone and there are tons of artisans painting, weaving and sewing home made soap ect. (Mom i wanted to buy you a table runner and alabaster napkin holders but the didn't really match ) The bell towers were amazing!!! and the view from the top of the city cant even be put into words ... i don't even think the pictures will do it justice! I bought a leather purse and pashmina here they are amazing!

Later we eventually sat and had some wine ... I had my first glass of Brunello Di Montelcino (only the best wine in Itay) And I have fallen in LOVE! I think I am going to buy some 2006/2007 bottles while they are cheap and just keep them for ten years... because i think the 1991's - 1996's are just now ready and they go for 200 € a bottle ouch!

around 6 we got back on a bus to siena grabbed a quick dinner and waited for the bus back to rome.... I was in search of a beverage that wasn't inflated with tourist prices... so jenny and I ran across the street to a hotel leaving sara with a bags ... refusing to pay 4 euros for a can of coke we returned empty handed only to find out that the creepy guy from the night before somehow was in the area again and tried to kiss sara again!!!! hahaha she got him to go away and all was well. not too much longer a bus pulled up and we got on ... because public transportation is NOT labeled here you just have to instinctively know! .....so 5 minutes after the we were settled in the driver came up and told us in italian he was not going to rome ... I cant imagine what would have happened if he didnt tell us! haha we would have woken up 2 hours later in florence!

but the Roma bus came and I was safely in my apt by midnight!

all in all an AWESOME weekend

pictures to come!