August 20, Still Under the Not as Strong, Tuscan Sun

And onto Siena, the burnt color of art

Siena was a must see on our list and so today, back in the car, with only simple maps, a patient driver and a new navigator in the front, Meryl. We actually made it, with time to spare for a coffee at the Piazza to await our walking tour guide.

The adorable Alice (pronounced Ah-lee-she-a in Italian) walked us through the city and the history, winding us to Il Campo, the not so square square of Siena. Having no preconceived notions, we were all totally wowed by the size and uniqueness of the space, divided into nine pie slices representing the nine ruling families of lords hundreds of years ago.

There were medieval palaces, gothic churches, and a bit of renaissance architecture. But of course, as always, the unusual customs and rites of a town are what make it so interesting. We had all heard of the Palio, we had purposely planned our trip to NOT visit during this crazy time. But Siena just days after the Palio gave us a real treat, the Siena dirt still packed hard on part of the racetrack around the square,

the winning Cantade, where our guide lived, decked with the Contade's Dolphin flags and the streets lined with long tables and chairs at the ready for the celebration dinners held every night for a month- free for all who live in the Contade's, cooked and served by only volunteers. The rivalry and passion of this race is incredible, with ten Contade of the 17 vying each year for the winning horse and rider, a purse of about 1million Euro to the winning jockey! They really take this seriously.

We strolled the streets, saw the Duomo, ate pasta of, of course.

A bit of shopping, a bit of strolling and back to the fancy camping cabin to enjoy the last of the first magnificently cool refreshing day, the first in maybe 45 days, only 80F. Tonight we will head for San Gimignano for our first look at this charming walled city. Yes they all are the same, but in the next week, we can't wait to keep discovering the differences.

And yes, I brought home a bit of that Burnt Siena dirt in my bag.

Comments

#120 - SURPRISE....ONE LAST READ WITH YOUR MORNING COFFEE

Did you think we wouldn't do a wrap up - the woulda, shoulda, coulda list along with our very salient observations of the current state of fashion, food, and fun in France and Spain? Well, we got a bit sidetracked. So here is the last of Paris and the rest of the Euro 2019 blog. Our last night in Paris, Laurent returned and we had a dinner at Eels as planned. About a thirty minute walk (perfect, since once we are home I can't get Steve walking at all) but it was raining, so we hopped in an Uber and headed over to the 10th arrondissement in heavy traffic. Rather than describe the great five course chef tasting menu we did- here it is in photos. Everything was excellent, especially the bottle of Pinot Noir- too bad it was their last one and we had to switch wines for the next bottle - but that is the only criticism. The next morning we were packed, said our goodbyes, and were off to the airport for our non-stop to Dulles...

#25 - From Melbourne's Upper West Side to its Soho to its Edgy

Really?? ….come on now, could it really be any good??? Saturday morning, nine am, and our hostess had offered to drop us in South Melbourne, just a ten minute car ride from South Yarra. When we are in cities, we love the museums and the great food but, we are also all about seeing the neighborhoods - the established ones where people live and the up and coming ones being gentrified. J suggested South Melbourne for a bite and boutiques and its Market, so, of course, we did it all. Let's have a bit if a primer on brekky here. They have very different combinations of what comes on toast for breakfast. Steve had a pot of baked beans and chorizo and creamy feta with his toast, while I had smashed avocado, tomato, basil and yes, delicious crispy Aussie bacon, which is somewhere between what we have back home and Canadian bacon. The brekky menus do have eggs but lean heavily in the direction of either interesting muesli/ fruit/ yoghurt combos ...

#34 - Sometimes travel is just everyday life with better scenery and a few more meals out

....And I've been doing it wrong the whole trip??? Now you finally tell me?? Travel always sounds so exotic, especially when you take a long plane ride to get there. And a two or three week vacation is usually packed so full, long days, lots of activities and moving from place to place. In other words, every day is a day of nothing but highlights...the major museums, the thrill activities and a fancy dinner out. But a two month vacation is quite different. It is closer to regular life with one or two good surprises each day. Like our drive to Blenheim, a sleepover, and a ferry ride from Picton to Wellington on Tuesday to Wednesday . It was really nice and I could describe what we did, the drive, the vineyards we visited, the dinner, etc. But this blog is meant to be more than just a travelogue. It's about observing and learning, looking at things with distance and perspective. And traveling to a very far away place that is not so different than where y...

Marci and Steve Go Back to Europe

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