A view in Siena

This morning turned out pretty much how we had figured. After getting some more sandwiches we wandered over towards Grom again (through some not-so-nice smelling streets…maybe Monday is pee in an alley day). Peter got a peach, apricot, and raspberry cone and I got the dark chocolate again with mint and the “crema di grom” which had biscotti and chocolate pieces. All the flavors were most excellent! So now we have tried 10 of the 24 flavors offered…not bad! We checked out the website last night and found out that there is a branch in NY…perhaps we will have to stop by someday.

In the hour we had left in Florence we checked out some bookstores (where English texts were VERY expensive, but there was a kid’s book about Dante somehow) and the big indoor market. That was pretty cool – they had a huge variety of pastas, some of them multicolored or strange shapes. I wish we could bring some back but I’m certain that they would be crushed to bits. Maybe we’ll see a more travel-ready package somewhere else.

Speaking of which, the train ride to Siena (which normally costs 12E, free for us, very local train) was uneventful. Finding out how to get the bus to the city center took us a while but with a little help we figured it out. Also whipped out a ghettomap (on the computer) to figure out where our lodgings were, since we were not pre-equipped with a map for Siena. It was definitely worth it though…our booking with Siena B&B Hospitality, which shuffles you to sort of apartmentlike rooms, came through and we have a GREAT room that connects to a huge common kitchen with a balcony overlooking the Basilica di Santo Dominico (very picturesque) and a lot of nice landscape. The owners didn’t speak a lot of English but everything went fine and we are very impressed. A good surprise! A good fridge meant that we could go get some nice breakfast things like milk and OJ and yogurt…hooray!

After making a quick supermarket trip, we walked around for the afternoon, hitting Il Campo (a large square) and seeing the outside of a few cool churches. Everything is much more medieval-looking here, and quieter (thank god!) than Florence which was a tourist bonanza. I think we will get to like it! Unfortunately our dinner was again only okay, although it was in a palace built in the 1200s so that’s worth something. Tourist restaurant check! Man Bea Vita spoiled us. Haha. Oh well! Went and got some more gelato for dessert and it was quite good – Peter got limoncello and “ace” flavors (I got more chocolate variations…nom) and it was entertaining. We ran up with them to our balcony to watch the sun set over the western part of the city…very nice! The nighttime view is also great, and I suspect that we’re high enough up that the mosquitoes may not chase us. At least that’s what I tell myself when we go up the five or so flights of stairs.

We were given a lot of maps and suggestions so I’m now sifting through and seeing what we might want to hit tomorrow. I’m also stockpiling restaurant recommendations from The Internet, although that hasn’t worked spectacularly thus far. Maybe next time! Should be a good next couple days.

PS our internet is finally good so I am going to post some pictures until I get tired. =)
PPS - all caught up!