A day trip to Siena and finishing up in Florence

Two more days to report already.

I’ve just had a bad experience so will start with that cos I’m mad!!! Got on a bus to go up to the top of this hill for gorgeous views of Florence. A most wonderful day, sun shining and warmth for the first time in ages. The bus tickets last 90 minutes so I very carefully got back on the bus in time, validated my ticket like a good girl(I thought). Then the arsehole inspectors got on. Of course I thought I was squeaky clean but NO!! Because I had erroneously validated my ticket when I got on the bus the first time and then again when I got back on the second time it had over printed on the first time so they couldn’t see the times and didn’t know if I was within the 90 minutes. I’m so furious!! The fine is 50 Euro but if I go to their office in the morning I can plead my case. The train leaves for Venice at 12md tomorrow so I have to go to their head office (near the train station) before I leave Florence. I then either get the fine waved or I have to pay the 50Eu. If I don’t pay the 50E within 5 days it becomes 100Eu. He told me if I didn’t go in the morning the fine would be sent to Australia and would be 250Euro….my god I’m MAD!!!!!!

Other than that I had a lovely day today. Tull and I went our separate ways and I went to the last church I wanted to see!! San Marco, and as always it was remarkable. Remarkable in a rather different way in that the most interesting thing was the monastery where all the little monastic cells had been frescoed by Fra Angelico and were very lovely. It was also an amazing insight into their lives in their little cells. I loved it. I then went into the cloister and the sun was shining like I haven’t seen it shine for ages so I sat in the cloister with the sun beating down on my face. I gave myself half an hour just to sit there and absorb the sun. It’s surprising how hard it is just to sit for a whole half hour and how rewarding it is when you force yourself to just absorb a sunny moment in beautiful surroundings.

I was very laid back today and so then wandered off to find the bus to take me up through the green hills behind Firenze with their splendid gardens. I got to this wonderful vantage point that gives you truly unequalled views of Florence and absorbed that for another half an hour (in the sun). Then mindful of the bus ticket, got back on a bus to take me down…and the rest, as they say, is history!!!

That’s today so far. I think I’ll take myself off to have a drink in the lovely bar next to the accommodation. It’s the one that plays all the 70s music and makes me feel as if I’m in a wonderful time warp as I have told Rose when I speak to her with the music blaring in the background. It’s morning coffee then but now I need alcohol!!!

Yesterday Tull and I got on a bus and took ourselves to Siena for the day. A lovely city as you know with a Piazza to beat all Piazza’s. We went to the Museo Civico and to the Duomo and Battisteri and then just walked around the streets for a while and came home. The bus ride is nice through the Chianti area. Then we tried a new restaurant last night and had the Florentine Bisteca. A MASSIVE T-Bone that was cooked to perfection and as tender as you could possibly imagine. It was superb except that I nearly died half way through and just couldn’t go on. So much meat is almost unimaginable, particularly when you aren’t in the habit of so much meat…it was a shock to the system!!!

I think that’s it for the last 2 days. Tomorrow it’s Venice…arguably the Jewel in the Crown for this little adventure with Tull…but we’ll see.