Italy, Day 5: Florence to Siena
We started our day with a lazy morning. After breakfast we checked out and walked the few blocks to the central train station and boarded, unbeknown to us, The Busiest Train In Italy.
Today's late morning train, between two major Italian cities, at the end of a holiday, was just two cars. The track was not announced until a few minutes before departure. We knew we were in trouble because we saw a school group going for it. Margo and Sarah got seats, and I went for a corner by the door. But people kept boarding. And boarding. It soon got London Underground crowded. Mashed up with people on all sides. All the aisles full of people standing. We'd stop at a station and the doors would open and it must have looked like a Marx Brothers sketch, but still people kept boarding. A girl was sick and vomited. The trip was supposed to be an hour and a half but was closer to two because of the extra time in each station. But, apart from a few Americans, nobody complained. The locals were laughing, and people were quite helpful coordinating exits at stations. The sick girl got lots of tissues and wipes from strangers, and there was no mess left by the time we arrived in Siena.
Unlike Pisa, we didn't have to wait too long for a taxi. While checking into our hotel, Il Carmine, Sarah took a runner around the courtyard.
It's a lovely hotel, and we'll take more pictures. Margo's planning has been great.
It was early afternoon, so we found a nearby cafe and got some paninis with prosciutto and cheese with drinks and took them to a nearby park with a nice view plus swings and a slide that Sarah enjoyed.
Back in our room, I had a quick nap and then went for a walk while Margo napped. Siena is quite small compared to Florence. So far we've only seen the central city, which is actually walled in; the streets are narrower and paved only with stone. Here are pictures of the streets plus two main attractions, the Duomo church and the large Piazza del Campo plaza; we'll visit both in more detail tomorrow.
For dinner, we went to the closest of the trattorias recommended by the hotel (and cross-referenced by Rick Steves). It didn't open until 7:30, though, so we went to another nearby trattoria that opened at 7:15, also recommended. We started with an antipasti platter that included cured meats, olives, a thick wedge of cheese, liver pate on toast, and mushroom pate on toast. Sarah had her penne pomodoro; Margo had fagioli (beans) and lamb and artichokes; I had scaloppina (veal in tomato sauce and capers) and spinach.
Sarah hadn't taken a nap and was getting crabby, making us cross, until we started insulting each other in writing with the notepad I'd brought. Here are some of Sarah's insults (spellings corrected):
Dad is a goofy goober.
My feet are so smelly that they could kill my Dad.
Dad drinks wine that could kill all of us I mean Mom and me.
Dad has freezing breath that kills Mom and me.
Whatever Dad touches, it makes it smelly.
Today's late morning train, between two major Italian cities, at the end of a holiday, was just two cars. The track was not announced until a few minutes before departure. We knew we were in trouble because we saw a school group going for it. Margo and Sarah got seats, and I went for a corner by the door. But people kept boarding. And boarding. It soon got London Underground crowded. Mashed up with people on all sides. All the aisles full of people standing. We'd stop at a station and the doors would open and it must have looked like a Marx Brothers sketch, but still people kept boarding. A girl was sick and vomited. The trip was supposed to be an hour and a half but was closer to two because of the extra time in each station. But, apart from a few Americans, nobody complained. The locals were laughing, and people were quite helpful coordinating exits at stations. The sick girl got lots of tissues and wipes from strangers, and there was no mess left by the time we arrived in Siena.
Unlike Pisa, we didn't have to wait too long for a taxi. While checking into our hotel, Il Carmine, Sarah took a runner around the courtyard.
It's a lovely hotel, and we'll take more pictures. Margo's planning has been great.
It was early afternoon, so we found a nearby cafe and got some paninis with prosciutto and cheese with drinks and took them to a nearby park with a nice view plus swings and a slide that Sarah enjoyed.
Back in our room, I had a quick nap and then went for a walk while Margo napped. Siena is quite small compared to Florence. So far we've only seen the central city, which is actually walled in; the streets are narrower and paved only with stone. Here are pictures of the streets plus two main attractions, the Duomo church and the large Piazza del Campo plaza; we'll visit both in more detail tomorrow.
For dinner, we went to the closest of the trattorias recommended by the hotel (and cross-referenced by Rick Steves). It didn't open until 7:30, though, so we went to another nearby trattoria that opened at 7:15, also recommended. We started with an antipasti platter that included cured meats, olives, a thick wedge of cheese, liver pate on toast, and mushroom pate on toast. Sarah had her penne pomodoro; Margo had fagioli (beans) and lamb and artichokes; I had scaloppina (veal in tomato sauce and capers) and spinach.
Sarah hadn't taken a nap and was getting crabby, making us cross, until we started insulting each other in writing with the notepad I'd brought. Here are some of Sarah's insults (spellings corrected):
Dad is a goofy goober.
My feet are so smelly that they could kill my Dad.
Dad drinks wine that could kill all of us I mean Mom and me.
Dad has freezing breath that kills Mom and me.
Whatever Dad touches, it makes it smelly.
posted by Michael Nelson at 12:47 pm
1 Comments:
I LOVE SIENA!! It was my favorite place in Italy.
Just for the sake of symmetry, I'll tell you about our meal last night. My parents were in town, and we went to Caffe Mingo at NW 21st and Kearney. I know the chef!!
We started with a nice appy from the chef: grilled fresh chunky asparagus topped with fried egg and fresh ground black pepper. I'd never had asparagus with fried eggs before, and it was a great combo.
Next we had albacore tuna cakes, which were nice and crispy on the outside and had a great flavor on the inside.
For our meal, the four of us shared the lamb special: grilled lamb loin and lamb sausage with chickpeas. The sauce was a little bit tomato-y and really nice and light, with just a hint of oregano.
We also had the fish special, which was pan-seard pacific cod with little pasta pearls and green salsa. The third dish was also a special, a calamari risotto. It wasn't at all over-creamy or over-parmesany like you sometimes get, but light and tasty.
All this accompanied by a lovely oregon pinot noir.
For dessert, Megan and Devon had decaf espressos and dad had a tea, while the three of us shared a crispy apple tart (my fave), a baked chocolate mousse, and the most amaing prunes I've ever tasted.
Great meal!!
Love the blog
love
dave
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