Bad start to the day – just arrived in Siena and left my passport on the bus! Massive fail!!! Didn’t even realise till checking in at the hotel and they ask to see your ID. Fastest run have ever made back to the bus station – not too surprised to find the bus has already left. Frantically practice my Italian (four word vocab) to the woman at the ticket office but she eventually gets the point of my emergency. After exhausting my skills as a sign linguist I’m saved by a friendly girl who translates that the bus has gone to a depot for cleaning – we jump in a taxi and take a relaxing but nervous journey into the Tuscan countryside. Aside from the €70 cab fare everything turned out ok in the end :-p
Siena is home to the Palio, a crazy-arse bareback horse race around the piazza that typically lasts all of 90 seconds. Not hugely important to this story as it is held in July – not October! Probably be a lot more interesting had I been there…
Took a wine tasting trip into the countryside with a bus full of Canadians and Australians (how typical). Arrived at a family winery owned by old Mario who winks mischievously at the only single girl on the trip. More entertaining was seeing Nan get progressively more animated after a few tastings and a shot of grappa. Sunset with a full moon by an old monastery in the Tuscan countryside – almost broke my finger tripping down a ditch trying to get the photo..
