Florence (Fiorenze) and Sienna

Sienna was our first stop "on our own", and what a perfect place to set out from. Venice has no cars but lots of boat traffic; Sienna is tranquil and has hardly any traffic at all. I rolled my suitcase over the cobblestone streets until we came to the lovely monastary we were booked in, called Alma Dolmus. What a view! Truly breathtaking, looking out our window for the first time, taking in the green and white striped marble of Il Duomo, Sienna's fabulous cathedral.

We speculated how long it might take to walk from our pensione to Il Duomo or Il Campo, the main square, because it looked as if it were quite far, across a canyon of narrow streets and houses with ceramic-tiled roofs. In fact, it was a short walk along her winding streets, and although Seinna is truly a labyrinth, I had the feeling of being a small child running up and down hills, not so steep as they were mysterious, unchanged since the time of the Renaissance. We spent 2 blissful nights here, and even with the locals partying in the streets below our window (some Saint's day?), we slept very well. Sienna casts a spell of contentment over her visitors.

On our way to Venice, we spent a few hours exploring Fiorenze, or Florence. Checking our bags in the train station, we toured the street market, ate some (guess?) pizza, visited the Science museum (featuring some intriguing inventions collected by the Medici family), and followed the course of the river, before returning to the station. A block before it, we ran into a waitress we know from Valencia! She was in a big fat hurry, so this surreal incident came and went before we knew what had happened. Small, small world, really. Our train was very late leaving, so we got to know the station cafeteria a little too well. Here's an interesting distinction - train stations in Europe make you pay for the rest rooms and the water, but they sure make excellent coffee.