Questionable Italian drivers, villas, red rooftops...Tuscany!

From the moment I sent Eric off on a bus in Venice to rendezvousing with Bri and Davis at our hostel in Florence, I had about 24 hours of solo travel time. It was a fascinating experience, simply because I haven't really traveled on my own for more than a few hours in a foreign country. It gave me a lot of respect for people like my friend Joel, who travel the world solo for years (!). Of course, being in that situation would compel you to go out and meet people--I was only on my own for a day, and it was surprisingly isolating. Even though I consider myself fairly independent, and love to explore beautiful places, I like having someone to share experiences with. Hallmark-card worthy? Perhaps, but true--for me, at least. At the same time, I think traveling alone shows you a lot more about how you handle yourself in foreign countries, and how you deal with various travel situations. It also presents a lot of time for self-reflection--and for all those reasons, I think I will probably do it again at some point, for a longer period of time.

But the moral of the story is that I was very glad to hug Bri and Davis hello in the kitchen of our Florence hostel, and to explore Florence the next morning before we took the 'rapida' bus to Siena--about an hour away.

Florence--I actually didn't mean to take THIS picture--I was trying to capture the pillars and the statues, and these ladies happened to be standing right there. I like it.

On my solo day in Florence, I took a walk up to Piazza Michelangelo, up above the city.

...and the next day, did the same thing with Bri and Davis!

In Siena, we had instructions to find the train station, where we'd be picked up by the owners of the agriturismo place outside the city that we were staying at, Castello di Selvole. We bought groceries in preparation for two days of cooking--since Castello is outside Siena and we didn't have a car but DID anticipate a kitchen, we wanted to stock up--and went to wait outside the train station. We were supposed to wait for 'Guido', who'd be driving a small silver Toyota.

Every third car was a small silver Toyota. It must be an Italian thing. Oh well. Guido turned out to be over an hour late, which might have been a problem EXCEPT for the fact that Castello was jaw-droppingly beautiful. At hostel prices, we had our own small villa for two nights: a kitchen and living area with a fireplace, a bathroom, a big bedroom, and a very well-stocked woodpile. Also, Guido's wife gave us a bottle of their wine (Castello is a vineyard), which was definitely not the stuff they serve us in Hall.

This was our villa. "Margherita"

I got to cook! And Bri and Davis cleaned, and we all relaxed by the fire and talked for hours. Not a bad life, if you ask me.

Hard to complain with a view like this when you step out the front door.

The next day, we took a five-hour walk along dirt roads through vineyards and along olive groves. It was quintessential Tuscany, though we were a few months early to see any grapes. I want to go back in September/October when they harvest!

Leaving our villa...

It looks cloudy here, but we actually had an amazingly sunny day--short sleeves all around.

Those buildings perched on the ridge are Castello!

Explorers.

So beautiful.

And sadly, the next day, it was time to leave Castello. I am determined, though, to spearhead a Mauksch-Kentch-Obaza family reunion trip there, in the same vein as our trip to France several years ago. We arrived back in Siena, and met up with Emily (my lovely Tufts girl and future housemate!) who showed us around.

Bri called these trees "tall Italian trees."

Piazza del Campo, where the Palio is still held every year.

Emily LIVES in that apartment building. Jealous.

Tufts girls in Siena!

Siena has a Duomo, too!

Sadly, my time in Siena was marred a little bit by a nasty cold that took me to the Farmacia several times. I spent the larger part of a day cooped up in bed, reading an excellently trashy novel about 13th century Wales.

But I felt better a couple days later, in Rome, where we spent part of the day, before Bri and I left very early on Saturday morning...for ISTANBUL!

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As you're reading this...I'm in Paris! About to head to Prague, actually.

When I get back, expect stories of the generous, kind Turkish people; amazing breakfasts; the most beautiful beaches in the world; my 21st birthday; and so many cats.