Trick or treat, rub my feet, I think I had too much to eat

What a lovely, lovely weekend!  I wasn't able to blog because I was actually out of town with my grandparents. We went to the magnificent city of Siena, and then to the absolutely breathtaking coastal town of Orbetello.

On Friday morning, I got up, finished packing (noticing later I had forgotten my allergy meds... great) and then we were off.  It's been terribly cold, so we were bundled up!  We took the bus to the metro station, and took the metro to the other metro station, Termini, where there are also long-distance trains.  We got on one of these "real" trains, and we were officially off.  The initial train ride was maybe an hour, and then we took an hour long bus ride to Siena.  So as you can see, public transportation is becoming my forte.

Once in Siena, we walked around after getting a quick lunch.  My goodness!  Siena is unbelievably beautiful.  I want to live there so, so, so badly.  It has great views and quaint shutters and brick buildings and iron balconies and everything else you picture when you think of Italy.  It's built in a very hilly area, so it's interesting to see the dynamics of houses and churches built on different levels.  Y'all should really go.  Really.

After a day and night in Siena, we hopped on a train with our friend David and his friend Angela.  They both teach in Siena, and David is a family friend.  We all went by train to Orbetello, which is a city on the coast.  It's breathtaking!  Except... it's windy.  So windy that I got WIND-BURN.  And I was freezing the whole time.  But, it was all worth it.  We met Sabina and Massimo.  They are friends of David and Angela, and they're lovely.  Massimo (nicknamed Massi) is my age, and we hung out a lot because he's trying to work on his English.  And, this weekend, there was a festival, which was so much fun!   They have the funniest tradition though... people buy a wine glass, wear it around their neck in a baggy, and then are allotted twelve small tastings with that glass.  It was funny to watch people with glasses hanging around their necks!

We also briefly saw a beautiful port town, Porto San Stefano, and it was gorgeous.  And we had some yummy seafood.  I ate quite a lot this weekend.... :)

All in all, I had a wonderful weekend.  I'm exhausted, cold, still damp from all the rain, my feet hurt, and I think I'm coming down with something.  But I wouldn't give the weekend back for anything!  It was marvelous.  I hope to go back soon!!

Ciao, mi amici (and oh, I hope you all had a great Halloween!)