Tuesday  11 December 2012

We tried to go to Siena late Monday afternoon but the weather gods had an alternate plan for us.  Just as we started the drive it began to drizzle and the temperature was 1.5 degrees Centigrade.  For those not into the metric system, that would be just the United States, the freezing point of water is  zero degrees Centigrade.  Not wanting to spend an evening walking around in the rain, much less trying to drive on icy roads on the return, we decided to chicken out and headed back to Montepulciano.

The Tuesday alternate was a MUCH better idea.  Sunshine, blue skies, and no wind.  So on to Chianti country and Siena we went.  We made a brief stop in Rada looking for some ceramics but all the shops were closed and it was very quiet.  I did manage to find one store open that sold some nice bicycling jerseys and bought a couple of new ones.   I will be riding with Tuscany and Chianti when I get back home.

We arrived in Siena, found a parking garage, and made our way into the city just at sun down.  The Christmas light were on and the streets were quite busy with shoppers and folks leaving work.  Laura was on a shopping mission so we went up one side of a street and then down the opposite. We repeated the same process on the next street or two but she was successful.  Project two for the evening was a glass of wine.  Then some more strolling around and finally dinner.  We were pushing the early seating at 8:20 but needed to eat because we had a little over an hour drive back home.  Let’s just say the meal was forgettable.

Reflections of a church on the main piazza in Rada.

Into Siena just as there was a little light in the sky still. This is one of the larger piazzas on the main shopping and strolling street.

I am pretty certain this is the second appearance for this well head in the blog. The warm office light spilling into the courtyard was too nice to pass up while Laura shopped.

I think I like the Duomo better at night than in the daylight.

I CAN’T move!!! Helllp!! So this is how the Michelin man started.

A typical street in town.

Is it just me or are the elves REAL ugly over here???

The attention to detail with the light placement leaves a bit to be desired. Start at the top and go straight down. Next strand, repeat the same.

The chestnut roasting man was still at it.

Now these are some Italian Christmas colors I can really sink my teeth into!!

The main piazza in town was pretty empty.

This is the same place as the second photos above just 4 hours later with nobody around. On to the car and the drive home.