Chapter 8: Siena: A walk with no pavements

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Chapter 8

A walk with no pavements

For once, Martin was up first, leaving Maya in bed with her thoughts. He headed off to the square to have his morning tea (a tradition he instantly became accustomed too when he first moved to England) and to write his journal. Two pots of tea later, Maya headed over and joined him. They had both wanted to see the Tuscan countryside and had agreed to go exploring. They headed out of Siena on foot, past a mental asylum, where Maya did a remarkable impression which technically should have had her sectioned, or working in a restaurant in Pisa.

Once out of the town, the views were spectacular. The Tuscan hills and valleys came together interspersed with small churches every mile or so. The walk was blowing out some cobwebs, and having been to some major cities already, the landscapes provided a breath of fresh air. It was proving to be exactly what they needed, an enjoyable gentle stroll, that was until they suddenly reached a section where the previously stable pavements just disappeared, just like that. Maybe the municipal council had suddenly run out of money and decided not to build the pavements any further.

This left our two facing high-speed traffic with little room to avoid being hit. The road continued like this for some time, rather spoiling the tranquillity and petrifying Maya in the process. Every time a vehicle approached, the sheer velocity at which they were travelling caused our two a minor seizure as there simply wasn’t enough room to get off the road. After some time and more near death experiences the small country lane suddenly became connected to the motorway to Rome. (All roads indeed do lead there). That was the final straw, neither of them really fancied walking along a motorway. They found a bus stop and waited for the mini bus to take them back to the town. Maya however wasn’t sure which was worse, being hit by oncoming traffic whilst on foot, or being sped off the road by a lunatic driver, which was now their fate. Evidently they did survive both and reached Siena again.

The rest of the afternoon was spent chilling out, Maya decided that it was high time some washing was done as pretty much the contents of the rucksacks had been used. Martin sat and guzzled Chianti having agreed he would do the washing the next time it needed doing. He found an internet café where emails were sent to friends and family of the story so far and in no time at all, evening had fallen upon them. Maya had spotted a little restaurant whilst walking around waiting for the spin cycle to end (Yes even the mundane chores have still to be done!) They soon found the restaurant, an extremely pleasant establishment, set in a cavern, with a very friendly waitress who was the image of Maya from 6 years before.

A palenta bread served Maya for starters, whilst Martin went for the mixture of ham, tomato, olives and pate breads. This was followed by a ravioli with extremely delicious meat and it goes without saying, some red wine washed down the palate. Dessert was had in the form of a rich chocolate pudding, though when coffee was politely requested, Martin was left dumfounded by a firm negative as they explained they did not have a licence to sell coffee. Most bizarre not to be allowed to serve coffee without the necessary documentation and permission being filed.

The meal brought to a close a most delightful few days in this beautiful charming old city. Siena is a must when in Italy.Lights out! It had been 8 days since they left the British shores, yet it was already feeling like they had been gone for a long time as I’m sure the reader will agree, in just eight days, Italy had come alive and Siena was probably the highlight so far. Highlight: The Tuscan views. Accommodation: Very Good 50 euros per night.

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