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Published: November 20th 2010
Today we left Rome. We had a great time staying at the
BnB but it was sad for us all to say goodbye to Maia. The kids were very fond of her and Isabel particularly wanted to give Maria a gift. and each of the kids prepared a farewell/thankyou card. Maria also gave us a gift - an antique book on Rome. It was a great start to our holiday. La ringrazio molto Maria!!
We travelled via shuttle bus to the car depot and found our new car - the Renault Grand Scenic. During the paper work it became apparent that the Tom-Tom only provided coverage for France - not all of Europe as we had arranged! The Eurolease guy explained the Australian paper-work never requested the full coverage and there was nothing he could do (NB: his boss was nearby). After he showed us around the car, we packed our bags and were ready to leave. Just before we left he came back and said he found a memory stick which gave the full European coverage (and that I don't tell anyone - so shhhh). Excellent! We were very grateful.
Did a little drive around the depot and
quickly found it wasn't that difficult driving in the wrong side of the car and on the wrong side of the road, but I definitely had to concentrate and both Eileen and I saying "keep to the right". Once we were on the freeway is was pretty smooth. Besides the car being a manual, the main distraction was all the gadgets and the Tom-tom. If only Eileen could drive so I could play more!
It was great to see the country side. Drove past some really amazing villages that sat on top of hills and cliffs. However, we decided we didn't want too many distractions on the first day of driving - that will come later! Had one stop for lunch. Have I mentioned Nutella yet? Nutella is so popular here, after all it is an Italian product. The reason I mention it now is that the 'roadhouse' we stopped at had these huge jars of the stuff. Normal jar dimensions but each were about 1 meter high! That could last an Italian for a week I suppose. Had to explain to the kids that the car was too full of luggage - shame.
Arrived at BnB
Fonte dei Tufi in the afternoon, just on the outskirts of Siena. Welcomed by Gabrielle, one of two sisters running the BnB - very friendly and we were given two rooms that were very close. Greats rooms and the whole building has a Tuscan look and feel.
Drove up to Siena township for diner with the idea of parking outside the city wall. No spaces. Continued into the city through very narrows streets, following signs for a parking station, but went too far and had to do a 3 point turn a few times. Kids are still talking about dad using the 'sh..' word - multiple times. Left-hand-drive, parking brake button (no handle), traffic coming from behind and front - yeah, all that. Anyway, had a laugh about it later.
More about Siena itself tomorrow.
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Laura
non-member comment
HAhahaha
I warned you about the nutella didn't I?!! haha And also pretty sure I warned you NOT to drive within the city walls of Siena. Feeling a little nostalgic for my Dante Alighieri language school now :( Such beautiful afternoons eating pizza and fritelle (cinnamon donut balls) on the piazza. Restaurant not to miss: Osteria della Chiacchiera. Just google it for address and directions... A-mazing. We spent several long evenings there sipping away at the vino della casa!! "un litro" haha. Don't miss the museum opposite the cathedral in the centre (old hospital.. underground sections - very interesting). You'll start to notice a lot of pinocchio merchandise also! Siena has a really great range of those old vintage style calendars so if your planning on buying one.. here's your chance. Sounds like ur aving a great time anyways and glad to hear the car trip was ok Love Laura xx