Still complaining after all these weeks.......

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Not only did she complain all the way up that short easy walk, but when she was finished, she *leaned* on the guide, red-faced with exertion, and gave him a piece of her mind in French! which he understood, perfectly.
It was a terrific day, including the walk. The roads aren't busy at this time of year, and we saw more motorcycles than cars. For motorcycling, this part of the country rivals anything the Kootenay Valley in B.C. has to offer. There are no straight stretches!
Anyway, I want to tell you about the toilet, because it was truly amazing. We wandered around this medieval town that was having a sort of medieval festival with wine tasting and stalls of baking and clowns playing games with the children, and onto a back street and found this round metal cabana-toilet that was something out of Star Wars. You put in your 25 cents and the automatic door slides open; you step in, and push a button, and as the door slides closed, you say to your friend "If I'm not out in 20 minutes, go for help!" The motor started humming, and I would not have been surprised to emerge from the thing in another century.
Everything was automatic except for the toilet paper, which I couldn't figure out (did we say it's a good idea to carry your own if you're going to be using public toilets? most are fine, but there are some surprises).
You stick your hands into a hole in the wall, and soap drops on them, you move over a bit, and the water falls on them, then you move over a bit and the dryer starts. When you want to leave, you push a button and step out, and the door closes. Then and only then will the toilet flush. It's not possible for anyone else to use it on your 25 cents, because it knows that you've left; if anyone else steps in, the toilet will not flush and the door will not close for them. Great system. It was too bad that we had no more change, but Margo did make it home ok, with minimal complaining.....

Here is the link to the home where we had dinner a few nights ago. It's a B & B. You can the room where we ate, and also some pictures of Siena and the countryside.

LeVigne

At school this afternoon, I'm attending a seminar on Tuscan cooking. Should be fun.

We're off to Florence on Saturday.
Ciao amici
Les

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