Andermatt, Switzerland

A little over two hours (south) from Zurich lies a quaint Swiss town called Andermatt. As you continue south on the train you realize that you are in the heart of the Alps. The train tracks literally hover over clifs and rivers below, at one point the train had to slow down to make a turn... It did bring some oohs and ahhs from passengers.

Andermatt is similar to Engelberg in its setup (village at the basin, mountians surrounding), however getting to the mountains is usually done by train. The peaks here were so spread out that unless you are up for some serious trekking up the mountain, plan on taking the train. From both above on the pistes and walking through the village, it is difficult not to notice the church near the center of town - St. Peters. The views were just incredible from the top of all 3 peaks. At the very top of Andermatt you reach just under 9700 feet - again giving you stellar views in every direction. While looking around you could see a little bit of everything - wind turbines at the top of a mountain, kids on sleds, solid apres ski spots, and even some paragliding. Parts of the mountain gives you a feel similar to Araphoe Basin. For a few more shots from the day, click here...

Engelberg, Switzerland

About an hour (by a slow train) south of Lucern is Engelberg. Engelberg is a typical Swiss town, as downtown clusters at the heart of a valley. As you leave the train station you can't help but notice you are surrounded by mountains, Brunni to your left and Titlis to your right. Brunni wasn't much of a ski mountain, but the views were extraordinary. There were as many people hiking here as there were skiing.

The real treat was on the other side of Engelberg - Titlis. A gondola takes you to a cable car, where you transfer to the first rotating cable car in the world. While it sounds like a marketing gimmick, it actually gives you great views of the Swiss Alps. At the top, you reach 10,000ft with great skiing and views that make you stop. The skiing may not be as strong as the Rockies or Wasatch, but the views just blow them away... For a link to some more of these views, click here...

Lucern, Switzerland

Lucern is an easy trip down from Zurich (about 1 hour), just an hour by train making it a big tourist destination in central Switzerland. After about a two minute walk outside the train station it is easy to see why. The Vierwaldslatter See, Alps, fortress walls, and covered bridges make it one of the more picturesque towns in all of Switzerland. No matter the direction you look, when standing near the lake you are guaranteed a beautiful view. The water and mountains make it easy to overlook some of the architecture and design of buildings. However this attention to detail on the finishings of homes and commerical buildings alike just adds to the charm of Lucern.

Through some friends who live here we learned that Lucern is also a common place for tourists and natives to by Swiss watches. Although many of the watches are made in other Switzerland towns (Geneva topping this list) Lucern has carved out a nice little retail niche. Just a short walk from the hauptbahnoff we came across a Bucherer store where a tourguide was instructing his group how much time they had to shop before the tourbus left for the next city.

As we wandered around Lucern we came across a couple interesting sights. In one instance we saw a handful of people stopping to watch something. After stepping closer we realized that a lady dressed similar to a Vegas showgirl was being photographed by a couple professional photographers. Our amateur investigating led us to believe this was likely a promotional photo shoot for Carnivale in Lucern. In many Swiss towns (as throughout Europe) Carnival is hyped as the biggest festival of the year - as it is only a couple weeks away this seemed logical. Needless to say, this outfit was stopping men, women and children in their tracks as temperatures were in the 40s. Towards the end of our day we saw an equally ridiculous outfit from a street vendor. A man had painted himself mostly gold in an attempt to pull off a mime/clown routine. It seemed to work as this character gained just as big of a crowd (and even some Swiss Franc). This guy had a striking resemblance to Silverman, back in the States.

For a few more pictures of Lucern click here...

Wengen, Switzerland

This fall we'd come across this little town at the end of a hike. While gorgeous during the fall color changes, there is no questions Wengen thrives in the middle of Winter. Wengen is probably best known for its International World Cup Ski Race, held last Saturday and Sunday. Those familiar with Interlaken might also recognize this town. Two of the larger peaks of the Bernese Oberland Alps (Jungfrau and Eiger) are just south of popular tourist/adventure destination - Interlaken. A series of villages sit in between the Jungfrau and Interlaken; Wengen is arguably the most charming. The town of Wengen does not allow cars for visitors, so you must arrive by train. After 4 trains (Zurich-Bern, Bern-Interlaken, Interlaken-Lauterbrunner, Lauterbrunner-Wengen) Saturday morning we arrived to overcast skies in Wengen joining a friend for some skiing.

To hit the ski slopes your best bet is to take the cable car from the center of the village. Ironically, this was the same cable car we saw a mock search and rescue performed this fall, while enjoying an apres hike beer. Fortunately Saturday and Sunday's rides up the cable car did not require any such heroics. During Saturday's ascent on the cable car we actually went through the cloud layer and at the summit were clear blue skies. The first few runs actually started out in blue sky and then forced you to ski through the clouds. If you've been to San Francisco Bay Area this effect is eerily similar to the "marine layer", when the clouds creep under the Golden Gate Bridge. While it makes for outstanding views, skiing through it was less then ideal through the cloud layer. Once the clouds burned off the skies stayed clear both days. The temperature was similar to skiing the Rockies in March - sunny skies and changing snow conditions (ice, crust, packed powder, skied off, slush). Although the snow wasn't perfect the views made up for it.

Skiing at Wengen is really only part of the fun. As you ride the chairlifts or cruise down the pistes it is impossible not to notice all of the other winter activities on the mountain. There were dozens of people hiking the mountain (up and down). Even more were hitting the slopes with their toboggans/sleds. Others hit the trails with snowshoes or cross country skis for a big time cardio workout. The extreme contingent was trying one of Switzerland's newest sports - paraskiing. (For those who have been paragliding - parachuting off a mountain - this is the same equipment, but you land on skis.) The winds seemed to be pretty tricky throughout the weekend as only a few got up in the air, but it was pretty fascinating watching these folks try to rig their chutes. At the bottom of the mountain is a giant curling rink which was packed both days.

Apres ski at Wengen was solid, but you can probably find some other mountains for a rip roaring time. Our inn had an outdoor bar set up steps from the trail which made for a good scene. After some mullwein and good tunes we ventured back to the village for some grub. That evening we had an introduction to Raclette - a Swiss culinary experience. Words probably can't do it justice (and according to our "Raclette guide" neither did Saturday's dinner), but here is an attempt to describe the presentation. Raclette is a type of Swiss cheese, which will be cut in a block (or a wheel we later learned). Before the cheese is presented the waiter will bring out a heater (electric or fire) which will begin to cook/melt the cheese. As the cheese melts you scrape off the top layer on to a bed of mixed vegetables (potatoes, onions and pickles in this case) and/or meat (prosciutto and bacon). Simply put it is roasted cheese. Just like fondue, this is a very social dining experience and is definitely worth a try. After dinner we enjoyed a couple Rugenbraus (if you've been to Balmer's then you've had this beer) and called it a night.

For additional shots from skiing in Wengen, click here....

Tel Aviv, Israel

Tel Aviv was a great introduction to Israel. The airport is about a 20-30 minute drive into downtown and makes for beautiful scenery. There aren't too many airports in the world where you'll see palm trees and lemon groves within 2 minutes from leaving the terminal; you can here. Tel Aviv sits right on the Mediterranean Sea and offers an interesting mix of beaches and commerce. The city is less then 100 years old and is considered one of the Bauhaus architectural/artistic capitals of the world. After walking around town, you definitely get a feel for that. Over the years they have maintained the progressive design, requiring all new construction to be built with solar panels for energy consumption.

A little south of where we stayed was an old fishing village called Jaffa. Walking around here you get a sense of deep history, from many different cultures. A few tour groups (domestic and beyond) strolled through the streets of Jaffa, but for the most part you'll find locals enjoying the beautiful weather and historic surroundings. Art galleries, unique craft shops, fisherman and natives relaxing seem to dominate the streets, squares and parks of the old town. Looking north you get a beautiful view of the Tel Aviv skyline.

Walking north from Jaffa brings the Mediterranean to your left and various buildings to your right. A large walking path allows plenty of room for bikers, joggers and walkers to take in the scenery of the beach to the west or the variety of Tel Aviv. In a span of 15 minutes along this walk, you are likely to come across the following: people fishing off the boardwalk, 1-2 people in deep prayer/thought on the beach, several large hotels, a mosque, mid rise apartment buildings, men surrounding tables playing backgammon or dominoes and a handful of cafes/restaurants for people to take in these scenes.

The warm weather here was outstanding and a welcome change. On the last day there were sunny skies and temperatures reaching the mid 60s. From talking with locals, Tel Aviv gets pretty humid during the summertime, however the air the past few days was really dry. The temperature really cooled off at night, but the vivid blue sky and warm temps made it worthwhile. Overall the most memorable parts of the trip was the people. All the residents go above and beyond to make you feel welcome at all times. Friday morning came pretty early as we had a 5:30AM flight. At 3am we were driving through downtown Tel Aviv in our taxi - the nightlife was still kickin'.

Please click here for the rest of the shots from Tel Aviv...

Jerusalem, Israel

From Tel Aviv, Jerusalem is about an hour's drive away. One main highway connects the cities and it is imperative that you beat traffic, as getting in and out of the cities can be pretty brutal. About half way to Jerusalem the landscape changes drastically, from flat lands near the coast to large rolling hills that seem to go on forever. If you look closely on the landscape you'll notice vineyards, lemon trees, olive orchards and countless fruits.

For Jerusalem proper, you have the "Old City", walled off into different quarters and the "New City". There is an old ordinance in town that requires all buildings to be built with a local stone, which makes for a sea of beautiful white buildings no matter what part of town you see. Once arriving to Jerusalem, there were a few hours of daylight and a local was kind enough to give me a quick tour of the old city. The four quarters or divisions are: Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Armenian. The whirlwind tour allowed for a quick spin through the Jewish quarter (seeing Ancient Roman ruins), an overlook of the Arabic Quarter (views of Dome of the Rock, El Aqsa Mosque and an overlook of the Mount of Olives). Due to a military exercise we did not work our way to the Western Wall, one of the other famous sights in that area. The highlight of the Christian Quarter was twofold: an endless bazaar throughout the winding streets and the Church of the Holy Sepulcre. In these areas you can see just about every walk of life either as a merchant capitalizing on the tourists or those coming to see the beginnings of their respective beliefs. You could spend a day just watching everyone else in this area. Due to time constraints we only peaked in the Armenian quarter, but through this whirlwind tour you could easily get the feel for each different quarter.

The few hours spent in Jerusalem ended with a quick bite in the "New City" closer to centrum. It was later learned that this area is one of the hottest in the world for nightlife. You could definitely get the feel of a younger clientel (and much less touristy). The 4 hours or so spent in Jerusalem really doesn't give it justice, it only entices you for more. There is so much history here you could really spend a long time trying to sightsee and take in everything.

For a few extra shots, please click here...

Random findings throughout Europe....

A few observations about life over here:

• Since about mid October a very common outfit for toddlers and infants is a snowsuit. Ironically, we've only come across actual snowfall in Krakow and rarely has it been forecast outside of the Alps. In many cases temperatures have been relatively mild, which often caused the thought - do those parents know something more then everyone else?


• Duty free is critical here. It didn't really click in until landing in Oslo late at night. People were running off the plane, in a couple instances nearly stampeeding. We've seen this before (in Zurich) and it usually is to beat the lines at immigration control. Not in Scandanvia. The Duty Free store closes at 11pm and our flight landed around 10:45. We may have been the only people on the flight who did not shop that evening. This mass rush to shop still left us perplexed. It took a couple days to realize that it was common for a 25% sales tax (VAT) throughout Scandinavia. The aura of Duty Free was starting to make a little more sense.


• Personal space is an ultimate luxury. This is violated just about everywhere. Trains, planes (especially getting off), public benches, coffee shops. If you have an empty seat next to you, enjoy it because it won't last...
  


• Loud cell phone guy is in every country. The lack of discretion with cell phones permeates throughout every country. If a cell phone rings, that person will answer it. We've walked out of Christmas Mass in Venice and a somber Berlin Wall exhibit (the Topography of Terror) shaking our heads that people took calls, not even noticing their surroundings.
  


• Screaming children in airports/planes are also a worldwide phenomenon, not just American. It appears it comes down to the parents, not the nationality.
  


• If someone is looking to get a specific point across it will most commonly be written in English, no matter what language is primarily spoken. There have been countless instances where no signs are in English, only the native language unless it asks tourists/visitors NOT to do something. Regular examples are: Do Not Enter, Don't Touch, Closed, No Parking, No Picture Taking, Silence Please, etc. The funny thing is typically these notifications are in high traffic areas filled with tourists, but no additional signage is in English (or other languages outside of the host country). In other words exhibit details, location directions, general area information would be carefully listed in the native tongue followed by - DONT TOUCH, DO NOT ENTER and CLOSED. We have found this to be true in every country we've visited. A favorite may be - "do not walk here" - this was on the wing of a Swiss Air airplane???
  

Zurich Post Holiday Blues...

So over the past month to month and a half much has been learned about the Holidays over here. Through Sammiclaus, Schmutzly, Christmas Markets, Singing Christmas Trees, the "customary" 2 week European Holiday break we thought we'd seen it all... until Saturday. Replacing the Christmas Markets in the Zurich main train station were 2 rafters of stadium style seating facing each other. At one end were lounge couches and the opposite end was a stage with a monster size tv screen. "What on earth could this be?" was the natural question walking by.... a) indoor ice skating? b) a curling rink? c) Swiss Idol Competition? d) none of the above. If you guessed d, congratulations! Today's main even was Christmas Tree tossing. People were standing in line about 50 deep to see how far they could throw small, Charlie Brown sized Christmas trees. Had we just come across the Swiss equivalent of the Soap Box Derby? While you may shake your head at it, this would definitely get solid ratings on network primetime back home. It was captivating. After finding a third row seat (viewing was free) we sat their with our mouths agape... The large screen on the stage was to show replays of the last toss and show the standings. The men's leader when we left had thrown it over 11 meters and we saw the female lead's 8 meter toss (she had excellent great form!)... Upon further investigation this is not a Zurich tradition to end the Christmas season, but a shameless promotion by IKEA to show their rock bottom January prices. Apparently, now is the ideal time to throw your Christmas Tree out the window, presumably to make more room for IKEA furniture - like the world's most uncomfortable couch (currently sitting in our Zurich apartment). Despite the disappointment from learning this was not a Swiss tradition, it was funny to see not only so many people participating, but at least ten times as many (including us) watching in seats!!!

Heathrow...

It doesn't take a genius to realize one of the keys to a smooth trip to London - avoid Heathrow. However, unless you live in France and can take the train or can take advantage of one of the "other London" airports (try City - LCY), you are stuck with this airport. Over the Christmas holiday an article highlighted a recent survey by European business travelers which ranked Heathrow the worst airport in Europe. After spending the better part of Friday night in the confines of this airport the survey and article was spot on accurate!

If you have Heathrow on your itinerary take some useful advice: stock up on patience, bring plenty of reading material and be ready to move at a moments notice.

If you have a connection at a different terminal in Heathrow just forget about making it. You could argue that transferring from JFK to LGA, ORD to MDW or IAD to DCA might be easier then the system here. Upon arrival you are given options to follow for exit/baggage reclaim or transfer to another terminal. Instead of using trains, walkways, or underground tunnels to allow passengers to make connections you are required to use a bus for terminal transfer. This process is painfully slow (worse then a terminal transfer at Dulles) and is only amplified by the fact you need to go through security again at your next terminal. London is the host of the 2012 Olympic games - this system will not enhance the Olympic spirit to those traveling to and from Heathrow...

This evenings flight was scheduled for 7pm. London to Zurich isn't the most common route throughout Europe, but given the importance both cities have to the global financial scene you'd think there would be multiple flight options on a Friday. Not from British Airways. The 7pm was the only flight offered. Strike 1. No problem - just check your bag and make your way through security. Strike 2. Heathrow has a new policy that you cannot check a bag into the airlines too EARLY???... This was shocking. There were no lines at the baggage drop, but British Air insisted that we wait another 30 minutes before checking bags.

Now we had plenty of time to kill in the airport and fortunately we were in Terminal 4, which had different food/shopping options to take your mind off idle time in the airport. Rather then take an obscenely early meal we opted to find an empty bench (not easy) and read for a bit. A realitively sparse (2 other couples) gate area was found and reading ensued. There comes a point in reading/watching tv where one is so focused, you lose a sense of your surroundings. At that point, both of us were there. Then strike 3 to Friday night came and came quickly.

About 6 feet away from us sat one of the couples. As both of read our books, a very painful yet distinct sound interrupted the reading, causing our heads to immediately spin toward this couple. Strike 3. The couple was no longer seated next to each other. The man had sprung out of his seat, but not quicker then his wife's head which had disappeared into a shopping bag (think osterich in the sand). Again, it did not take a genius to realize what the noise was stopping our reading. We packed up our things and scurried out of the gate area never looking back... It was going to be a long night...

About 6 hours later we made it home.

Flumserberg, Switzerland

Skiing in the Alps - not a bad days work... About an hour from Zurich sits a ski mountain called Flumserberg. The Swiss Travel System offers a winter package called the Snow N Rail, a combo round trip train ticket and 1 day lift ticket. Flumserberg was the first run at trying this out... If you hit the right trains you can be on the slopes in just over an hour from Zurich. The snow was a little crusty, little icy and just about perfect in different spots. The morning started out with sunny skies as you can see from a couple pictures. A little storm rolled in and by noon, snow flurries gave a fresh coat of snow for afternoon tracks.

On a Wednesday after the European holidays the mountain was empty - which was ideal. There were no lift lines and it made for one of the better ski days you could imagine. As this is only an hour from Zurich, the moutain is likely pretty packed on weekends/holidays - but this would be a great spot to hit with some fresh snow or to warm up for the season.

Before it clouded up you could see Lake Zurich to the Northwest. On a crystal clear day you got the feeling you'd be able to see more Swiss scenery. Once you got past the views of the Alps and local lakes, you got a chance to catch some solid sublties of the Swiss Alps... down closer to the lake were endless green fields that show a mix of farmland and just countryside in between homes. A little farther up the mountain (at the base farthest from Zurich), you see a pack of motor homes that look like they'll be there until the snow melts. After a couple wrong turns on the mountain, Flumserberg showed one of its other callings - avanlanche training. About a dozen dogs and their human counterparts were in training for snow rescue. Had this not been found from a wrong turn and some inevitable cross country skiing with downhill skis, you'd have some pictures adding to the description. Pretty cool to watch and certainly gave you the feeling that you'd be in good hands upon avalanche...

For a few extra shots click here...

Random Smoking Rant Europe in 2008

Not so random if you know us... Smoking is disgusting! It is a vile habit that is a proven killer not only to the smoker but also the innocent by standers. It seems all over Europe everyone smokes and worse then just smoking is walking and smoking! This is very important point since our major form of transportation over the past four months has been our feet. Clueless people just blowing smoke as they stroll down the street and knowingly harming the lunges of everyone in their 100 meter wake. Everyday in every country we have visited the smoking has been an unpleasant and may we say deadly issue. After Atlanta and Chicago we thought we had seen it all (seems that California has spoiled us). The time has come for us to point out our grossest smoking encounters to date.

1) A lady 50 plus, her face looks like a very old leather handbag, wearing a fur coat. She approaches the elevator and then climbs in as the door closes you can start to smell the stench. Once the elevator closes the stench is unbelievable. The womens coat smells like a dead animal being smoked to death.

2) Dinner at a very cool cafe in Budapest. We are running late, don't have reservations and this place has been highly recommended. So we are forced into the unthinkable, sitting in the smoking section. We are seated next to two fairly well dressed older gentlemen. As we sit down you can see they both have yellow teeth (we are talking almost big bird yellow). Gross what could cause this - SMOKING of course. From the moment we sat down to the moment we left they smoked continuously throughout. Food was served, they ate one hand held a folk and in the other the cancer stick. From drinks to desert these two old guys smoked continously, we thought we were on candid camera.

3) Our train ride today. Climbing on board three people are climbing off for a smoke break. Well to say they where climbing off is a bit of a reach - more like lingering on the stairs to smoke. It took them a moment for them to figure our they need to MOVE in order for us to get past them and safely on the train. We attribute this delay in mental processing to the smokes effects on the brain. As luck would have it these three fine people of course where our seat mates. Wonderful! Nothing like the stale smell of cigarettes for our 4 hour train ride. One of our seat mates got off each time the train made a stop to have a cigarettes as well as smoke in the bathroom once. Guess he just could not wait for the next stop.

More to come...

Lake Como, Italy

The last stop of our Italian travels (for a little while). This town is just on the other side of Switzerland (Lugano). We likely did not see it at its best (winter) but the town was still beautiful. Across the lake you could see snow capped mountain while temperatures were crisp, but relatively mild. You can tell that this town thrives from Spring through Fall.

Unfortunately we had no Clooney sightings, but did experience a very important Italian word/tradition during our time in Como - saldi. Every January and June/July the retail stores change seasonal merchandise and offer some pretty stellar sales. We first learned about the Saldi (sales) in Milano, when we asked a local saleswoman when they happened. Looking back, our train on Saturday from Firenze to Milano was packed. Chances are people were headed to the fashion capital to take advantage of these discounts (20-80%).

For a few extra shots and a dose of what Como looks like in the winter click here...

San Gimignano, Italy

Getting here was comical. Many, many people told us to rent a car for our 2nd week in Italy. Friends back home who’d been to Tuscany, friends/co-workers in Switzerland – even local Italians. We should have listened. After a taxi, train, bus ride and pickup from our agriturismo (local farm providing rental property) owner we finally arrived to the destination in one piece. The funny thing – the total distance was only 44km. By listening to just about everyone else we’d have been door to door in 40 minutes tops (accounting for at least one wrong turn). We were now situated in Tuscany, about 2.5 km outside of San Gimignano. The farm we stayed on had vineyards (Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet grapes) and olive groves. Walking in to our apartment had complimentary bottles of the farms red, white and olive oil. This was the experience we sought! Our country walk proved daunting on the first night as we had a 2.5km walk to get groceries. Keep in mind these were on single lane roads with no sidewalks and minimal curbs. We survived, but it made for an intense pace. Our first day brought cold rainy weather so we did our best to deplete the farms firewood supply – giving us a great day in the Italian countryside.

Day 2 brightened up a bit and we walked into town. The walk to San Gimignano was just as we expected. Vines and olive trees as far as we could see. Hiking around the outskirts of town offered even more breathtaking views of Tuscan countryside. This is a place you could spend a lot of time. As you look at the San Gimignano skyline you can’t help but notice the towers above. Hundreds of years ago they claimed to have over 100 and now the town is a UNESCO World Heritage sights. We managed to scale one of the towers, which was far less crowded then our last experience in Florence. Apparently after New Year’s tourists disappear – outstanding. We basically had the tower to ourselves. To the north you could see snow capped mountains and we’re still trying to figure out if they were the Dolomites or the Alps – surprisingly you could make an argument for both.

Town was relatively empty and we saw our first dose of the Saldi (famous Italian sales – January and June/July). The weekend would likely bring more crowds… Walking around barren streets was pretty cool in this medieval town; it gave a sense of how removed from the hustle of a city here.

The countryside and our agriturismo were a hit. We reached it just in time as next week they shut down through March (planting new vines). On our walk back home we had a chance to see some of the new fields getting some work done. As we ventured farther along on the farm we heard some shots in the outlying hills. After looking around we realized about a km down the hill was a man in an orange hunting vest. Our trek ended and we opted for the comfort of our apartment through the rest of the trip.

For some addtional pics of Tuscany, click here...

Siena, Italy

This town came highly recommended from family and friends. After wandering around it was easy to see why. Siena is an old medieval town at the top of a large hill. Surrounding the entire town are large brick walls (hundreds of years old) which only allow several entries/exits through Portas (gates) around town. This is an easy day trip for those based in Florence, so you’ll often find many tourists from about 11-5 each day. We quickly realized this and found our favorite pastime in Siena – hanging out in the town center. Our first morning in Siena we found a table at a sidewalk café. Seated near us were a half-dozen Sienese men reading their papers and conversing about their Christmas holiday. It was awesome. As we looked up past the café we noticed many different groups of locals doing the same thing – just chatting, catching up, gossiping, etc. Our time at these sidewalk cafes (we continued the next 2 days for shorter stretches) accounted for the best people watching over the past few months…

We kept our momentum up from Florence of minimizing the tourist sights while in Siena. The Duomo/Baptistry/Crypt is a must do when visiting Siena for more then a few hours. We planned carefully on our last day and beat the crowds on a cloudy day. Once again the artwork and architecture astonished us despite visiting several similar exhibits through different towns. There was an additional fort inside the city walls (and the soccer stadium), neither of which were nearly as impressive as the churches and town square. In July and August Siena hosts the Il Palio – a famous horse race dating back hundreds of years. We learned about one unique part of Il Palio, the sidewalk cafes we frequented make for excellent seats as the race is actually in the center of town. We have friends who have attended and after spending so much time here you could see how much fun it would be.

Our intent in Siena was to spend most of the time in the countryside and spend a few days in town. Due to some logistical errors (ie a bad property rental experience), we ended up in a hotel for a few days. As it turned out the “country villa” rented for the week could not have been closer to the train station and required you to walk through the loading dock of the grocery store. To put it mildly, it wasn’t quite the Tuscany experience we had heard so many people rave about over and over… After a little effort we found a hotel and looked for another area in Tuscany that might lead us closer to the true “Tuscan experience”.

For some more photos of our time in Siena click here…