Bright and early on January 10th we all loaded up on buses and took a three hour journey to Siena. The drive was beautiful. You could see the mountains, small villages and farms of Italy the whole way. When we arrived in Siena at the Garden Hotel, a beautiful Italian 4 star hotel, we had a fantastic 2 hour siesta and then got back on the buses to visit the Village of San Gimignano. San Gimignano is famous for its towers which date froma a period when prosperous families fought battles in the town using towers to store their grain for sieges. They were also conveniently used for dumping boiling oil on attacking armies. The towers were truly a sight to see and the view from a old lookout point of the surrounding village was breath-taking. After wondering the streets of Gimignano for a few hours and enjoying an espresso from the bar (cafe) we headed back to our hotel for dinner.
After our fantastic meal and a few glasses of vino we headed out into the center of Siena to get a taste of the local night life. We found a great hot spot called the Barronna Rosso (Red Baron) and spent the majority of the night there. It was interesting to be in an Italian bar and have them only play American music. Just a note for the ladies: You have to be very stern with the Italian men if you want them to leave you alone, being polite and saying no with a smile is a yes to an Italian man. They are very persistent and have a stereotype about American women that they are easy, and sadly for the blondes it is worse for you than the brunettes. On the positive side you get alot of free drinks!
The next morning we had time to walk the streets of Siena. Most of the shops were closed due to the fact it was Sunday and people dont work on Holy Day, but the city was beautiful anyway and it was a good workout walking up the hills and all around. After we explored we headed back home to the JFRC.
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