Day 8

Our day started foggy as we left the hotel and started for Pienza, which is just outside of Montepulciano. It was about an hour drive and we had skipped breakfast in hopes of a lovely bakery. When we got to the town, we drove to the top and found a place to park just outside the city. As we walked in, we were welcomed by workers who were fixing sidewalks, painting trim and other bits of construction. The Main Street was lined with shops, but the streets were small, stores more specialized and items more expensive. Several nice restaurants were throughout the town, but we were just looking for breakfast. Not much to be found in this town as far as sweets, but CHEESE was everywhere! The town SMELT like CHEESE! (I'm not kidding). So we walked in and out most of the shops and down side streets to get a few shots in the pre-noon light. It didn't take us more than an hour to cover this quaint, but lovely town. As we headed out of town I told Guy I couldn't leave until I had some cheese. There was cheese everywhere. So we stopped in a shop and the older gentleman recommended some softer cheese we could put on bread and it was made from sheep's milk from the area. Sure, why not.

As we headed back toward Montepulciano, we made several stops for photo ops. Again...not so good as it was still a bit hazy and the light just can't capture on the camera what we were seeing with our eyes. It is everything you would think Tuscany should look like. Red poppies, the tall slender trees lining the winding roads leading to stone villas, and rolling hillsides. It is hard to drive and look, but it was totally 360 degrees of beautiful. The road leading to this hilltop town was a bit steep and winding and we were grateful neither of us ever got car sick. We entered the town today from the opposite side we entered from on Tuesday and got a different view of the area, which was nice. When we got to the town we made a B-line for the restaurant we ate at on Tuesday. We wanted that fabulous cheese, honey, and walnut fondue and I wanted the gnocchi I saw a dude eating on our previous visit. The staff is very helpful and friendly, which you don't always get. They were fast with the food today as the restaurant wasn't too busy at noon and we ate quickly. After dinner I was going to get a gelato and Guy was looking for a bakery. We both struck out. Nothing tickled his fancy in the bakery and when I stopped by the gelato shop no one was at the counter. So we figured we'd get some goodies from the room and have them by the pool. So I purchased my necklaces and some post cards, took a few panoramic shots of the square and we headed for the car. This ride home was different than on Tuesday because we were heading for the hotel, not the lake. So the views were new and always interesting. All the roads we've traveled on today were paved but mostly no center line and a top speed of 60 kph (approx. 40 mph) which was fine because the slower I went the more I could look around. :)

So back at the room I gathered up the rest of our clothes that needed washed and we headed for the pool. Guy got our chairs fixed up and I set out to the laundry. I put the clothes in the rusty front-loader and headed back to the pool. I'm in the shade so I could upload pics and blog. Guy is in the sun working on his tan lines. We are contemplating switching rental cars in Siena tomorrow as we drive right through it on our way to Volterra. He has emailed the company so they will be expecting us. So after the laundry switch and dry, I gathered everything up and headed for the room to fold - we should be pretty much good to go for the rest of the trip as far as clothes go. :) So now let's talk dinner. Guy and I are both pretty zapped today. Several hard days of driving and lots of eating out has made us just want to stay in for dinner. But not at the restaurant. We had a big lunch today, so we bought some bread in Montepulciano and we have our sheep cheese. I'm going to run to the grocery story nearby and get a few other items. It will be fun. We are going to eat by the pool until the skeeters chase us in and call it a night early. Oh, yes. I forgot to mention the hotel does not have its air on. They said the first night it was still winter and if we turned on anything in our room only hot would come out.?. The desk guy told me I could open the windows because there were no bugs yet. Well, I had just smacked a big skeeter on my arm about 15 minutes earlier and Guy and I have spent several nights in Sicily with the covers over our heads to avoid the buzzing of bugs and mosquitoes, so we thought we'd just tough it out in the warm room. I think the hardness of the bed makes you forget about how warm the room is. :) I'll report in on the grocery store and dinner by the pool in a bit.

Ok, so the grocery story is blog worthy. Guy ended up leaving the pool area to go with me because it is difficult to pull out of our hotel onto the road without help (curve - fast traffic - stick shift) So luckily he brought his Kindle and read in the car because the "COOP" was fun. I bought stuff for our poolside picnic. Softer bread, another kind of cheese (just in case the sheep cheese was yucky), some balsamic, bananas, cookies, prosciutto, olive spread, bread sticks....ok, I bought too much, but it was fun. So the lines were about 6 people deep each and I was standing there with my arms full and realized I had forgotten the balsamic. So by the checkout were baskets and I put my stuff in and went to grab the handle. You didn't carry it, you rolled it! I saw someone using one earlier but thought they must have had kids or something. :) So I rolled my little basket around the store and picked up my balsamic and headed back for the register. I could have stayed in there an hour and looked at all the Italian foods. Fresh cheeses, pastas, breads, meat...very fun. The cookie isle itself had me mesmerized for about 10 minutes. So I stood in line and watched what everyone else was doing so I could do the same. People mostly had their own cloth bags, but those who didn't put the plastic bag on top of their food. I figured there was a charge and there was. About a dime each. So when I went to check out (keep in mind there is along line of people behind me who looked tired - like they just got off work) I didn't know you had to weigh the bananas before you got in line. So the cashier realized I didn't speak Italian, nicely sighed, and got up to go weigh my stuff. The guy behind me told me I should have weighed them (in Italian but not brain surgery to know what he was saying). He was nice enough and when I gave my "oh gosh I'm sorry" expression he smiled great big and all I saw were his gums...no teeth. lol So back we came to the room and Guy had to hear all the details in the car. So we washed up and went back out by the pool for our dinner. It was fun. The weather tonight was perfect and finally about 8:30 I started getting chilly so we came in. My blog is done early tonight, so hopefully I'll get to bed at a decent time. On the road tomorrow. Siena to switch out the car, Volterra, then San Gimignano for two nights. This time a hotel in the city center. Should be fun!! Woot!