Because I had poorly timed my trip to Belgium, I had an extra day to spare over Thanksgiving break.\u00a0 Therefore, I decided to not only vacation in Belgium Friday through Sunday, but also to take a day trip to Siena in Tuscany on Thanksgiving Day.\u00a0 So I got up very early Thursday, boarded a fast train to Florence, and then took a regional train to Siena.<\/p>\n
Although I was tired from travelling for three hours, I was very excited to arrive in Siena.\u00a0 Even with the fog in the morning, there were some stunningly beautiful views from the top of the hill.\u00a0 Overlooking a magnificent valley, it was very easy to see why people who went on my program\u2019s study trip to Tuscany loved the town so much.<\/p>\n
After mindlessly wandering the streets of Siena, I stumbled upon a caf\u00e9 in the center of town where I decided to have lunch.\u00a0 When the chef decided to give me a complementary stew before my meal, I thought the meal was going to be phenomenal, since the stew had so many flavors, herbs, and spices, as well as contained tomato and onion.\u00a0 However, I was very disappointed with my steak; it was overdone, there was no red in the center, and it came with vegetables that were not that fresh.\u00a0 I will make sure to remember this experience, however, since it reminds me that when I go on trips and culinary adventures, I should do a bit more research before going.<\/p>\n
Once I finished my sub-par lunch, I decided to head over to the Duomo.\u00a0 Since I had visited Florence the weekend prior, I was able to compare the two buildings.\u00a0 Even though Florence\u2019s Duomo is larger in stature, the Duomo in Siena is much more ornate on the inside; in fact, it even has a separate room full of art that was done in the same style as the Villa Borghese in Rome.<\/p>\n
Upon finishing up at the Duomo, I decided that I wanted to try and stop back in Florence so that I could drink red wine, eat cured meats, and go to my favorite gelato place along the river.\u00a0 So I boarded a regional train back to Florence, and in less than two hours, I ended up at a wine cellar just off the river in Florence.\u00a0 There, for 10 euros, I got a glass of Chianti, a meat and cheese plate, as well as some other little snacks.\u00a0 The wine, of course, was full-bodied, robust, and had hints of oak in it.\u00a0 Afterwards, I got gelato by the river, walked around downtown Florence, and boarded a fast train back to Rome so that I could travel to Belgium the next day.<\/p>\n
Ciao e buona giornata!<\/p>\n
-I<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Because I had poorly timed my trip to Belgium, I had an extra day to spare over Thanksgiving break.\u00a0 Therefore, I decided to not only vacation in Belgium Friday through Sunday, but also to take a day trip to Siena in Tuscany on Thanksgiving Day.\u00a0 So I got up very early Thursday, boarded a fast … <\/p>\n