After braving the showers of doom (weather report: cold but at least no rain), we headed out for a brief breakfast (some fruit and rolls from a café down the street). My mother had met a couple late the previous night, Bob and Cathy, from San José, California. They were doing our trip in reverse; starting at Milan and then moving down to Rome. Not only were we staying at the same hotel (they were also using Rick Steves' book) with us in Siena, but had also stayed at the same one in Venice! Melissa and Suzanne prowled around Siena in the morning looking for a hairdryer, as the one they'd brought no longer worked. Don't bring favorite electrical appliances to Europe! Just because you've got an adapter plug doesn't mean that it's safe from getting fried, as my sisters learned. (Their curling iron also developed problems.) Some of the hotels we stayed in had hairdryers for the borrowing, but they weren't very good. (I never use a hairdryer, and deliberately left my electric razor at home.)
After that, we (along with Bob and Cathy) took a bus to San Gimignano, which is about an hour away. It's a walled medieval city on the top of a hill, and Melissa called it, "a Renaissance Fair without the costumes." I think that was supposed to be vaguely insulting since Melissa isn't big on Renaissance Fairs, but it was an enjoyable trip. The main streets are lined with stores, and it was here that my mother hit the jackpot when it came to pottery. Let's just say that my parents' house is now stocked to the brim with plates, salt and pepper shakers, oil and vinegar containers, bowls, and such.
I did a little shopping as well, picking up a nice silk tie and leather wallet for extremely reasonable prices. I also got myself a nice wine stopper with a marble top, along with a cheese-knife with a marble handle. After buying them I ended up going back to the store and getting some for friends that I thought would appreciate them.
After that it was a bus ride back to Siena, where dinner fell under the category of "eh". My foot was barely hurting today, which was a nice change. All the walking made it hurt a bit by the end of the day, but that was workable. I dropped off to sleep rather quickly, knowing that in the morning we were moving onto our next destination.
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