The days of our lives...

Well, first off, thanks for the update on the 10 year reunion Renners! It sounds like we missed a bunch and you are right, the blog would have been superb! And Josh, we’ll see about that gift.

So, last weekend we went out on Friday night with Jake and Sally Carter (the family Ag sits for). We went out in their town, Remich, which was a great time! The town is small and quaint and we hit up a few bars (and the kabob joint) before the night’s end. Sally and Jake are just a very chill awesome couple to hang out with and we always have fun when we get together.

Saturday was a bit rough to say the least, but I managed to get a run in and then headed to work. That night Ag and I crowded around to computer and watched the OSU and Michigan game over a few brews and some tasty grilled chicken and veggies. It was a nice, relaxing evening.

On Sunday morning, we got up and drove out to Hahn, Germany to pick one of our friends up at the airport. Abby Crossen is one of our good friends from Chicago who was in Barcelona for work….so she squeezed in a few extra days to come see us. (Thanks Abs!) Abby was flying in on the forbidden (but deliciously cheap) RyanAir….

We got her without any problems and we were on the way back to Lux by 11am. One of Abby’s first comments to us was, “The people on that flight have no idea what a line is! Everyone cuts!”. As we have said before, RyanAir brings out the animal instincts inside of you!

On the way back from Hahn to Lux there are a few random German restaurants/hotels just sitting in the countryside, and we always say “Wouldn’t it be nice to stop there sometime…” So, today was the day. We opted to stop at one of the places for lunch. It was a tasty meal of brats, sauerkraut, pork, cabbage, etc. The waitress, after having taken my plate from me after the meal and noticing that I had basically licked it clean, said, “Did you like everything?” “No, I hated it!” I replied. She honestly looked offended until she noticed I was laughing. Really, really good to say the least.

We rolled out of there and were home around 1pm. Ag and Abby then went to meet our friend Laura at The Culinary World Cup. Basically, Lux holds this tournament every four years and twenty-five national teams, eleven military teams, scores of regional and private teams and four hundred individuals compete in it! The whole purpose of the event is to assess the chefs’ and pastry chefs’ performances.

There was a wine and bread “wing”, a chocolate “wing” and then the main center event. Inside the main room there was a huge ice mountain with stuffed polar bears and fish all around the bottom as if there was a stream running below the mountain. There was a “lazy susan” type river that had veggie and fruit trays floating by. The pork and cows were hung for display, cheeses were available for tasting, there was a pig pen with pigs running around, a “fountain” of ham (hocks of ham with water spouting up through it), etc.

There were walls set up and different countries were put to the test to cook their best cuisines. Judges were walking around with clip boards, reviewing, asking questions, etc. Sounded very similar to a version of “Iron Chef“. Food and creations were on display all over as well. From what I heard, it was nuts! (Unfortunately, I was working….)

After that event, Ag and Abby went into the city center and walked around for a bit. I got home that night to the smell of a delicious meal cooking and homemade caramel popcorn. Yummy stuff!!

On Monday, I had to work all day but Ag and Abby slept in and then caught the train to Trier. They spent most of the day there walking around and shopping. Again, that night I came home to another really good meal.

Tuesday morning Abby left and the rest of the week was pretty low key for us. We went to ‘Maybe Not Bob’s’ restaurant for Thanksgiving with our friend Ryan. The meal was tasty but there wasn’t any pumpkin pie! Then we went for dinner and drinks on Friday night with our good friends, Laura and Robbie. After dinner, we went to see the new James Bond movie. It was perfect…action, guns, cars, dumb plot, easy to follow, cheesy romantic lines, Texas Hold ‘Em tournament, Bond girls….what more could a guy ask for? Saturday we had our other friends Robert and Alexandra over for dinner. Ag cooked up some beef stroganoff and we drank some good wine. Good times, good times!!

Tomorrow I leave for Orlando (EY new Manager training) and Ag is going to Amsterdam instead of skiing in France. She and Annette Cooper (see previous Amsterdam blogs) were supposed to go skiing in Val Thorne, but, long story short, there was a change in plans and Ag is now headed up to the Netherlands to hang out with Annette. I get back on Saturday and we are heading to Heidelberg, Germany for the Christmas Markets. Heidelberg was one of the only German cities not destroyed in WWII, so it’s meant to be really old and nice. And the German Christmas Markets are like a fantasy land, honestly. So it should be fun and we’ll update you all on those adventures at a later date!

Stockholm, Sweden

Blog by Agnes, edited by Matthew

This past weekend we ventured north to Sweden’s capital, Stockholm. Taken from our guide book:

"Stockholm is built across 14 islands and is often called the Venice of the North. With more foreign visitors than any other city in Scandinavia, it is also considered to be the Capital of Scandinavia. Stockholm is situated at the point where the vast Lake Mälaren flows into the Baltic Sea and was built on this strategic spot in the mid 13th century, enabling the founder to tax merchant vessels going in and out of the lake.

As water covers one third of the city area, the maritime life is an important aspect of the city. There are plenty of bridges, marinas and locks. The water is so clean that you can drink it and catch salmon in the middle of the city. The climate is very much conditioned by the sea winds, so even the warmest summer day will be contingent upon the sea breeze finding its way into the city streets. Some basic facts: 1,3 million people live in the greater Stockholm area. The average temperature in Stockholm is around -2 C (28 F) in January and about 18 C (64 F) in July."

We left on Saturday morning around 6am for the Hahn airport. I have to say, our flights were really, really cheap and then somehow, everything else kept getting more and more expensive. Let me explain….As we have mentioned in the past, Ryanair is a crazy airline. We got our flights, for two people, round trip to Stockholm for 37 euros. However, there is a 10 euros fee for using your credit card and there is a fee of 10 euros for every bag you check….so 57 euros or so for two, roundtrip. Fine. Not a bad deal at all.

Well, Ryanair started a new policy on November 1st that your checked bag can only be 15kg verses the regulation before, 25kg. So, we were 5kg over and got charged an additional 40 euros! Annoying, but whatever. It was okay, right, because our flights were so cheap??
We get through security with no problems, grab a coffee and take off at our scheduled time, 9:25am. Our arrival time was 11:30am. The flight was 100% smooth til the very end….before we left, we checked the weather and the forecast was for highs in the 20’s-30’s, winds up to 20mph, and rain. LOVELY!! So, when we were landing in Sweden, as the plane was 10 feet or so up, hovering over the landing strip, a gush of wind caught our plane and pulled us up a bit and then we went back down. We landed but not before Ag’s knuckles turned white from gripping the arm rails!

After that fright, we went to the baggage claim area. Honestly, this airport looked like a barn turned into a airport. There was NO one there and it was just a really big, big room with doors around the sides. I think the pilot was our bus driver and the flight attendants were security….seriously, they just switched hats around.

We got on our bus to the city which was about a 1.5 hour ride. The cost was 28 euros round trip per person but that is okay right? Our flights were so cheap…..

As we got closer to the city, you could start to see water and buildings everywhere. It was a nice drive, aside from the fact that it was raining.

After our ride into the city we got off at the main central station. The station was NUTS! It was like Chicago’s metro station at 5pm! People were walking in each and every direction and there were signs for the Metro, the tram, the subway, the buses, etc. Also, the escalators there were on crack because you walk up to them and think “La, la, slow ride with my things.” Oh, no! You got on this thing and it jerked you back! Fastest ride ever. Crazy! Anyway, we confirmed where we had to go with the information booth and made it to our hotel by 1pm.

The hotel was awesome. It was Hotel Kom and sat just north of the main central area and was a short walk to the action. The breakfast spread was delicious and the staff was really, really friendly. They also had a gym which was super nice. Apparently, the hotel is owned by the YMCA, so the equipment was great! Ag hadn’t been to a gym for over 7 months now and I haven’t been in over a year so we were kind of in heaven! (…As sick as that sounds!)

After we checked in we headed out to find a place to eat because we were starving. We found a Mongolian BBQ joint right up the street and it was de-lish! After that 70 euro meal….(it’s okay though because the flights were so cheap right??) we went into Old Town. We walked the pedestrian streets and went into a coffee shop for dessert and coffee (roughly 20 euros but it’s okay though….our flights were so cheap!) and to take a break from the rain.

Unfortunately, most of the stores were tourist shops so we decided to head to one of the other islands where there were more stores and things going on. We went into a few boutiques and after wondering for a few hours we decided to head back and get out of the rain for a bit.
On our way back, we passed an Irish pub just up from our place, The Foggy Dew. We decided to go in for a drink and guess what!? Ireland was playing South Africa in rugby and the place was packed. We worked some magic and found 2 great seats. After 4 beers for 30 euros (but it’s okay because our flights were so cheap right?) we went back to shower and get ready for our night.

It was around 8:30pm or so when we headed out. We went to a wine bar (Terrenos Vinotek) that has 32 wines on tap. You basically get a debit card and then insert your card in a slot above the wine of your choice. A “tasting” is then poured into your glass. It was really cool and just a different thing to do. We had some cheese and bread there as well and hung out for a good portion of the evening.

After that, we walked around the town for a bit and it was ALIVE! Talk about sassy, dressy and clubby! There were long lines of club goers trying to get into places all over. Please note too, it was about 20 degrees out! We enjoyed ourselves, people watched, grabbed some late night kabobs and hit it.

The next day, we ate a yummy breakfast at the hotel and then we to the gym to work out for a bit. After that we headed to the palace to see the changing of the guards. To be honest with you, we didn’t really see any guards “change” per say. Basically we got there right before the event started. (It was clockwork, I tell ya!) There were two groups of soldiers. One group just marched with guns and the other with drums. The “guns” group started marching and the “drums” followed. They started at say point A and walked basically in a square around the palace! Everyone followed them while they did this and marched along, but no one ever “changed” places with the guard who was standing at the palace. So, that was that. (Weird…but that is okay because that was free….)

Then we went to the Djurgarden Island. On Djurgarden is an amazing open air museum situated on top of a hill called Skansen. There is a zoo and an aquarium in Skansen. In the zoo area there are animals native to Sweden: bears, reindeer, moose (only one, though…otherwise it would have been meece), seals, etc. They had a feeding at 2pm so we went on a mini tour with the animal caretakers and saw the animals up-close which was cool.

After that, we walked around and just took in the sights. The park is full of buildings from all over Scandinavia and vary in age. The great thing about the buildings is you can go into them and they are fully furnished and you really get to see how people lived and worked through the ages. There is a main street that has several shops: potter, printer, general store and a bakery. Of course we went into the bakery…where they had freshly made pastries for sale. We got a few and headed to a small café where there were small wooden tables and chairs. The tables were lit by candle light and it was very cozy. We enjoyed our goods, had few coffees and then headed out.

After Skansen we walked up the street to the Vasa Museum. The museum houses the Vasa, a wooden warship that sank in Stockholm Harbor during her maiden voyage in 1628. A bit of history from the museum:

“The Vasa was built during the 30 Years' War of 1618-1648, when Sweden had lost a dozen ships and needed vessels to support King Gustav II Adolph's military campaign in the Baltic. The ship was the largest in the history of the Swedish fleet, with an extra cannon deck that the king himself had ordered during the Vasa's construction. On August 10, 1628, the vessel departed from her mooring in front of the royal palace with some 130 crewmen and wives on board. As she sailed slowly through the islands that separate Stockholm from the open sea, a wind caught the sails, and the top-heavy ship unexpectedly hove to port. Water poured through the open cannon ports, and the ship sank in the 105-foot (32-meter) channel. Although most of the crew and passengers escaped, some (including the ship's cat) went down with the Vasa. Sporadic salvage attempts took place over the next 50 years, but the ship was all but forgotten by the end of the 18th Century.”

The ship was resurfaced all in one piece about 40 years ago.

It was amazing to see and just to try to comprehend how people built such a large vessel. The woodwork on the ship was incredibly detailed and refined. It was truly something to see.

We left the museum/Island around 5pm and started walking back to our hotel. It was really, really cold, but it was a nice evening. Few side notes: 7-Elevens were everywhere, sushi, Mongolian BBQ places and Kabob restaurants were all over. Also, the sun set at 3pm and was pitch black by 4pm. We don’t have many pictures of the outdoors because it got dark so fast!
As we walked back, we walked down a few of the main streets that really made us feel like we were on the “Michigan Avenue” of Stockholm! Lots of shops and people buzzing around.

Once we got back we changed and headed out for our drink reservations. Drink reservations? Aha, yes. We were going to the Absolut Icebar and by ICE bar, I mean completely all ice. Before this reservation, we tried to go to the Skybar at the Radisson Hotel, that supposedly has an awesome view of the city. But to our surprise(and disappointment), it was closed! We opted to grab a drink at a place close by which worked out perfectly fine.

So, the ICEBAR….The bar, the walls, the couch, tables, everything was all ice. It was really, really something to see. The temperature in the joint was -5 degrees Celsius….so around 20 or so Farenheit Before entering, the host whips a crazy silver space coat on you and you need it! The drinks are served in fist-sized hollow ice cubes and trust me, you had to have your gloves on to hold the drink to your mouth! The amount of time you stay in the bar is 45 minutes. (Ag asked the bartender how long he works and he said in 4 hour shifts.)

So, after that, we decided to warm up our bodies and feet with a hearty meal at a restaurant across the street.

Dinner was very tasty and the place actually reminded us of a Applebee’s but Swedish style. After that 70+euro meal (It’s okay because our flights were so cheap…) we headed back to the Foggy Dew and were pleased to see that the Bengals game was on! Alright! After watching them lose a heartbreaker to San Diego, we returned to the hotel and retired for the night.

The next day at breakfast was a bit weird to say the least. I set my plate down at my table and went around the corner to get a coffee. As Ag and I approached our table, we notice a 9 or 10 year-old normal looking kid, petting my cheese. He was seriously stroking it.

We both said something and he finally moved but obviously something wasn’t “right” with him. Plus, it made the breakfast a bit awkward. The dad didn’t really watch the kid too much and he was kind of just wondering the room.

After that bizarre encounter, we went to workout, shower, and then checked out. We took our bags to the train station and left them in a locker there. Then we just walked around for a few hours before catching the bus back to the airport.

Stockholm was great. It’s a really cool (literally and figuratively) city to visit! I have to give Ag credit on this one because she did all the research and reservation work. I was impressed with our adventure.

This week has been a week from hell (work wise) to say the least. That is all I will say because I don’t want to talk about it! But we do have a few things to look forward to.

1. Our good friend from Chicago, Abby Crossen, will be visiting Sunday-Tuesday of this week.

2. Then we have Thanksgiving and we are going to a bar called ‘Maybe Not Bob’s”. Ag was going to cook and I have no doubt in her ability, but we won’t be here for the left-overs so it’s not completely worth it. They supposedly have a decent American menu at the bar that day so we will see. Plus a few of our friends are going to come so it should be fun.

3. Ag is going skiing with our good friend, Annette Cooper, whose husband Jacob works for the E&Y office in Amsterdam. Jacob and I are leaving next weekend for Orlando, FL. We have training and the girls are going to go and play!

After that, it’s December. My how time has flown by. I have been here for over a year and Ag, just over 6 months. We are so excited to see everyone and spend some great quality time with family and friends during our two weeks home for Christmas!

Tour of Tuscany, Days 7, 8 and 9

Note: Please read the previous blogs to make sure you haven't missed any adventures!

Friday, October 13th- Sunday, October 15th

After another tasty breakfast spread, we were on the road to Venice. It was a crisp fall day and the sun was shining. Actually, the weather was great everyday that we traveled….cool mornings/evenings, sunny, highs in the 70’s during the day.

We left at 10:05am and got to Venice at 1:00 - 1:30pm! It was all highway but after the traffic we hit around Florence yesterday we were mentally prepared for the worst. However, it was so easy it was kind of scary!

The hotel we were staying at in Venice was actually on an island called Lido. We had to take a water ferry to it and saw signs for the ferries as soon as we pulled into the Venice area. The boat was just about to pull out but waited for us. It was the coolest thing…you just drive right onto this massive boat and off it goes. We got on and were cruising over the waters within minutes!
Our little smurf was doing okay and I am sure it was happy to have a rest on the boat for a bit.

The ferry was a decent size and had a bar and area to sit up on top. The ride was about 30 minutes and it was very scenic. You could see the San Marco Basilica from our angle, boats were cruising all over, it was just an amazing city to see!

We docked, drove off of the ferry and headed to our hotel. It was located in this really, really cute village area that had shops and restaurants lining the streets. There was a huge beach area and there were cabanas lined up in the sand. It felt like we were in a small resort town; Ag and Steph said they felt like they were in the Hamptons….(must be nice to those who have been!)
Anyway, we checked into our room and then went to a pizzeria, Gran Viale, and had a few pies and beers. We then walked up the street to the water taxis. We got on and were on the Venice island in about 20 minutes.

The way the town operates is just amazing. There are no cars in the area and everyone seriously gets around by boat or by foot. The streets are so small, narrow and tiny that you can get lost very easily. The water taxis are set up like a metro train or the Chicago Loop trains. Gondolas were everywhere too. Also, there are not a ton of sites to see in Venice, it’s more the experience of being there, being around something totally different, that you take away from it….

With that being said, we went to the famous Piazza San Marco where the St. Mark Bascilia is…the plaza is also the home to 1000’s of pigeons! They were everywhere and Ag has a fear of birds so this was just perfect for her! It actually works out great for me because she holds on to me really close! No really though, I get a kick of seeing her freak.

The Bascilica was impressive and the inside was very dark, yet filled with art and beauty. After we walked though that, we grabbed a few beers and just walked in and out of stores, winding our way to other things to see. We got to the Ponte di Rialto which is a famous pedestrian bridge. We crossed it and then ran into a ton of vendors on this main street. We turned down a side ally and ended up in a small plaza area. At this point, we decided to uncork a bottle of Chianti and give our cheers to Venice! It was around 7:00pm and we were having a great time just hanging out, exploring and absorbing our surroundings.

After our bottle, we found a outdoor restaurant that had pretty good food. We all had our own meals, but shared one pasta dish, the cannelloni. It was the best cannelloni I have ever tasted. The pasta melted in your mouth! After dinner we took a water taxi back to the San Marco square. It was about 9:00 or 9:30pm at this point.

The pigeons were all gone and the square was alive with lively restaurants. The restaurants had outdoor seating that put you on the outskirts of the square. Musicians at these restaurants were playing beautiful instrumental music. We listened to a few peaceful, relaxing songs and then started wondering down a side street again…this time in search of a gelato stand! We found one, but not before I ran into the secretary of one of the partners in our office! She was there for the weekend to celebrate her birthday. Talk about a small world!

We walked back to the water taxi and were home and in bed by 11:30pm. The next day didn’t turn out as planned but was a success to say the least. After breakfast we went to where we had to board the ferry back to the main Venice island. We had planned to park the car and explore Venice a bit more, grab lunch, etc. Unfortunately, we were 4 cars short of making the cut on the first ferry and had to sit for an extra hour and wait for the next ferry.

Once we did get to mainland it was close to 12:30pm and traffic was really congested getting into the parking areas. We decided to go to a town right outside of Venice for lunch and then headed to the airport. K-our hotel guy said it would take about an hour or so to get to the airport. Plus we had to return the Shiat Smurf. We were there in 20 minutes! The car was parked and returned, everything was fine done and we were finished within 5 minutes. Seriously. It was crazy!

So, we sat for about 3 hours in the smallest airport I have ever been in. Honestly, they had 2 gates. We got out with no problems though (which was the good thing) and landed back at Frankfurt Hahn around 6:00pm.

My buddy, Robert McEwan, met us there at the airport and together the 5 of us drove back to Amsterdam. Two reasons we went back to Amsterdam: 1. Steph and Pete’s flight left from Amsterdam the next day, and 2. the Amsterdam marathon, half marathon and 10k were the next day. That was a long drive….just because we were all tired. When we got to Amsterdam, we all stayed with our friends Jacob and Annette (thanks again!). Jacob and I drove Steph and Pete to the airport the next morning and thus the Tuscany trip was over….

That day, Agnes and Annette ran the 10k and McEwan, Jacob and I ran the half marathon. The race went well but it was windy and cold in Amsterdam. We managed though! Not sure what Agnes’ time was in the 10k, but I averaged a 7:31 mile over the duration of the half marathon. I’m happy with that! We finally were home and in our beds in Lux around 10:00pm. What a week!

Since this trip, we haven’t done a whole lot. Ag has been busy babysitting, cleaning apartments and working for her company back at home, Lakeshore Staffing. We have been relaxing and taking it easy. I have been ridiculously busy at work lately (normal days are from 8:00am to 10:00pm). Unfortunately, I have let my business creep into our adventures, as we had to cancel our Belgium plans for this weekend. We were planning on driving up to Brugge and also seeing Antwerp. However, I am just trying to stay positive and keep on keeping’ on….the good thing about those Belgian cities is that they are very very close and we can really drive up there anytime we aren’t busy and feel the urge.

We do have a trip to Stockholm, Sweden planned for next weekend which should be lots of fun. We are planning a drive to Reims, France (the capital of the Champagne region!) the weekend after that. Then we’re off for a weekend (Belgium, maybe?) and then I go to Orlando for a week’s worth of training for work. After that, we have a weekend (and opera) in Vienna, Austria and the various German Christmas Markets to attend. Then, viola, we’ll be home for two weeks at Christmas. So, until the next adventure, au revoir!

Tour of Tuscany, Day 6

Thursday, October 12th

We woke up and had a decent breakfast spread of croissants, yogurts, breads, hams, cheeses, etc. By 8:45am we were in the Shiat and on our way to Florence. The drive to Florence was only about ½ hour but we ran into crazy traffic getting into the heart of the city. There are no major highways that lead you directly into this city and for some reason the traffic was really heavy. All roads were one lane, stop and go. We managed to park the car in the center under the train station (as our hotel recommended) and were exploring by 10:00am.

Florence was nuts! You could just feel the energy around you. And, can I say it’s the leather capital of the world?? There are vendors everywhere selling great coats, purses, man-bags, etc. It is probably the art capital of the world as well. So many artists’ works (i.e., the ORIGINALS) are here. Also, motor bikes were cruising around everywhere (kind of like Rome) and people were on the go.

Our goal was to get to the Galleria del l’Accademia where the original David, by Michelangelo resided. The line to get into this gallery was HUGE and we did not reserve tickets before hand since we were kind of “going with the flow” with our plans. So, when all was said and done, we did not see the statue.

Instead we toured the Bascilica Santa Maria Novella that had some amazing paintings and sculptures, including a few of Michelangelo’s works. It was all pretty impressive. We then headed through the city just observing all that was around us. We stopped and got some sandwiches and a few beers at a corner café and then headed on to the Leather School where we read in a book that they sell discounted items. Not so much the case (stuff was pricey!), but that didn’t worry us. We were ready to negotiate with the vendors outside.

And negotiate we did. By the end of the day, Agnes and Steph had new leather purses, I had a new leather work/courier bag, and Agnes was the proud owner of a really sweet leather jacket.

We walked through the Leather School which somehow led us into the Santa Croce cathedral.
We are not sure how that happened considering there was a front entrance to this church where everyone else was paying?? We looked around for awhile, then got out of there before someone figured us out and headed into the plaza area and down a few streets to one of the main sites in Florence: The Duomo, Santa Maria del Fiore and the tower.

The Duomo is the largest domed structure in the world and all I have to say is WOW! Inside the church was a very large open area. There were not a ton of paintings or sculptures on the side walls but the top, inside part of the Duomo depicts scenes from the Old Testament. The art work was amazing. We decided to climb the bell tower to see the Tuscany view. After 400+ stairs we were at the top and it was well worth it! The city was a huge, sprawling mob scene and the hills in the background just seemed to keep on rolling on….

We walked through the Piazzale Degli Uffizi where the Uffizi Gallery is located. This museum houses works by Titan, Michelangelo, deVinci, etc. There were sculptures of the artists outside the museum and the Piazzale stretches to the Piazza Della Signoria. This Piazza is a splendid open-air museum with monuments and works of art all over. (I went a little crazy with pics of the statues!)

From this Piazza we walked to the famous pedestrian covered bridge, Ponte Vecchio. There were shops lining both sides of the bridge and the area was bustling!

At this point it was around 3:00pm and we wanted to get going because we had reserved spots for a wine making tour at a vineyard that evening. Our tour started at 5:00pm and considering we hit traffic getting into Florence, we wanted to be safe.

Well, long story short, we had a couple of detours, some stand still traffic, and other things that occurred to ensure that we didn’t make it to our hour long wine making tour. We did make it for a wine tasting though! Let me explain….we got back on the road and got out of Florence with really no problems. Unfortunately, we missed our road toward the hotel and ended up driving about 10-20 minutes out of the way. No big deal….we gave ourselves enough extra time.

The thing about European highways compared to the US is that if you miss your exit, you are screwed! Seriously, there might not be another exit for a good 10-20 minutes…as in this case. Well, we got on the right road and still had about an hour to an hour and ½ to get to our tour…and the drive should only take a ½ hour now that we were finally on the highway……no problems. We are good to go! (Or so I thought…)

Well, the highway gods were not on our side that day. Within 10 minutes we were in stand still traffic for a good 40 minutes or so. At this point, Ag and Steph were about to pee their pants. And of course, please note as well, in Europe not only are there hardly any exits, there are hardly any bathrooms off the exits.

Needless to say when we finally got into an area where I could pull off, Steph and Ag had to just let it go behind the car. Another reason why I love being a guy….anyway, after a little stage fright, the girls were fine and we were back on the road. I told Ag that I was proud of my “little camel” and got a healthy slap on the a*s for that comment!

We still made it to the Dievole wine plantation for a lesson on wines and a tasting which was really nice. The place was situated down this really long windy road through the heart of the Chianti area. Our guide was really helpful and friendly too. We ended up buying a 6 bottle case to split among the two couples. I can’t wait to uncork one of those bottles a few years from now!
After our tasting we drove into Siena. Siena was only about 10-20 minutes away. The sun was beginning to set and it was going on 7:00pm. Trying to figure out where to park in Siena was a bit challenging because the entire city is surrounded by a huge castle wall. Therefore, there were only a few entrances where you could actually drive into the city center area.

We managed to park and then walked into the town’s main square, Il Campo, which is a theatrical, fan-shaped area. It was really cool and I had never seen anything like it before. There was also a huge bell tower, the Torre del Mangia, there as well. People were just sitting in the center area and there were restaurants that went all around the outer part of the “fan”.
The city gave me a really good feeling. It was clean, you felt the uniqueness and quaintness of the area, it was comfortable.

Our goal was (and always is) to not eat at a “tourist trap” so we had asked our wine guide for a suggestion on a restaurant to try. It took us a little bit of time to find the restaurant, but we did and it was good! The restaurant was called Trattoria Papel and it was located behind the center and kind of hidden in a small plaza area. Our server was great, spoke pretty good English, and convinced me to try the Wild Boar dish. It was fantastic-o!

After dinner we strolled along some side streets back to the car. It was a really quiet night in the town and the walk was nice on the cobblestone roads. Actually, now that I think about it….all the streets in the city were cobblestone. We got back to our hotel around 10:00pm and crashed.

What a day!