San Giusto Volterra

... a browse through their beer selection and as I was doing so the waitress extolled the virtues of the Aventinus Eisbock.
She said it was a 12% beer that still had a Belgian fruity quality but with the 12% kick.
Had to give it a go and after half a glass on top of the 9% tripel I just had before am really feeling that kick as I write this!!!
Lucky she gave me some bread and crisps to go with the beer...

... tea, she had a tray of ceramic tea pots sitting out at her table with cream and honey and lumps of sugar. There was also some cookies and a plate of brownies she had baked. These she cooked with olive oil instead of vegetable oil because she ran out so we warned us that they might be slightly salty. But they were still very good.

She even lent us some books from her collection that ...

... a guidebook recommendation) for lunch – and It. Was. Awesome. Set off a little street, through a small door framed in ivy, this little hole-in-the-wall served up phenomenal Tuscan food. (A sign inside the restaurant stated: “Slow Food Zone.” Hah.) We started out with bruschetta, and from there, we each had a pasta as our first plate (“primi piatti”) – I had a spicy spaghetti with meat sauce, and Murray had the ...

... life time on this trip already!
Climbed the tower in the main piazza, saw an enormously large pizza and had wild boar sausages for lunch which were a bit gamey but nice.
Went for drinks at Lochness bar and ended up drinking long islands as there wasn't much in the way of wine or beer there.

... store.

We found a water bottle for Kathie and a Bianchi bottle for Mike. We also found some jerseys for the two of us that were Siena specific. While trying on the jerseys some Americans came into the store and we had some conversations with them. They were on a Vermont Bicycle Tour and the couple in the trio was from Alexandria.

Soon we went to catch the bus and were on our way back to Arbia. On the bus we caught the ear of a woman sitting next to us. She started ...

... by now that I love to cook and that I adore food so seeing a market or having something to eat at a local restaurant is just as much of a priority as visiting the landmarks and the great museums for me. So I go into the market-it's huge! The market is two stories and is filled with some of the most amazing meat, cheese, seafood and vegtable stalls that I have ever seen in my life! Also one sees a lot of sundried tomatoes and ...

... it was the day before!). This town was one of the biggies in the middle ages- to see a church built in 1228 with ORIGINAL artwork and altar makes you get goose bumps. there is a statue, a wood statue of the crucifixion, with gold guilding that is as vibrant as if it were done yesterday- WOOD that old and kept so well. A guide told us the history of the town and it just is awe inspiring, from the sieges that took place in the 1400s that ...

... or SUV's and lots and lots of mopeds. Gas prices were very high. The ancient ruins and history were very interesting but I don't think I would choose to go back to Athens. I would go back to Mykonos, Santorini or Patmos for a few days or a week to explore the islands on mopeds. One thing we noticed on our way out of the city is that Greek women in general do not have pierced ears nor wear earrings. Not sure why. Turkey was surprisingly modern and nice. The people that we encountered spoke ...

... when we get home. We have settled into a daily routine of up early (6'ish), breakfast, tour location until about 2 or 3, rest for awhile, then out again for walking and dinner at 7 or 8, back by 10, update journal and picture log and bed by 11PM. It has worked out pretty good for us so far. From San Gimigiano we went to Siena to find our lodging for the night. Siena, in my opinion, is not a very car friendly town so we had some trouble finding our agritourismo for the night ...

... seems steep at first but at "Face" you receive all you can drink from that point on at no extra charge. Seeing as most drinks are anywhere from five to eight Euros at other establishments "Faces" offers a great value. The drinks may be small but they truly are unlimited; and it isn't low quality liquor either. The wonderful bartenders including Neil, originally from Arkansas, will pour Jack ...