Another travel day.

I decided to take a cab to the Lucca train station, though we had walked from there to our hotel when we arrived in Lucca. The whole trip to Siena was very easy. Two regional trains with a 20 minute transfer in Florence. On arrival in Siena, I continued the luxury travel theme and decided to take a cab, because the walk would be straight up and tough for Joe. Unfortunately, there were about 10 parties in front of us and it took us almost a full hour to get to the front of the line and hop in a cab. Apparently, Siena’s cab contingent dropped to under 50 during covid and is now up to 54. But oh well.

Our hotel is right in the middle of the historic center, very convenient. I had to manage cathedral tickets again to account for Joe not climbing the tower. With timed entry and different tickets to visit different things, it was a bit complicated but I managed. After a quick lunch, Joe took a nap and I headed to the porta del cielo, which took us up and around the cathedral dome. I had about another 90 minutes to just walk and get oriented. This is a tremendously beautiful city, just wow. It has been a bit cloudy this afternoon, but that doesn’t detract from the medieval and gothic beauty.

We ate dinner in a slightly upscale place called Tre Cristi. It’s about two minutes from the hotel, which was good for Joe. He was feeling good after dinner so we walked to the main square and then on up to the cathedral, both beautifully lit up at night.Read more