Rough Day

Dear sweet mother of God...

We finally made it to Montepulciano.  After a crazy train ride with a beautiful view of black walls aka tunnels, a bus ride where the bus driver was way to confident in his driving up the mountain skills, and a hike with 50 pound bags up a gigantic mountain lost as a goose. It was so much fun, not.. it made me want to punch someone in the face, right in the jaw.

We woke up at Ape Latina (recommend this hostel if you're going to Rome, very nice and cheap, CLEAN) got ready and said goodbye to our London friends. We raced to the metro after grabbing a quick breakfast. When we get there, line A is going under technical difficulties. That's wonderful, I'd love to be stuck in a tunnel under Rome. But after about twenty minutes it finally starts working and gets going to Termini Station. We wanted to send out postcards today, but things just were not working the way we planned them to.

So we get to Termini and we had to go up like 4 flights of stairs with backpacks AND suitcases. I got stuck in the gateway thing to get out of the subway. My suitcase would not cooperate. Andrea laughed pretty hard.

Then we get on our train to Chiusi. Didn't enjoy it so much. We finally get to Chiusi after about 2 hours and I couldn't figure out how to get off the train. Apparently you have to press the buttons, I can't read italian.. sorry. So we get off then go down and up 2 flights of stairs, fun. Then head to get a bus ticket. 

The lady spoke no english, good thing I know enough italian/spanish that I kinda figured it out.  We get our tickets so next we needed to figure out what bus to get on. Took some work, without Andrea's word roll translator on her phone.. we wouldn't have known what to do. We finally find our bus! It makes us sick.. About an hour or so of driving up a mountain and around curves way too fast. We both got sick.

Andrea: "I would be able to enjoy the view if I wasn't trying hold back vomit."

When we get to Montepulciano, we cannot find a street name. So we just start walking up and up and up this mountain. Hell. We FINALLY find a "You are here" map and since I'm the one with a sense of direction I figure out where to go. Eventually! we do get there, hallelujah.

On the bright side, Montepulciano is absolutely GORGEOUS. The view is incredible and pictures will never do it justice. They make their on wine here too, claims to be some of the best in Italia and on the way to the hotel we passed a place that was having a free wine tasting. How cool.

It looks so old and rustic, how you would actually picture Italy to be if you've  never been.  This is where Under the Tuscan Sun AND New Moon were filmed. So awesome.

Our hotel  room has a huge terrace! and an air conditioner. love it already. I think we will enjoy it once we bathe and rest a little. We had little to no sleep last night, our bodies are still running in Mississippi time apparently. 

Monte is awesome! Very very few tourists and everything looks like a fairy tale almost. When we go to the hotel we freshened up and then went out. Got some yummy pizza (only 2 euro) and walked around taking pictures.

Monepulciano makes their own wine and almost every wine store has a free wine tasting. You know we did it, so good. We got plastered, not.  We were soo sleepy and when we walked back down the big mountain into town, I almost didn't think we could make it back up. Once we got back to the room, we took a 5 hour nap. I could go back to sleep though.

We woke up and went and got more pizza at an authentic italian restaurant, not the touristy italian restaurants. We ate with the italians!! Very good. Then got hit on by some teenagers and now we're chatting with some friends and family in the hotel lobby. I miss everyone. Can't wait to come back and pray I don't run out of money! More expensive than I thoght

Buon Notte Mississippi!

Gabby