October 23

This morn we woke up earlier than we ever have on this trip. Life is so hard when you sleep as long as you want on vacation. We caught a train from Florence to Siena to see Roberto and Rita. We had the most amazing lunch and dinner there. Roberto picked us up from the station in his work van and took us home and calls me Cara Illary. Lunch was ragu with shell pasta, breaded (or sauced or something magical) chicken with porcini mushrooms that Roberto had picked in the forest, fresh salad from their garden, tuscan bread, fruit, cake with raisins, nuts and olives, cake with apples, and, obviously, acqua frizzante and naturale. 

After lunch and a long chat Roberto went to the doctor for his knee, Rita went to clean an office so Todd and I walked into the city and reminisced about when each of us lived there. Roberto called the museum ahead so we could go in for free so we spent some time there. I don't know hardly anyone who still works there except Pinuccia. I found out she has really aggressive cancer and didn't get to see her because she was at the doctor. I almost cried every time they talked about her. They removed 7 kilos of tumors from her body, which is like 15 pounds. She's lost her hair and has a wig and Roberto says has lost a lot if her energy. At least I spoke with her in the phone. She is so kind and gentle and thoughtful. 

We walked to the fortress to get a good view of the city at night and went to my favorite Duomo. I absolutely adore Siena streets more than any in the world.

For dinner we had prosciutto cotto and crudo, pecorino, provolone, fresh mozzarella, fresh garden tomatoes, bruschetta with oil they made, potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper, bread, fritatta with some delicious vegetable from their garden that I didn't understand, and a variety of cakes and fruit for dessert.

Tuscany is truly beautiful - the country side, the cities and the food.

Also, this past week baby girl's kicks and movements have been less blunt and much more distinct. I can't help but smile every time I feel her and the only word I can find to describe this new sensation is "cute." I have had a panic attack, or two on this trip about not being ready in the least for this tiny human (sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night crying thinking "there is no way I can do this. No no no no no. I'm not ready. How is this happening so quickly? Stop stop I can't do it"), so it's nice that I can't help falling in love with those jabs.