In Siena itself I was greeted by some pupils who handed me over a little bouquet of Mimosas. That felt super welcoming, but was obviously not just for me, but for all women who came by. It's a tradition in Italy. If you look at the picture below you can see them peeping out of my snack bag.
Siena was generally a super friendly place. The Piazza del Campo is very impressive and invites people to sit and enjoy the sun. I didn't have breakfast that morning, so I was very curious when I saw the little hut on the piazza. They were selling fritelli, some sort of fried dough, and they were delicious. I didn't take a proper picture, I was very hungry.
On the piazza I was approached by two english men. They thought I was from the UK as well. Happens all the time, I guess all the Brooks panniers. It was fun to talk a bit, to be honest. Most of the time are very friendly but far more people than I thought don't speak english at all. It's always nice, but quite a dance. They wrote me down some parts of Scotland that I should definitely visit.
In front of the Duomo di Siena I encountered as well the first bike touring influencers. Strange term, but easiest way to describe it. A couple, with a dog and the guy had a very pretty purple Canyon bike. They took pictures in front of the Duomo.
The rest of the route to Colle di Val d'Elsa was nice, I guess. I really need to write down these summaries more in time, otherwise I can't remember. The one thing that I can remember was a 30m stretch into the city that was so steep that it almost fell like making a drop in in a half pipe. Was fun.
As accomodation I can only warmly recommend Palazzo Pacini. I think I got a very great deal, as I only paid around 65 Euros and had the most amazing room and breakfast.
