Burnt Siena

I stayed in Rome a couple of days but decided to leave as it was not as
cheap to stay there as I had become accustomed. So, after a bit of
consultation I headed for Siena. I am so glad that I did. It is a truly
beautiful city. It has beaten Verona as my favourite Italian town and I
would recommend it to anyone. The architecture is magnificent, and I have
managed to avoid paying to see anything by just walking around the streets
and seeing the outside of buildings. There are rambilng streets with great
construction, overhangs, passage ways arches etc. And much of it is from the
mediaeval era and is still fully intact. The main pizza, Il Campo, has a
beautiful gothic tower and is surrounded by buildings up to 9 stories high,
most of which are in various shades of "burnt Siena". Outside I can hear the
swifts flying around, very much a feature of Siena.
I have got a hostel for under 14 euro, sharing with only 2 others in the
room, which is better than 6 in a room in Rome.
A couple of other details - travelling alone as I have been the last few
days can be more challenging and more rewarding. I met a couple of English
girls in Rome and during the course of conversation started talking about
God and about knowing His guidance. It was a great opportunity to share with
them something of God's character, how He is personal and loves to look
after us. And here in Siena I met a Vietnamese guy and we spent the
afternoon together. He told me he was an atheist, but we had a very
interesting converation about God. We talked about the intellectual aspects
of God, and philosophy, and I sometimes have felt frustrated by that sort of
thing because I don't feel as eloquent as I'd like, or always seem to have
good answers. However, I prayed and simply said what I believe and also told
him about how I became a Christian and he was listening to that. I'd love
for everyone to have a close relationship with God, whether they previously
believed in Him or not.

I have at least one more night in Siena. Not sure where next. I have thought
of going north, as it is very hot here and maybe getting hotter. It's 21.15
and still it is so hot I'm sweating. Not that I'm complaining!