I'm going to keep this entry pretty short, partly because I have no photos and partly because the one I just wrote below on my night/day in Firenze yesterday was just so, so, so long.
I took the train from Firenze Santa Maria Novella train station around 1:22pm to Pisa Centrale where I changed trains to go to Genoa Principle Station where I changed trains once again to go to Varazze which is only 6 miles or so from Savona where my mother and I will start our cruise next Monday. I choose to stop here so I could figure out where we'll stay on Sunday night before the cruise and how to get around so it will be more relaxing for mom and I don't drag her around and make her too miserable as I am known to do when I reach a new town. So for now I can explore tomorrow and then be prepared to show her just the things she'll be interested in. I'm staying at the Palace Hotel which was, according to a review on Hotels.com a 20 minute power walk from the train station. Well I'm used to NYC power walks how bad could this be. Well not bad just exhausting, I was sweating so much I looked like a drowned rat. It was up a large hill and then a small hill and about a mile on straight land. The only really good thing is that most of the waling was along the incredible waterfront. This is a seaside town and the beach is beautiful. There were even people in the water and playing on the beach as I walked along.
So there isn't much exciting news about the trip to report.The journey took over 5 hours in total but as soon as I got on the train in Firenze I was joined by two breathless and frustrated American couples. One from Pheonix and one from Minessota. The wives found seats pretty quickly inside but I had to sit outside in the large landing area with my suitcase because the train was so crowded and the two husbands had to do the same so the hour or so to get to Pisa flew by because we all just chatted. They were so aggravated when they first got on so the first part of our conversation was all about how the trains work in Italy and how to find the track your train is on. They only knew the city they were going to and didn't realize they needed to know the trains final destination to find the listing on the big departures computer screens and to know which track to be at. And they, like on several of my first train trips, could not get a single person to help me. It always seems that the people getting on the train with you are totally clueless as to where they're actually going. Anyway, after a little discussion and me imparting the little bits of wisdom I've acquired after making all the same mistakes they did, we all just relaxed and enjoyed the conversation.
They are both doctors and we talked about where they'd been so far and where I'd been and the doctor from Pheonix is attending a pediatric orthopedic surgery conference in Pisa while his wife gets to do the tourist thing and the other doctor and his wife are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary and she always wanted to go to Europe so here they are. They were headed to Cinque Terra and this was their first experience on the Italian train system and a little confused. It turned out I was on the same train from Pisa so I helped them find the track and we ended up sitting together the whole time and talking up a storm. His wife was so nice and they're just a really friendly couple and we talked books and travel and teaching and about their two sons going to Notra Dame and just lots of stuff and before the got off they said God must have brought us together because they would never have found their way to Monterosso without my help. I don't think that's true I just think they may have been a little delayed and much more frustrated. I guess all my trial and error with the Italian transit system has at least paid off in that I can now help others make fewer annoying mistakes.
Also in our compartment was a very kind and friendly Italian lady who you will hear more about in my Firenze entry because she pointed out the mountain where Michelangelo got his Carrara marble for most of his works of art.
She and I chatted a bit more after the Minnesota couple got off and her son is in college in Hersey, Pennsylvania studying to be a doctor. I guess it was the day for doctors. Well the almost 5 and half hours just flew by and it was such a pleasure to meet the two couples and the Italian lady and that is really what has made this trip so special, the amazing people you meet along the way who are only in your life for minutes or hours but leaving a great, positive, lasting impression.
