Montecatini Terme

Woke up feeling so, so, so much better, almost completely well. Amazing how right when I got sick I was already booked to stay in this peaceful, relaxing town. Sometimes you just have to trust the universe to put you right where you need to be even if there are so many little Tuscan towns I wanted to visit here is was perfect.  I walked and rested and did lots of work on the computer today as I sat by the pool in the warmth and sunshine. There were a few kids from German there today with their parents swimming but mostly the same group as yesterday.  I don't usual take so much time to recover from a cold but I guess that's why it only lasted 5 days and other than taking lots of vitamin C, some time in the Thermal pools and some good Italian and Japanese spicy food I only needed the Montecatini fresh air and lots of rest to be well again.

I am happy I caught up on all my work though, I was getting anxious at how much stuff I had to do including reading 3 more plays for the theatre company I am a playwriting judge for. I've had them for almost 2 weeks which is just not like me. I always try to get them read with in a day or two of when they're sent to me but it was so busy in Rome and then I just wasn't feeling up to reading them.  Well now it's done and I can await the next batch. We've read 14 so far and hopefully not to many more to go. There are very some very good work including 3 of the last 4 which I really enjoyed. And reading them today inspired me to write a very short/quick little 6 minute play this evening as I had a final relaxing half hour at the pool before dinner. It's not a great play but you can't expect much for 15 minutes. It was just nice to write something, it seems like months and months.

So I'm just in the lobby of my hotel as I write this so I can let my hair dry naturally before bed. Just took a very relaxing shower before I came down in one of the tiniest showers on the planet (I guess they expect very small people to stay here) and I even did a mini pedicure using my bidet to soak my tired feet. I know that's not their purpose but they certainly come in handy for this kind of thing.

I'm sitting next to a group of Germans who really seem to be enjoying themselves. I think since it's only a 5 or 6 hour drive for them it's a great destination for a relaxing vacation and Montecatini is so close by car to so many great towns like Siena, Lucca, Pisa, Pistoia, Prato, Florence, etc. and so peaceful and clean so that in the evenings, like this group you can just relax in the lobby with all your friends and chat about the day. Or at least I think that's what they're talking about but really they could be plotting something very dastardly but since they're all well over the age of 60 I imagine that's unlikely and also a very sweet looking man just got up and asked the hotel attendant for a hot chocolate. I don't think people planning dastardly deed drink hot coco.