Not all who wander are lost...

Sunday was a free day, which meant that Ana Rose and I took full advantage of travelling! Our plan was to go to Lucca, because we heard it is a hidden gem of Italy. However, the train schedule is very different on Sundays, so even though we did our research, my first venture out of Siena was quite the adventure! We took the 11:40am train out of Siena to Empoli (after having to call Stella on the way to the train station because we were somewhat lost! She is just like our moms and called us when we were on the train to make sure we found it!). The train ride lasted an hour, and we sat across a very nice girl about our age, who is studying to be a cardiologist. Ana Rose talked to her the entire trip in Italian, pausing to explain parts of conversation I couldn’t pick up on. We both agreed that some of the best parts of travelling are the people you meet along the way, which turned out to be exactly the case in Pisa (more to come…). We arrived in Empoli and caught the correct train to Pisa, which was only a 30 minute trip. However, once in Pisa, we had a lot of difficultly reading the train schedule and finding the correct platform for the train to Lucca. By the time we figured it out, we missed the train. Then, different conductors gave us mixed information regarding the next train to Lucca. We finally realized that the confusion was because the train schedule varies a lot on Sundays and some trains stop running altogether. In the process, we met a nice couple from Holland who invited us to get coffee with them while we waited an hour for the next train. However, since we needed to be back in Siena by 8:30 in time for dinner with Stella, we decided to just explore Pisa for the day because neither of us had been there. Thanks to my Rick Steves’ Italy guide, we had a “self-directed tour” from the train station to Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles) where the Leaning Tower, Duomo, Baptistery, etc. are. At the beginning of the 45 minute walk there, we met a very friendly teacher from Indiana named Wendy. We spent the remainder of the day together and really enjoyed getting to know one another. On our scenic route to the Field of Miracles, we stopped to have lunch at a little café. The walk to the Tower was pretty. We expected it be very crowded, but since it was Sunday, most of the shops were closed. Therefore, we ambled along quaint, quiet streets lined with colorfully painted storefronts, window boxes, and shutters. We paused at the River Arno for a picture (though the river itself is brownish, the buildings lining it are picturesque). When we finished at the Field of Miracles (passing through several piazzas), I was surprised how beautiful the tower and cathedral/baptistery were. I expected a “tourist trap” location but instead really enjoyed seeing the sights, especially since it was not too crowded. We of course took the touristy picture of “holding up the tour,” but in all honesty I was shocked at how extreme the lean was! And since Wendy is a math teacher, she truly understood the extremity of a tower at a five degree angle! While Wendy went to see a statue of Fibonacci, Ana Rose and I explored the Duomo, which has striped marble arches and columns. It was very beautiful, particularly the mosaic of Christ in the apse and the 15-foot Carrara marble pulpit (by Giovanni Pisano) that has 400 figures sculpted in it. At 5pm, we met Wendy to head back to the train station, but not after passing several restaurants crowded with Italians cheering on Italia in the World Cup game. And no day trip around Italy would be complete without gelato, so we stopped at La Bottega del Gelato (Pisa’s favorite gelato place according to Rick Steves!) for Bacio-flavored gelato (a hazelnut chocolate specialty of Italy… fun fact, bacio means kiss in Italian, so they say that Bacio is the chocolate of lovers!). We rode with Wendy to Empoli before transferring to the train back to Siena. We made it back to Stella’s at 8:30pm on the dot, just in time for a delicious hot meal. Pisa had perfect, sunny, 75 degree weather all day, but since Siena was cold and rainy, Stella made us a rice and vegetable soup, complete with crostini and prosciutto-covered cantaloupe. She enjoyed hearing about our travel adventures during dinner, just like a caring mom!