Everything was running smoothly and on time so I arrived at Pisa airport just after 11 am. Of course, this is when it dawned on me that for the first time ever I was somewhere where I didn't know a single word of the language. Everywhere else I have been has either been English speaking or I have at least known a few words to help me find my way around. But as I stood outside the airport trying to work out how and where to get the bus into town, I realised I was stuck. I literally couldn't even remember simple phrases such as 'hello' or 'thank you' and of course couldn't work out the bus timetable at all. A little old lady at the bus stop was talking to me effusively, but I couldn't understand a word she was saying and finding that the ticket machine was broken, I frustratedly went back into the airport to see if I could get a ticket and some help there. There was an amusing interlude where the ticket clerk misread my hotel reservation and tried to put me on a train for Bologna, before I managed to convince him that I only needed to get to the town centre. Soon I was back out at the bus stop and soon the red line bus came along which the old lady indicated I should board.
Soon we were in the centre of Pisa and I soon noticed a sign indicating my hotel. I prepared to get off the bus at the next available stop, but the old lady was going frantic trying to stop me from getting off. Eventually, we got off several stops further down the line and she kindly spent about 10 minutes trying to show and explain the direction to me. To be honest it was a hard task, but careful listening meant that I eventually picked up a few directions and soon set off in the blazing midday heat to find my hotel. There was no way I could find my way back to where I'd seen the signs so had to trust that I'd managed to pick up enough of an idea from the old lady to continue. Unfortunately, although I walked in the direction she had suggested, I could see no other signs indicating the presence of the hotel and so, finding myself on the main shopping street I headed for the chemist to see if I could get further instructions from them (rightly or wrongly I always head for a chemist if I need instructions as they tend to have people who can speak at least a few words of English). I was pleased to discover that I was actually only just round the corner from the hotel and although it wasn't quite as straightforward as her directions suggested I soon found my way to the Hotel Bologna. This was a lovely old type hotel - pensione style, with rooms with high ceilings and comfortable beds. The dining room was decorated in the most beautiful style with paintings of the buildings along the banks of the Arno on each side, giving the effect that you were actually sitting in the river whilst dining. There was also a small terrace, which was quiet enough to relax in.
Having unpacked the essentials, I decided to take a walk around Pisa (although I was intending to leave the Tower until mum and dad arrived later in the day). I wandered through the shopping area and over the river Arno, enjoying the lovely hot weather and beautiful blue skies. I wandered through the old town, and eventually stopped at a cafe to have a panini and a beer. It was while I was having this that I received a text from mum saying that they had arrived at the airport and were just leaving for the hotel. As soon as I finished my meal, I walked back, expecting them to have arrived, but there was no sign of them. So I went to wait on the terrace, with my book (the brilliantly haunting and beautiful 'The Savage Garden' by Mark Mills) and settled down to wait. I know that I fell asleep, and that some time later I went back to my room to get a bottle of water, and still they hadn't arrived. When they did finally make it to the hotel, they explained that they had followed the sign that I had seen from the bus and it had taken them all round the outskirts of Pisa - if I'd have got off there I'd probably have still been walking!
Once settled in their room we took a walk back down over the Arno and made our way to the Campo dei Miracoli (the Field of Miracles) containing the Duomo, the Baptistry and of course, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I had been warned that it wasn't the biggest building in the world, but I was still pleased to see it. The beautiful carvings and gargoyles on that and the other buildings made it worth the visit, although I have to admit that once you've seen it, there isn't really all that much else to do in Pisa. We wandered back through the old streets eating pistachio icecream and then eventually stopped at a lovely restaurant in the old town where we had a lovely meal - bruschetta as a starter for mum and I followed by wild mushroom crepes for us and a calzone for dad. we also had a couple of bottles of wine and finished with desserts. A slow walk took us back to the hotel where we relaxed for an hour of so on the terrace with another couple of drinks, before heading off to bed. I was shattered having had such an early start and had no trouble getting to sleep in the comfortable bed provided by the hotel.
(Thanks to mum & dad for the photos)
