Frenzied in Firenze

I was on a really tight schedule. I had gone from Chester to London and had had difficulties with that train. We missed the 5:30 and the 6:30 ended up being cancelled due to an out signal light. I took until almost midnight to get back to London (it took three hours to get TO Chester that morning) We decided it would be better if I headed straight for Stanstead airport since my flight to Piza was at 630 am. We found the closest/soonest stop for the night bus to Stanstead and got me on that. I was at Stanstead airport surrounded by people sleeping on their luggage. I was so beyond tired at this point I almost went and locked myself in a toilet stall. LOL

The flight to Piza was uneventful. Ryan Air is inexpensive (really economy!) and when I got to Piza I went to buy a train ticket and the clerk suggested the bus would be better. She said it left sooner. I was fine with that and brought out my Visa card to buy a ticket and she said cash only. Yikes. I had no Euros yet, the exchange desk was closed because it was Sunday and the ATM was broken. She gave me directions to walk to an ATM outside the airport. I had no map of Piza and do not have a good sense of direction. I had visions of wandering the streets of Piza for days LOL. I found the ATM, got some Euros and found my way back. So far, not so bad.

When i got to Florence, I was able to find my way around with just a cute little popup map that is the size of a postcard until you open it up like a flower. Great map. I walked to my cousin's flat. It is up 8 flights of stairs! Whew. I spent the first aftenoon sleeping :)

We walked around Florence, saw the palace, ate, looked at statues, and basically just enjoyed being in such a beautiful and unusual city. He also took me to his school and to see inside the Duomo (which you could see from his balcony)

We arrived back at the train station (I decided to take the train. I think it was cheaper) with plenty of time and we ate at McDonalds and watched to board for my train. It was delayed. Finally they announed a track and I got on the train and settled in to listen to a book on my iPod. Mistake. I was oblivious to the passage of time. Finally i got the sense I had been sitting there, not moving, for too long. I notice people speaking to employees in Italian, and eventually a bunch of people get off the train and RUN to another train. There was a train wreck on our track, blocking our departure. I found a conductor and verified the second train was going to Piza so I hopped on. Now on the first train I had a lovely seat, no one next to me. Now I was standing in the vestibule or whatever you call the little room by the doors. We were packed in like sardines and I got to stand all the way to Piza. AND there is more than one train station in Piza. One is at the airport. I have no idea where the other one is. I of course arrived at the one that did not offer the convenience of flights out of the city.

I was told I needed to take the city bus to the other station. I get on a bus and then notice people do not pay on the bus. You buy your ticket first. I could not make sense of the convenient ticket machines :) so I was thrilled when I saw a sign over a newstand that said something like bolettos. I know a tiny bit of Spanish and that struck me as sounding like tickets. YES! They sold me a ticket, the told me which bus to take and I got to the Piza airport. I had missed my flight by hours.

Next I find out how Ryan Air stays in business. They charged me $150 penalty to put me on the next flight, which was not for another 5 or 6 hours. It did not matter that the reason I and so many others had missed the flight was the train wreck.

While waiting, my cell phone died, my credit card stopped working and I became stranded with only a few Euros (which I really wanted to bring home to show my students) I was hungry by then and starting to doubt the wisdom of traveling alone. I bought a bottle of water and a kind English woman dialed her calling card number so I could notify my brother in London of my status. I had 15 British pounds. I was not going to arrive into London until right when the train station closed. I was going to be out on the streets.

He arranged with a cab company to take me to his place for the money I had, but when I called, they said it would be 3-4 hours before a driver was available. I asked the cabs that were lined up taking new arrivals and no one would take me for the amount I had. Finally an independent cab driver who did not end up with a fare said he would take me for what I have. 15 pounds in notes and a one pound coin. LOL Nice guy.

As we got closer to my brother's place, the driver asked where it is, and I told him I only had the address. I had never been there. He was not amused. I had to "borrow" back the one pound and he pulled to a payphone. I called and found out we were close enough and he took off. I then promply walked the opposite direction and went a good half mile away. They came out and found me and I got a good 2 or 3 hours of sleep before heading off to Gatwick and home.

I don't know that I have ever been as tired in my life, but I still say Florence is amazing. :)

Sorry for such a ridiculously long post, but it was a ridiculously long journey heehee

Photos on Flickr