Italy as it Happened...Day 8

Italy as it Happened...Day 8

Wednesday, April 17th

We are getting use to this sleeping in thing. Kerry and I finally got out of bed around 8:00 am (that's 2 - 3 hours later then our usual time back home). This would be our last morning in Florence, our last morning within the ancient medieval walls of this majestic city, our last morning in this fabulous apartment. We have been fortunate during this vacation (so far). Kerry, for those of you who do not know) is the classic Princess and the Pea. If a bed (especially pillow) is the slightest too firm or too soft, she will be miserable with aches and pains. Me, give me a rock to lay my head upon and I slumber like Sleeping Beauty.

Once we were up and our morning coffee prepared and served, we spent the next hour packing up our stuff. We loved having a washing machine in the apartment and took full advantage of it. We were travelling with clean clothes (not only what we wore but what we packed as well).

Now, I do make a pretty good fresh perked coffee, if I do say so myself but there is something about the espresso bars that add that certain flavor to the experience. Maybe it is simply the atmosphere. So, once we were all packed up with bags moved next to the door, Kerry and I headed out to the corner coffee bar. We each ordered a cappuccino (Kerry's high octane and mine decaf). The girl running the place was very pretty and full of life and energy. Kerry and I enjoyed watching her multi task, serving the never-ending stream of customers, all wanting a shot before heading to the office for the day.

Once we were energized by our caffeine fix (for me and my decaf it was more of a pseudo energy lift), we headed back upstairs for a bite to eat before leaving for the train station. We were going to clear out some of the leftovers we had as well as enjoy the fresh stuff we bought last night. Our breakfast consisted of (you guessed it), salami, cheese, but this time on toast with a pesto sauce as a bread spread. No, I was not getting tired of this menu item and I was pretty sure we would be eating this combo a few more times during our Italian Tuscany tour.

After the yummy breakfast, with one more fresh perked coffee for the road, we headed down the four flights of stairs, for one last time, with bags in tow. We walked to the train station (we haven't used a single taxi since arriving in Italy and will probably not use one for the duration).

Once at the station it was a simple effort to print our tickets and get them validated. Our next stop was going to be Assisi, a place Kerry added to her wish list to visit; a place I never considered wanting to see. I am more of a Pompeii or Sicily kind of guy. But since this was a Northern Italy vacation I was more than happy to go where Kerry wanted to go.

Once we had our tickets for this milk-run train ride to Assisi, we had over an hour to kill, so we decided to walk around the area, for one last look. Kerry bought a new pair of sun glasses from a street vendor in front of the cathedral across the street from the train station (a great deal). Then we stopped at another espresso bar so Kerry could get a booster (espresso). This time the gentleman served it with a piece of dark chocolate (just like they do in France). Nothing goes better with espresso than a chunk of dark chocolate.

Once on the train, we found a place to sit and relax for the next 3 1/2 hours. We were going to stop 16 times before reaching our destiny. By 3:30 pm we were stepping off of the train in a very rural Assisi. This was going to be a magical chapter of our Italian odyssey.

Valantina, our host, offered to pick us up at the train station. "Just look for the little red car when you arrive," she offered during our last e-mail exchange. As we exited the station, there it was, a little red car and Valantina with a broad smile upon her face. We greeted each other like long lost friends. Instantly we were.

Her apartment was out of town a ways, surrounded by fields (and other apartments). Kerry and I would be sharing this flat with Valantina and her daughter Sara. Suddenly we were part of an Italian family, and we fit right in. As soon as we unpacked and received our keys, Kerry and I quickly headed out to explore. We were told how to get to the Old City and that was where we would go. After all, it was only a 10 minute walk, right? Wrong!

Kerry and I walked in the direction we needed to go. Past the local cathedral and stay on the left side. Keep going until you pass the train station and follow the path lined with red bricks. That path will lead you all the way to the gate of the Old City. We stayed to the left of the cathedral and passed the train station. So far so good. We followed the red brick path until we were almost totally exhausted. We were over 30 minutes into our uphill hike and we had not even reached the bottom of the main hill that leads up to the Old City gate. We saw a restaurant right there in the middle of all this farm land and decided to go in and inquire. We learned that it was not a 10 minute walk, but instead, a 10 minute bus ride, and the bus went from our apartment all the way up to the gate. Hey, I walked this far and so I was determined to finish what I  started. The restaurant actually sold bus tickets so Kerry and I bought a few, for the ride home.

Finally, over an hour after beginning our pilgrimage, we reached the bottom of the main hill. Now all that lay before us was this one last climb, straight up...STEEP! Finally, we made it. Like Rocky Balboa running up those stairs and doing his dance, Kerry and I did a dance of our own. We conquered the challenge of Assisi, and won.

What we found as we passed through the main arched gate into the Old City was an ancient village, looking pretty much the same as it did in the middle ages. Up ahead was a large cathedral, waiting for us to explore its inner secrets. But, in order to do so, Kerry and I would have to climb up to it. It was steep but not as intense as our initial approach to the city. The views from up there were mind blowing.

We continued to explore Old Assisi until sunset. When it was time to return home, we took the bus. It was a 10 minute bus ride down to where our neighborhood was located. Never again would we walk that far. We used the bus, a lot. Finding our way back, before it got dark insured that we would not get lost on our first day there. After all, all of these apartments do look alike. Kerry and I were successful in memorizing various landmarks, those that lined our pathway home.

As our first day in Assisi came to an end, Kerry and I sat upon the balcony, watching life pass by, Italian style. We savored the moment while we sipped on some herbal tea. For our stay in Assisi we would not have access to WiFi. We were off the grid, just the way I liked it. 

Nothing like climbing a mountain, with a fully loaded back pack (water, supplies, etc), and a hot steamy mug of sleepy time tea to help you get ready for a good nights sleep.