Lucca

After another curvy bus ride, we arrived in Florence ready to see it in the daytime. We rocketed through the Duomo, including the archaeological excavation in the basement, saw the statues in the Loggia, and got shat upon by pigeons. I cursed them out in their native tounge, and they flew off in shame. I bought an excellent leather satchel at the market; the Indiana Jones theme song came on a nearby radio as I was picking it up, so I know it was meant to be. Now I can graverob in style.

Took a train to Lucca, a walled city recommended by Kali’s roommate Miranda. I concur. It’s significantly less touristed than other major sights, but just as charming. We biked around the walls, bike jousted in a former Roman amphitheater, climbed a clock tower and watched the gears as it rang, and almost rode a sweet carousel. I say almost, because although the tickets we bought directly stated no-reimboursable, they kicked us out when it became clear that we actually wanted to ride, not just take silly pictures. Apparently the ostrich was too delicate for my american ass.

We did a blitz trip of Pisa, stopping just long enough to take staged pictures, and then off to Rome. On the train we sat next to some american students, who managed to tell ‘I was so drunk and’ stories for two solid hours. You’d think that after getting one’s third DUI, one would learn to temper one’s behavior. But not Matt from Michigan State; cheers buddy, you make the rest of us look bad.