Our time in Riomaggoire has come to an end. We are going to Firenze today. Dana is flying home tomorrow. I will have a few hours in Florence on my own and then Lindsey arrives.
We decide to leave a bit more of “Stu, The Travelling Fish” here in Riomaggoire. From our door there is a small piazza. I thought this would be a good spot, but this morning there is a person sitting there. Also at this spot is a steep path/staircase that leads down to a spot where some people jump into the sea. We have not gone down this way before, but this morning it seems perfect. There are great views of the harbour here. Also some very comfy seagulls that paid no attention to us at all. We get to the perfect spot. Some rugged rocks that signal the end of this outlook. This is where we will leave some Stu. It is perfect.
As we have been climbing what feels like endless and very high stairs in this village, we are in much better physical condition than when we arrived. To bring us to this apartment, our host Sarah packed my big bag for me. Today, I will wear it on my back and take up the hill myself. 😊
We have booked 3 trains. Riomaggoire to La Spezia, La Spezia to Pisa and Pisa to Florence. We are scheduled to leave on the 12:57 train from Riomaggoire. Greg and Leslie have left for a couple nights in Monterrossa. We are keen to get going, so we decided to go to the train station and see if we can get an earlier train. Dana is reading the fine print on the tickets. It says “no changes” blah, blah, blah. We decide to ask forgiveness and not permission as we board the next train to La Spezia. Each train seems to mesh perfectly and we arrive in Florence an hour earlier than anticipated. Not once did anyone check to see if we even had tickets, let alone tickets for the specific train we are on. We even spoke with a conductor as he was asking who was travelling on to Florence from Pisa. He told us it was a very quick connection, that we only had 5 minutes to be on the right platform. But he did not ask to see our tickets!!
Our accommodation is a self serve checkin. We sent photos of our passports last night and we received the instructions for the combo locks on the main doors and our specific room. It says that it on the second floor. As we have noticed in Europe before, they do not count the ground floor. So, we are really on the 3rd floor. Of course, no elevator. 😊 Even though I am stronger than 10 days ago, Dana and I need to both carry up my big bag!! We have a fancy bathroom here. It is an old building, but the room has been renovated quite recently.
We need food, so off we go to do a bit of exploring and eating and drinking. We find a little bar on a corner nearby. Great for people watching. We have a cocktail, get some free snacks and order mixed bruchetta. This should tide us over until dinner.
We are very close to the Duomo. Complex. We take a few photos, but do not have the time to explore further. Lindsey and I may find the time. We do have a few attractions booked already and may book more once she arrives.
It is back to our room for a snooze (for me). We head out again for dinner. Find one of many many bistros in this area. We have some wine, some very tasty pasta I have “Pici” pasta with a creamy peppery sauce. Dana has “Parpardella” with braised beef. She finishes hers, then has most of what I could not finish. Good job.
Back to our place. We need sleep and a fairly early morning for Dana to get to the airport. The first leg of the adventure is complete. Leg 2 starts tomorrow. It has been a wonderful 10 days. We have already forgotten (almost) our journey here. 😍❤️