A Weekend of Directions, and No, We won’t leave the light on for you

To give you a quick update on the sightseeing, I was in Pisa last weekend. It was a fun trip and I really enjoyed it. The night before was not exactly one that would help you get up early for the next day’s trip. So, on this particular Saturday morning, after getting up late, I found myself rushing, American style, to get to Pisa. Originally, I was going to hitch a ride with Marcel to Florence, and then grab the train there to Pisa. It didn’t quite work out like this and I ended up giving myself a headache from all the rushing. I’m not totally sure how I will get readjusted to all the rushing around American style when I get back. The funny part about this trip was that after all that rushing gave me a headache, I decided that I would just take the next train, whenever that was, and approach it with a calm, relaxed, and no-rush demeanor. This meant, going BACK to bed for another hour which was really nice. Carla was telling me that she thought that I was a bit strange because I didn’t know the exact schedule of the train. Imagine that, an Italian making fun of my disorder! I eventually got up, fetched the train schedule at the internet point, reserved a hotel, caught the next train, and got to Pisa. Thank you Google as usual and how did we ever live without you? Bellino.

I met a nice girl on the train around Empoli and if you (yes, you, the nice girl with the red jacket who is probably surprised that I speak English) are reading this, send me an e-mail. Upon arriving in Pisa, I realized that the confirmation from the hotel that I had printed didn’t have the actual address. It had all of my confirmation information, but for some odd reason, the address of the hotel was not listed. Hmmm. First thought and I am ashamed to say it but it was that I would have an opportunity to do some consulting for the software company that wrote this reservation system.

The next adventure was to find the hotel, but just to back up a smidge, I wanted to mention that just as you exit the train station in Pisa, right away you know, that this isn’t Siena. It’s a much bigger city, and definitely with more energy, more cars driving Italian style (just think Formula 1, more stops, horns, and pedestrians). I stopped in a bar to ask where my hotel was and I really doubt that I would have understood this guy even if he were speaking English. I thanked him, faked that I understood everything, and went off on my way to search for someone else. The next guy was much easier to understand and within about 20 minutes of talking to the guy selling newspapers, I arrived at Hotel Bologna, which, by the way, is an excellent choice in Pisa if you should ever find yourself there and needing a nice hotel. I practiced my Tuscan accent with the lady at the front desk and got the gist of how to get around Pisa. Not so bad actually.

I have to say that one of the things that I am really impressed about in Italy (at least the places I have been on this trip) is everyone’s attitude towards environmental concerns. They are extremely fastidious about turning off lights, consuming less water, and saving energy in general. It’s something that I think we should do more of in America. I made a mental note to figure out how to integrate this in my life when I get back. Hotel Bologna, a luxury hotel even by my standards, had motion sensing lights everywhere and those funny card keys that turn your room on when you arrive; a system that I have only seen in Australia before. I was very impressed.

I won’t bore you with the facts of Piazza Dei Miracoli, but I will share two quick stories. I was looking for a Bancomat (ATM) since the one near the Piazza was out of order (guasto), when an older lady asked me for directions. So, I know that this doesn’t seem like a big deal, but to me it was a compliment like no other. Of course, I had to explain to her that I had no idea whether or not the street continued on, but that maybe she could ask the hotel concierge of the hotel near us. She went in and out and maybe because she thought that one good turn deserved another, she asked an older gentleman if he knew where the nearest Bancomat was. Great guy this man, he accompanied me to the first block, and explained everything else. In the 5-10 minutes together, we got to know each other and one of the important cultural differences to point out is that in those 5-10 minutes, I learned everything about him, where he was from, and his family. He learned the same from me. I have no idea what he does for a living and vice-versa.

The last story was of the car full of Italian young folks (my age or younger, I’ve redefined OLD as 40 and over). As I was walking away from Piazza Dei Miracoli, this car stopped me on the street and asked me for directions to the Piazza. At first I thought he was kidding, but the look on his face was all business. I spun around on my back foot, looked backwards, stared directly at the Leaning Tower (La Torre Pendente) and told him to go straight ahead. One good turn deserves another.