Leaving the airport I found out I was not able to call or message my friend in Pisa. For reason unknown, my cell phone provider had decided I didn't need roaming abroad. Surprise, surprise. There we were, in a part of the country I didn't know, on a road I hadn't driven, with no connection to our friends. Stopping at every gas station proved to be pointless as they a/ didn't know English, b/ were closed (beware the time between 2 and 4 pm in Italy!), or c/ didn't have cards or phone. This last excuse seriously annoyed me as no one will ever convince me these stores had no landlines. Being already mad, I decided I'm driving the highway to Bologna, phone or no, rain or no (at this point it was already pouring), and will reach my friend's house even if I have to ask every person in Pisa about it. Good plan. Finally, at the fourth or fifth gas station on the highway I found a British man (thank you, whoever you were!) who gave me his cell phone and I managed to call my friend and let her know we were already 100 kilometers on the way. Relieved and hopping happily under the pouring rain, I started the car again only to find out the gears didn't work properly and I couldn't go out of the parkade backwards. Ta daam. After about five minutes of trying to switch, running back to the store to look for the British man who had already gone, and having a heated conversation with the lady in the gas station who told me there was no mechanic anywhere near (strange gas stations on this highway, no kidding!), I went back to the car determined to take it out of the parkade. I did. Don't know how but it surrendered.
No more adventures all the way to Pisa, excluding the pouring rain, the curtain of rain actually that allowed everyone to see only about ten meters ahead and the stop lights of the car in front, so we drove the highway at no more than 70-80 km/h, the missed road signs, the pissed off child who was mad at the weather, and the dark streets of Pisa where we got lost on the way to the train station. Finally founding it, I had to run around again in search of a phone to call my friend but I succeeded and she came to pick us from there. Safe and comfy in her old stone house, with a good red wine in hand, I could relax and start planning my birthday (next day) when we were going to the town of Lucca and the Pinocchio Park.
Rising and shining, I, as a true birthday girl, pretended I didn't notice the storm outside, the turned over flower pots in the garden, and the streams of water running down the window, got dressed, drank coffee, grabbed my son and cheerfully marched to the parking at the front. What I saw made me gulp. Right across the whole parking the tree, that had stood there for fifty years or more, had fallen, uprooted, blocking the road ahead. My friend stared at it unbeliavably, not able to speak or move, until she finally declared from then on my arrival should be referred to as "the day she was born, came and the tree fell". Nice. I'm already a Pisa legend. The entire neighbourhood was there in half an hour to see the woman who brought the cyclone. Aha. Here are my friend and my son with the fallen tree (everyone brought their cameras and my son had about twenty photos taken with each neighbour separately LOL):
Naturally, going to Lucca and further had to be postponed until someone came to cut the trump in pieces and move the tree away. "No storm can ruin my birthday," I said to myself bravely and went sightseeing and shopping. Surprisingly, no brick wall fell upon us, no earthquake happened, and we survived the Tower Of Pisa and the mall. I guess the powers that be gracefully gave me a short break to catch my breath. Only one tiny detail: the moment I got back in the car, the rain stopped, even sun broke through the clouds sometimes; the moment I showed my face out the clouds gathered with lightning speed and the drops started. Very funny, no doubt. My coat was soaked and no umbrella could save it. Everyone was kidding I should be kept inside at any cost. See how the dirty devils are hurrying up to get together again? Even the top of the tower is hidden. Ugh.
In the afternoon I, being as stubborn as I am, took my son to the Marina di Pisa and from there for a drive along the coast, looking for a beach to have a walk at. It all ended when I opened the door of the car, the wind caught me and stuck me to the side window like a fly, stole my favorite scarf and I had to chase it down the street leaving my son alone. Enough said. Back to Pisa and the fireplace which my friend had forgotten how to use but since I came it became a necessity.
Still, we started our journey to Lucca and Collodi (where the Pinocchio Park is) on the next day. It doesn't make sense to say it was raining again, does it? Lucca is a beautiful place, absolutely breath taking with the stone wall surrounding the city, but we couldn't get out of the car at all. On top of that, leaving Lucca, we found ourselves in a huge traffic jam which looked quite suspicious. I went out to check what's going on only to face the annual marathon. Great. Half an hour, then moving ahead a bit, then fifteen more minutes, then moving ahead a bit, then eating lunch in the car, then... Frankly, all was working against us but it was already hillarious and people were calling my friend to check what was "it" today! After the last marathon runner had passed, we continued our journey to Collodi.
The Pinocchio Park is a wonderful place, more like a tribute to the author and the character than like Disneyland. There are pieces of art everywhere, chess figures, pirates' cave, ship, labyrinth, modernistic whale spiting water, hidden roads, many flowers and bamboo, huge trees, but it was all so wet that we could hardly walk around, our clothes brushing the leaves and getting wet all the time.
After that we went to the Butterfly House which is on the other side of the road and is located in the gardens under the Castle of Carlo Collodi. Both the castle and the gardens are absolutely gorgeous!
The Butterfly House, however, was a bit of a disappointment. We expected to enter and see hundreds, if not thousands, of butterflies flying around. The truth is we saw about ten only after we found them under the leaves of the many bushes. Still, there was a nice movie about the life cycle of moths and butterflies and my son was very interested.
Mission accomplished, we started our journey back to Pisa and I had enough time to sightsee and even found my favorite house somewhere on the road between Collodi and Lucca. Hidden behind an iron gate, hardly seen in a secluded garden, it was a dream come true. :)
To make the long story short, we almost missed our airplane on the way back and reached the check-in desk ten minutes prior to closing, after an hour of driving country roads behind tractors and diggers, and trucks, and horses. Honestly, Italy is beautiful, I'd gladly return some day but I need to recover from this trip. LOL Of all my journeys in many countries, this one was the most challenging, hillarious, absurd, and memorable one. Memories are not very bright though. I hope next time it will be much easier, so I can enjoy the country instead of fighting against nature, people and whoever is out and up there. :))))
P.S. Happy Halloween everyone! May your wildest dreams and fantasies come true tonight! :)) I'm having a kids party at home in exactly five hours to top the crazy week I already had! Hopefully, I'll survive. LOL
