Tuesday 7 October 2014

Pistoia

Pistoia is somewhat off the beaten tourist track. Apart from my solitary self, this morning there were a couple of tourist groups about. Whereas Florence is open for most of the time, Pistoia closes down quite convincingly, and then springs back to life in the late afternoon. There are lots of people riding bicycles, not with the ideological intensity of many Australian cyclists, but with the air of cycling being a normal and everyday activity, a way of getting from point A to point B.

Alas, my hotel is very basic despite its Ritzy name. A very small room, an uncomfortable seat and cats cannot be swung with any ease. A mosquito bit me on the lymphoedema arm last night, which puts the arm at risk, despite all my care in wearing the pressure sleeve all day.

Tomorrow I go by train to Montepulciano, a journey of about four hours, but the countryside should be enjoyable. I have to change trains twice, which will be challenging, especially if the stations lack lifts and stairs need to be gone up and down with the suitcase. A kind young man carried it down all the stairs for me yesterday, so here is hoping for such luck snd courtesy tomorrow.

Yesterday I posted home the books I bought in the Czech Republic and Austria, so there is less weight to heft about. The woman at the Post Office here was just lovely. It took wuite a long time, with all manner of complicated things to be done and forms to be completed, but, ecco fatto, it got done and the package has gone. I have told myself not to do any more shopping.

Things cost less here than in Tourist Heaven cities, coffee, panini, etcetera. This device wants me to spell in Italian, and it does not like my insistence on overruling it. And the hotel wifi wants you to reconnect with infuriating frequency.

However, I must not whinge. There was a gorgeous almost full moon last night, and a lovely sunrise this morning. And I had a lovely personal guide of the silver altar piece in the Duomo. The sky was grey and cloudy this morning, but the sun came out, which helps with the photography. And I had a good meal last night.

1 comment:

Pam said...

You're very intrepid, I must say. Good for you. Glad you're having an interesting time.