Nice to Pisa, ITALY 6.16.2007

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Au revoir, France!

Making progress,

we leave Nice for our first Italian stop over:

famous Pisa, Italy!

Map of Marseilles to Nice

Map: Nice, France to Pisa, Italy

A few hours on an eastbound train,

a fairly disgusting mayonnaise mushroom sandwich

takes the place of our missed breakfast.

Sharing a train car and conversation with
some American women from San Francisco, CA.

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Soon, a train change is necessary somewhere in northern Italy.

The bustling platform leaves few seats for the weary travelers

and soon we make new acquaintances as we await our connecting train.

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The Italian mother and son we converse with understand much of our Spanish, 
and likewise, we understand much of their Italian.

Back on the train, we share a car and play some UNO
with a young mother and her son as well as a the dark angel Dante of Turin, Italy.
Arriving in the late afternoon, we soldier through the city over the Arno River
to our reserved room at the Welcome Bed and Breakfast.
A quaint two-level home and its owner, Antonella, greet us warmly.
We drop our gear and head out again to find an ATM to pay for our room.
Upon our return, Antonella encourages us to clean up and rest
while she makes reservations for a nearby restaurant.
We are also informed of the evening’s festivities
as we happened to be in town during a major festival: the Luminaria.

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Up in our beautiful and comfortable room,
a gift has been left for us: a bottle of red wine!
Reclining and laughing, we take turns showering before dinner.

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A short walk to the restaurant, we are starved!

Seated outside, the ambiance is pleasant, but the staff and service seem sour. 

Gnocci, ravioli, calamari, and expensive water leads to a steep bill.

Portions are small and we were glad they mistakenly brought two dishes of gnocci.

After dinner, we decide to venture out into the night
to inspect the Luminaria festival on the Arno river.

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(Image Source: Internet)

Upon the river’s banks, mobs of people wander through the darkness

illuminated by thousands of candles.

Frustrated with weaving through crowds and litter for an hour or so,

we made our way back to the Welcome B&B through side roads

to return to our soft beds to nap before our early morning checkout time.

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