I am Not a Backpacker

As we were getting off the train in Pisa a friendly British man we had met helped us take our bags down from the overhead racks. His wife chuckled and commented, “I thought backpackers were supposed to travel light!” I guess that settles it then: I am not a backpacker! I brought and bought SOO many things that are just unnecessary that I’m starting to get just a little annoyed at myself. Not only that, but dragging a HUGE backpack, a suitcase and a handbag through cobblestone street in 30 degree (or higher) sunshine is not exactly enjoyable. Anyway, Rebecca and I have decided that we are not backpackers, just travellers.

With that established I will add that we are having a great time, despite a few setbacks here and there. This morning, for example, as we were leaving Pisa, we decided we should book our next few train tickets (we needed reservations for the overnight ones). When we tried to book the train from Nice to Toulouse, though, we discovered that our timetable book was wrong and that the overnight train didn’t run that night. That threw off our ENTIRE schedule and we spent the next 2 hours (since our train was delayed by an hour) trying to figure out how we could make it work. Since we couldn’t find any place to stay in Nice that was affordable, we decided that we would have to skip southern France altogether and opt for 25 hours of straight travelling to get to Lourdes sooner. I was a bit upset about this at first, but I realize now that it’s not the end of the world. We have compromised on going to a beach in North-Western France closer to the end of our trip. I guess my beach-dream will have to wait a week longer. My stress was multiplied as we boarded the train and encountered gypsies for the first time. Two girls without bags or suitcases (suspicion #1) got on the train before Rebecca and were stopping her from getting through the door to our car. There was another girl behind me who I could feel was hitting my backpack (suspicion #2). Anyway, I quickly realized what she was doing when I turned around to see her sneak her hand behind her EMPTY purse. She had opened my purse that was hanging off the back of my backpack (thankfully I’m not stupid and the only things I was keeping in there was a few souvenirs, and another purse, that wouldn’t fit anywhere else. The downside of being a shopaholic and buying way too many purses). I started telling Rebecca - loudly - to go into the car since the girl behind me was trying to pickpocket me. She, however, was just plain confused – realizing that we had gotten our reservation for first class and thinking maybe it was a mistake. An Italian lady came over as the girls left and said that she had been watching and that she didn’t think the gypsy girl took anything. She later apologized that that had happened to us in Italy. I was a little shaken up by the experience, which was magnified by the increasing doubt that we had properly made our reservation. BUT, as we speak I am RECLIINING (huge luxury) in first class and gliding past the Mediterranean Sea. Our tickets have been checked – so we’re here to stay for the next few hours.

The past two dyas have been an absolute whirlwind! We left Assisi yesterday morning and arrived in Florence at noon. Florence was just as great as I remembered. After spending WAY too much on a salad and fruit for lunch (although it was arguably worth it to eat something besides bread and cheese) we headed for the Church, Santa Maria Della Fiore, and the baptismal (which is a separate building altogether). I was glad to get inside the baptismal since I hadn’t last time, and the church was just as impressive the second time. After this we headed to see Michaelangelo’s David (me for the second time, Rebecca for her first). It was worth antoher 10Euro and an hour wait in the HOT sun – it remains my favortie peice of art. Then... shopping time! I was very proud of myself for managing to find the markets that Mallory and I shopped at 4 years ago right away. The “never-ending markets” as I like to call them. It was here that I spent all my money on earrings, purses and necklaces. Was it worth it? Absolutely!!! We attended mass at 6 and then got on the train for Pisa after a quick supper of peppers in tomato sauce (weird, I know).

Arrival in Pisa was uneventful. We walked to our hostel, where we had free unlimited WiFi – YAY! It was late when we got to sleep, but we were up early again in the morning to pack and to go see the leaning tower. When I say “go see the leaning tower” I mean, literally, that’s all there is to do in Pisa. Our 3 hours there were more than enough. We decided we name today “crazy picture day” and had a lot of fun taking crazy pics of each other. Unfortunately for me, crazy picture day also happened to coincide with bad hair day.

So, here I am: on the train to Turin (did I mention that I’m in first class?!) It’s CRAZY to think that yesterday morning I woke up in Assisi, since then I have been to Florence and Pisa, and tonight I will sleep in Turin! The scenery out my window is indescribable and, like most of my trip so far, I feel like I’m in a movie. I don’t know how I’ll ever go back to real life in just two and a half weeks.

PS. The photos above are:

1 - Rebecca laying on her suitcase and trying to force it closed this morning as we were leaving Pisa.

2 - Our of legs and suitcases was Becca and I on the bus in Assisi attempting to stop our suitcases from falling over as the bus wound around the windy streets descending the moutain.

3- Becca being very unimpressed with the long hot wait to get into see the David in Florence.

4 - Me "pushing over" the leaning tower of Pisa.