2016 Europe * San Gimignano #2 * Sept 21-22

“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. 

I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” 

~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Sept 21.  San Gimignano
 

Awake at 4am I take advantage of the midnight to 8am unlimited WiFi.  I am searching for trains and AirBnBs further north.  My final decision:  I am tired of considering options and details.  And making adjustments. And not knowing the language.  So I decide:  I hope to be in Lyon by midnight tomorrow.  Lorenzo will take me to San Gimignano to catch the 6am bus to Poggibonsi.  Then bus to Firenze, train to Milano, Nice, and Lyon.  At least that is what the Trenitalia site says is possible.  I’ve been in touch with Agnès in Lyon so she is aware of my upcoming arrival. 

Things always work out for me - so by midday, I decide to stop worrying.

Relaxing in the free swinging lounge chair on the patio, I glance up and realize that the top of three of the towers of old San Gimignano can be seen from exactly this spot.  I walked to and from there today.  Newly discovered corners of the city.  A spritz to drink in the central plaza with two friendly Canadian women.   Later a rich mushroom risotto and red wine.

Cool and cloudy on the way to town, gorgeous while there, and followed back to the AirBnB by various thunderstorms, majestic clouds, and striking sunlight.  I took a bunch of photos hoping to catch the drama.  Occasionally the air goes very still, like a warning that the distant storm is almost upon us, but one has yet to arrive.

In the vineyard on the hillside beside the property, some small tractor wagons and various harvesters are harvesting bunches of grapes.  They taunt the clouds.

Breathe deeply as much of the Tuscan air as possible!  Sense deeply the expanse of the hills and valleys!  Feel profoundly the quiet joy of being present.

Tomorrow it will be but a memory.

Three years ago I considered San Gimignano one of the most magical places I have ever been on earth – and that it is – but now it is a more bona fide entity to me.  I can see the tip of the tower just over the next hill.  A place for me, not for just a couple hours as the first time years ago, but now mine for a few days.  The town is a daily reality and neighbor to those who live in the vicinity. 

I lay back to relax and glance outward again .. and again, there it is!  Solid rock tower.  I touched it today.  I walked through its streets.  I felt the warmth of the Tuscan sunlight reflecting off its ancient walls.  I drank the rich red Chianti made from the grapes that grow on these hills.  And now, quietly, like a muffling blanket, the clouds cover us as one.

Sept 22.  San Gimignano, Italy to Lyon, France

Again I am awake at 4:30am in San Gimignano. 

I sent my mother a birthday message last night.  She, and my Dad, are both 90.  Long full lives. No regrets, I hope.  They started in me the desire to travel – when I was young.  They sent me to Ecuador when I was seventeen – with no Spanish skills.  They themselves traveled during vacations when possible and returned telling us of interesting places and wonderful experiences.

I’m on my way by bus from San Gimignano to Firenze.  There I buy train tickets for a day-long trip to Lyon. I do hope it's simple with few stops or changes.  I’m traveling with larger luggage than normal because of the cruise earlier and moving it on and off trains and dragging it through stations is not my favorite activity.  I decide, again, to lighten my travel load even more for the future.

Why in English is it Florence?  Could the English not pronounce Firenze?!  It's not difficult. Call things by their given name, people.  

 

I have good breakfast aboard first class (that surprised the porter - that my ticket was for first class). The train is full due to the fashion week in Milano so my only option was first class which cost quite a bit more. Still. Full service breakfast in my oversized leather seat.  Only one or two other people in the car. It's very nice occasionally to be in first class.  (If it were later in the day I would take advantage of the champagne.) 

I'm a shameless gawker at countryside. The trainload has lightened as people disembark and I've found double seats across the aisle open. I can shift looking from oceanside to mountainside in this beautiful country.

A couple train changes and I will be in Lyon before midnight. 

Facebook Photo Album (repeat link):  San Gimignano, Italy, photo album

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