Today was a great day!!! Lucca was my favorite place so far!!! Why you might ask?!?! Well, I'll tell you from the beginning! ;)
I woke up! Duh! I got dressed and for breakfast I had a BLUEBERRY muffin!!!!YAY YAY YAY!!!! I was so excited to have something more normal for breakfast!!! I double checked my backpack and then I was off!! I said goodbye to SIgnora Gabriella and was off to the train station!
Today I walked through the park to get to the train station, which was nice because the park is very pretty with all of the yellow leaves on the ground! When I got to the train station, I went to buy my ticket at the windows again and to my surprise there was an earlier train that I could catch! I think that I had the same friendly lady from the other day who was kind enough to tell me this so that I didn't wait around the train station an extra 25 minutes! :) It was leaving in like 5 minutes, so I went straight to the platform, stamped my ticket, and boarded the train to Lucca! :)
When I got on the train I could tell that it had just been cleaned (wet floors, etc) and I thought that was nice. However, the train was FREEEEEEEZZZING!!! I was not happy about this because it was already so cold outside!!! The first 20 minutes or so I spent reading in my travel book about Lucca and deciding what exactly it was I needed to see. Ughh after about 40 minutes (this was a local train so it was making all stops and taking forever) I discovered that the top of my jeans were damp from the seat and my feet were ACHING so bad from being SO COLD and the whole time I could see my breath! I wondered how in the world it could be so cold on this train and where in the world all of the people were (there was only one or two other people in my car). Then, as I was writing this all down ("starting my blog thoughts") the ticket guy came along and asked if I spoke English or French and I of course said English. Then he proceeds to tell me that the car I am in (and the ones connected to it) do not have heat and that I should move to another car. So, we were at a stop and he told me to run to the 2nd door down and get in there!!! AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH (angels singing noise)...........HEAT!!!!!! I was so excited and I put my gloves on the heater the rest of the way there and held my hands over it (the heat comes out right by the windows!). I even took my shoes off and held them over the heat in hopes that when I put them back on it would help my feet (because clearly the TWO pairs of socks I had on were NOT doing it!!!
THe rest of the ride was nice...and warm! :) Side note: I'm pretty sure that right after I had gotten on the train, the announcement that I didnt understand was probably telling us about the heat...stupid Italian that I dont understand! :( Oh well, I saw some pretty Tuscan countryside, but also a lot of industrialization...near the train tracks there are so many factories, etc. It's a bummer because I want to see beautiful Tuscany (which you do see a little bit...go away factories)!!!
When I found my way out of the train station, the book wasn't lying...it was just across from the wall of the city! I had to walk down a little bit to find an entrance to the city, but when I did, it was beautiful! I was so excited to be seeing Lucca!
The book said to go to Piazza San Michele first. However, first I had to go to the bathroom because I hadn't seen one in the train station. So, I stopped at a hotel in hopes that they would let me use theirs so I didn't have to search for one and end up paying to use the bathroom. They were kind and let me use it! The best part was that it had a toilet seat! :) It was a nice bathroom! So I took that opportunity to fix my scarf and such because it was SOOOO coold outside. After I was even more bundled up, I headed out to see Lucca.Lucca was very quaint, with a lot of little streets and unfortunately I had no map! Well, I had the map in the book, but it's not much help because all of these cities have tiny little streets everywhere and so it is only good if you have a full, detailed map! I stopped pretty much immediately in a book store and asked for directions to Piazza San Michele. Then I stopped in a small caffe/bar for a small snack because I was HUNGRY already...so I had this little thing with cream inside and powdered sugar on the outside (see picture).
When I found it, I was pleasantly surprised that the sun was shining on it...so it was a little warmer than in the shade!! The book wasn't lying that it (the church) would remind you of Pisa (they influenced each other...or something). The architecture of the building reminds you of the Duomo in Pisa. This church was "Church of San Michele in Foro". Foro will seem familiar when I have written Sunday of Rome because of the Roman Forum (Foro Roma). This church congregation actually started in the Roman Forum in 1070 and then moved here! 
WOW... After I saw this church, which was just as plain as promised, I definitely got lost for a while! Also, I should say that when I say plain...I mean plain compared to other Italian churches, etc. Compared to an American church...WOW!!! The Italians have much higher standards than we do for their churches; though i cannot picture Kari Jobe or someone like that leading a worship service in one of these churches! :) I was in search of my next destination, but with no real map to speak of and finding that fewer people speak English in Lucca, I was lost. However, the beauty of being lost in Lucca vs. Rome was that I knew I was within some walls and couldn't get TOO terribly lost. I did stumble upon a street FULL of shopping!!! Then I found a really cool piazza...Piazza Anfiteatro. It was round...and the buildings were rounded to make the piazza round. **Kelly and Gracie...was this where the merry-go-round was by any chance?!?!?** 
Being winter, it looked dead. I did go in one shop and look at the Christmas stuff (Lucca is already somewhat decorated for Christmas...though I guess they do not have Thanksgiving to worry about...so it's no big deal to them). I also saw this Murano glass fish that I wanted Erin to have 1. because it was blown glass with a ton of colors and 2. it was sealife but sadly it was WAY expensive and way too heavy! :( 
However, the guy working in there was kind enough to point me towards the Duomo. Of course, I had to walk back down the shopping street in the opposite direction, which meant that I had originally picked the COMPLETELY OPPOSITE direction of the Duomo, but if I hadn't then I would not have seen some pretty cool things! :)I found some other churches that the book suggested (I just happen to stumble upon them because I was still completely lost)!! I had to stop and ask directions a few times...but I finally found it. It was pretty...I guess...but I was disappointed. The inside was under MAJOR reconstruction so I couldn't really see much of it and you couldn't take ANY pictures. The stain glass windows were beautiful though!!! After the Duomo I was in search of the Casa e Torre Guinigi (house and tower Giunigi). This was a tower you could climb and get a great view of the city! I was also hoping that they would have a bathroom, which of course they didn't. So, I paid my 3ish euros and started the climb. WOW...the Duomo here in Florence is going to be tough if this tower was a bit rough! I'll include some pics of the steps! However, the view was worth the climb!!! It was just gorgeous...and a gorgeous day to be up there! I love seeing all of the mountains in the distance and all of the towers sticking up and it was just beautiful!! OMG I'M IN ITALY!! Pictures are worth a thousand words, so here you
are: **oooh and a nice couple took a picture of me! SO grateful to all of the people who have been kind enough to take my picture over the past few weeks...OKAY...now here you are:
After this I went in search of a bathroom. THe guy said that it was 3 quick turns...HA! After 3 "quick turns" I was lost again! Surprise, surprise!!! So I asked a few people, and then I came across a building that said, "Mercato". In hopes that it was like the Florence one, I went in. IT WAS NOT! There were like 3 vendors in there. I did go in the chocolate shop and bought a small surprise for my momma and Frances! I bought one for myself, but I already ate it! ;) So the lady in there told me that if I went to the bar next door that they would give me a key to the bathroom. The guy was really nice and the key was really weird. When i finally got in, it was an okay bathroom. Again, thankful for H-R's tip of baby wipes because I didn't really want to touch anything to even wash my hands! :( However, it served its purpose.
After this, I had seen everything I wanted to see from the suggestions in my book. Sooooo I headed to the wall...well, I walked in circles and finally found someone to ask and THEN headed to the wall. On my way (or right before i asked...I dont remember which one) I stopped in a shoe store. All of the shoe stores in Lucca were having amazing sales and this one had a really cute pair of short boots that I LOVED!! Omg the leather was so soft and they were made in Italy and they were black and they were "my size" and they were...TOO NARROW!!! What?!?!? They were HALF PRICE and too narrow! The lady did not speak any English, but we were able to communicate...so that was good! :) But, I was out of luck! :( I was SOOO BUMMED!!! This was the cutest shoe...she said it would stretch, but it was just way too narrow! I would not have been able to stand it for more than like 5 minutes. In fact, when I took the shoe off my foot felt weird for about 15 minutes. ughh SO bummed!
However, I eventually found my way to the wall and started walking. It was beautiful! The weather had warmed up and was now bearable (I had taken my scarf off). THe trees still have some golden leaves on them, but there were golden leaves all over the sides of the "street" as well. THere were quite a few people out walking/jogging/sitting on the benches! I walked for a little bit and took pictures, and then saw a sign that was for the visitors center. I decided to go there and OH MAN am I glad that I did! That was where you rent the bikes!! So, I decided to definitely rent one because it was only 2,50 euro an hour. I knew I wouldn't have it for more than 2 hours, so I took one!! I asked them where the cafe on the wall was and they told me it was closed, but that there was another restaurant on the wall. So, I paid for my bike, and took off! So wow, it has been so long since I have ridden an ACTUAL bike, but it's true what they say...
So, I made it back up on the wall and I was off! OH MY GOSH...I LOVE LOVE LOVED it!!!! I felt so Julia Roberts in "Eat, Pray, Love", but when she is in Bali and riding her bike and Javier Bardem almost runs her over. Well, all I needed was a Javier Bardem. I stopped and took some pictures (on my bike...dont judge...I'm a picture-aholic!).
Then I found the place to eat. The menu looked good and so I went in. It was a cute little place with THE BEST BREAD I'VE HAD IN ITALY!!! Omg it was SO good! I ordered a pasta that had veggies in a veggie sauce. However, the bread was the highlight. It was kind of like Little Caesar's crazy bread, but actually Italian. THe waiter brought me some olive oil to put on it and ughh I could have JUST eaten bread and olive oil for lunch and been satisfied. While I was waiting on my food, Adele's song, "Someone Like You" came on...ughh...well, better today than tomorrow. SO I enjoyed my bread and then the pasta. I couldn't eat much of the pasta, but it was good!
However the bread rocked my world!!! Then I got my check, went to the bathroom (really nice with the coolest sinks...see picture) and then i was on my way.I decided I was definitely going to ride the entire circle of the wall...hey, who knows if I'll ever make it back to Lucca! I definitely wanted to go to "Porta Elisa" and "Via Elisa" because in Italy/Italian class at UA/every native Italian I know calls me "Elisa". SO I assume that this is my name in Italian! ;) Ooh earlier I found something that had "Elisa" on it, so I definitely bought it because in the U.S. no one EVER has my name! :) So I made it to Via Elisa and I came down from the wall. I rode through the city to take some pictures of the Elisa stuff.
Then I found a road that took me through a little more of the city before going back up on the wall. It was weird riding a bike through the streets...but felt very Italian! ;) Then, when it was time to go back up on the wall...I definitely gave my shoulder a workout because i had to lift the bike some to get it to the rampish part. Riding the bike was surprisingly taxing on my shoulder...I hadn't expected that. Knees, yes; but not my shoulder. So anyway, I finished out the length of the wall and it was beautiful. When I got back to the ramp to the visitors center I realized I had like 30 minutes left of my second hour and so to get the most out of my money I road down what looked like a "busier" street right there near the center and looked in some shop windows! There were a few times i lost control of that bike...it was hard navigating through people and listening/watching for cars! However, I LOVE LOVE LOVED it!!!! Probably my favorite thing I've done so far...it seems silly, but it was just so beautiful and freeing and I just felt so good in that moment!!Then, it was time to return the bike (for many reasons...including that my knees were HATING me!!). I decided to go to the bathroom there, even though it was 0,60 euros and ONLY took 0,20 cent coins. I sat down and organized my backpack and then went to the bathroom. **Kelly and Gracie...it was one of those that cleaned itself when I came out! Was that were you had that too!?!?? In Lucca?!??** After this, I made my way out of the city and walked on the outside of the wall to the train station. I went to the window and asked for a ticket to Florence: Santa Maria Novella and I was so excited to see that there was a train in less than 10 minutes. THen I discovered that there was one in less than 5 minutes:PERFECT!! SO, I found the platform, hurried to find a stamper thing, and then jumped on the train. It was really nice one this time too!! There were two levels (upstairs for first class; downstairs for second). So I found a seat and settled in.
The train ride was good...an express train...THANK GOODNESS!!! I wrote out thoughts for blog my blog, read about Siena, and then just relaxed.
The BEST part of the train ride was when I was just staring out the window at this huge beautiful sun that was beginning to set. I was taking a few pictures when it hit me: I AM LIVING "UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN"!!!! For 3 weeks now I have been living that dream. I am in Tuscany, and while I may not be living in a beautiful home in the countryside of Tuscany, I have been literally living under the Tuscan sun!! This was such an exciting thought for me!! Such a dream come true!! While i am disappointed that so much of the Tuscany I have passed on the train has been yuck...not all of it has been...and I've "lived" in Florence and been to Pisa and now Lucca. Tomorrow I am going to Siena and then Sunday we are going to Chianti. I have been living that dream! Wow!! I am just so blessed and so grateful!!! So I took some pictures of the sunset and then was actually falling asleep when i realized we were just a few stops from SMN.
I got off the train, and actually found a short cut back to the apartment; which my feet/knees were grateful for! Matilde's mom was here and they made me some hot tea; which was AMAZING after walking in the cold!! Matilde eventually woke up and I played with her some!! :) **April, I still need to read to her!!!** Then I just worked on blogs...got Rome Part I posted and will now start working on Sunday!!
I talked to April some on facebook! :) yay! I also got to talk to my favorite professor in the whole wide world, Dr. Hernandez-Reif. It was so good to hear her voice...now I need to get in touch with Erin! Worked hard on blogs...and at like 8:45, when my stomach was eating itself, it was finally time for dinner. We started with pasta/olive oil/Parmesan cheese, and then the main course was a "hamburger" patty with the best cheese over it and then this vegetable that i've NEVER heard of OR seen and it sounds like Pinocchio.. it's finochio (https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=finochio+vegetable&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&biw=1280&bih=707&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi). I tried it, but it was GROSS!! Then I had a mandarino...adn I was finished. I eventually left the table (after they were all leaving too) and came to take a shower. Oooh I learned tonight at dinner that the other cat (whose name I do not know) is 18 1/2 years old...I KNEW it looked really old and fragile! So then I took my shower and worked on blogs...adn NOW I am going to bed because I have another BUSY day tomorrow!!! :) yay!
P.S. I'll add more pictures to this blog tomorrow!!!
Oooh and it is sooo cold in this apt. without central heating that Signora Gabriella gave me ANOTHER blanket...so that makes the grand total: my blanket, sheet, (thickish sheet), down comforter, fleece blanket, smaller fleece throw)....THANK GOODNESS!!!
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