Almost Missing the Train

It was a pleasant day, and we were going as a group to Lucca for the afternoon. I needed to pick up a phone in Florence so I got instructions for the train and ventured ahead into Florence alone. Having developed a good feel of the streets, I took my bus into town and quickly walked to the cybercafe that had my phone. Then I went directly to the train station because I only had about 20 minutes until the train was supposed to leave. It was at the train station that my troubles began. Lucca was such a small stop that it was not listed on the board, I actually need to be looking for another town, also I had the wrong time written down by two minutes so the train I was looking for was non existent. This information was all on the schedule given to me; therefore, not something I had copied down wrong. Ah but I have a phone now, so I called Kyle and he said, "Look for Lucca 1:10 the rest of the group should be on it already." Kyle was reading from the same schedule. By now my time was running out, so I called Robbie, "Track 5," he said. With a minute to go and the track on the opposite end I sprinted towards my track and jumped through the closing doors of my train to Lucca. Ah what and adventure.

On Listening to Mark Twain

At the beginning of my adventures in Italy I posted a Mark Twain quote on this blog. As I travel I have been attempting to follow his advice, and so last Sunday I got lost. Not only did I get lost, but I got lost on purpose. In a small way, it was an attempt by me to explore and discover interesting things in Florence. The following information is the best way I have found to get lost on purpose.

Step One: Get on a bus, any local bus, preferably one of which you know nothing of the destination.

Step Two: Get off said bus, and a random unknown stop, and wander deep into the streets.

Step Three: Hopefully by this time you are lost. Now find your way back to the bus stop home, while enjoying the city around you. Hopefully you will discover, something new and interesting.

The results of this experiment were somewhat mixed for me. I did learn how to get to the train station, that is a good thing. Then I somehow ended up at the Duomo, which was slightly disappointing. I do believe that in the future I would like to have a compass to accompany my map, so that I can get my bearings easier. Although, it would be more of an adventure without one. Sunday roles back around in a few days, I can't wait to get lost in Florence again.