ITALY!
Yes, somehow I made it to Italy, to Florence, which I've wanted to visit for the whole of my adult life! I am so incredibly happy that I made it! I just got back from my first day of touring, and therefore probably don't have enough time to finish this post, but if I need to cut off abruptly (even without a quotation), so be it.
I got up around half-past five on Monday, and made the 7:13 am train from Angers to Paris. I hadn't slept more than a few hours the night before, and, as I usually do, passed off while reading my Kindle.
I transfered in Paris from Montparnasse-Bienvenue to Gare de Lyon, via Metro. If I didn't already know the Paris Metro system, I might not have made the tight connection: I don't mention this in order to indicate my astute mastery of public transportation in Paris, but rather, in order to reveal just how clueless I ordinarily am in such affairs.
From there, I took a train across the border to Switzerland, stopping at Zurich. I was amazed by the Swiss landscape: I've truly never seen anything like the Alps before. I put down my Kindle, and stared out the window. I'm used to the mountains of the eastern coast of the United States. If these look as if they have been molded out of clay, then then the Alps look as if they have been cloven out of rock. They are sharp, sheer, pointed, thrusting, sky-grating colossi, that rise out of otherwise level valleys and basins. If I remember my geology correctly, then the Blueridge Mountains (which Thomas Jefferson declared to be the highest mountains in North America) are very very old. Perhaps the Alps are a newer mountain range, and have therefore not existed long enough to have been blunted and so totally subdued by the elements? Dad?
The next train was from Zurich to Milan, another historic city I'd like to visit, but which I wasn't stopping in. As if in order to fulfill national stereotypes, despite my day's trains' punctuality from the departure from Angers, as soon as we crossed the Italian border, the train seemed to begin to run late of its own accord. It arrived in Milan 30 minutes late. This was a problem, because I had only had a 20-minute window to change trains in the Milan train station (which is very handsome, as train stations go). I managed to get my ticket stamped at the station, and was allowed to leave on the 8:20 pm train to Florence instead. No big change for me: there are generally cute babies on all trains.
By the way, as to my reading material: I spent most of the time reading the book that Harry suggested I read, finished the book that Marissa recommended I read, began the book which Matt suggested I read, finished a work I wish I hadn't read, and began another which I wish I had begun much earlier.
It was long past sunset by the time I arrived in Florence. I had drawn myself a map to the hostel where I planned to stay, but in the darkness, I took the wrong turn. I was still in the center with all of the restaurants and hotels for tourists. I passed by 4- and 3- star places, but Florence was surprisingly quiet: I would have expected a much more lively night scene. Anyway, I spotted a sign, CIAO HOSTEL, and decided that one hostel was, for at least one night, to prevent any possible dangerous nighttime incidents, equivalent to another. The receptionist let me in, told me to pay the next morning, and showed me my room, which I was sharing with three other travelers. I wrote two important e-mails, and called it a night.
OK, I'm going to leave off there. I'll talk about today's adventures tomorrow!
Ciao!
~JD
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