Travel to Lucca, Italy

    Today is the day we travel to Lucca. After breakfast, we packed up and walked to the main train station in Rome. A short 10 minute walk with luggage was easy. We walked past people heading to work, sleeping bags with the homeless and many heading for the station like us.

       For 40 minutes we waited and watched  the departure board, waiting for our terminal number.  Dad  had to use the restroom and asked a police officer ( in very broken Italian) where one was. Bruce headed with him for a wild goose chase, and never were able to find the bathroom. Our train came in with only a 10 minute window to board. Luckily it was the track right in front of the gate we had been waiting at.  

The high speed train to Florence

        We really enjoyed the high speed train. We sat in comfortable, roomy seats facing each other, with a table between us. Zipping at 150 mph in a plush cabin through the Italian countryside was awesome. We wish they had this service in the US, as we'd be more than happy to travel on it. The non-stop trip to Florence took only about an hour and a half.

     In Florence we quickly boarded a crowded commuter train since we had 10 minutes to go from track 11 to track 6. A lady helped us for a tip which was well worth it. We had no assigned seats so we had to find what was available on the 2nd level of the two tiered train. This train was smaller, cramped, and not really comfortable.

        This train made at least 15 stops to stretch the trip to 2 hours.  It was like a commuter bus, and obviously not as enjoyable as the high speed train. After what seemed like forever, we pulled into Lucca Station at 1:23pm.
      Lucca is a medieval city surrounded by an earth, brick and stone wall. It had made the entire inner city a fortress against attacks. There is even a road on top of the wall which is now only for bicycles and pedestrians. Luggage in tow, we excitedly found a walking path through the wall and set off to find our hotel.
    Lucca has one thing in common with Rome in that its streets are also poorly marked, so naturally we walked in the wrong direction.  Dad and Alan stopped with the luggage while Bruce and I went to a visitors center to get a city map. We had a longer walk than expected to the Ilaria Hotel .
    The hotel is very nice, and actually in a good location. They have many amenities, including a free breakfast, a snack buffet, and free bikes to use.
    By now it was almost 3pm and we hadn't had lunch, so we opted for "early dinner". The hotel recommended a small restaurant at the end of the block, and we all ordered their Angus burger with fries. It was an absolutely incredible burger that was juicy and very flavorful. 

Outside our hotel

     Dad, Alan and Bruce went out for a couple hours to sight see and take pictures while I stayed back at the hotel and got some sleep.  Unfortunately, lunch yesterday at the Vatican gave me a bout of food poisoning, and I hadn't felt or slept well since. The guys had eaten lasagna, but I chose the spaghetti -bad choice! Hopefully that nightmare is behind me.
     Alan and Bruce found a grocery store outside the wall and brought me back a ginger-based drink to help settle my stomach (which tasted really bad...lol). Apparently, Italians don't care for ginger ale, and most have never heard of it.        Bruce and I managed to take a brief walk in the area, and I got a few pics. Now the sun is setting, and we are back in the room. More to do in this picturesque city in the morning!