Day 2 – Road trip to Pisa

Breakfast dawned early.  FAR too early for some of us, and so MIL & 2 girls journeyed out for bread to go with breakfast, and hopefully some for lunch.  They found a Pasticceria that sold bread, and ended up spending a little too much for 2 loaves of good Italian bread.  Unfortunately, some boys were hungry, and so MIL sent Sweetie (who’d been there before) and Buddy (who at nearly 14 could likely be a good escort) down into San Gimignano by themselves to buy more bread.  Unfortunately, Buddy’s limited Italian didn’t get him very far in the bakery and when they returned with the loaf of bread, they weren’t sure if they’d been completely ripped off, or if they’d gotten a bargain because MIL thinks they came home with more money than they’d started with.  Still, the bread made it through breakfast, and after MIL began fixing ham sandwiches to take for lunch… those started disappearing, too.  We decided we’d just have to buy lunch out.

One of the few things that was on the “MUST DO” list for all the kids was to visit Pisa again.  The tower is still leaning, and the obligatory visual illusion pictures show that Sweetie and BooBoo were able to prop it up. 

 

 

 

 

 

Parking “the Bus” essentially across the street from the Piazza Dei Miracoli was surprisingly easy as well as cheap.  Even making our way through the vendors of all things “cheap & typical”.  The vendors have essentially been pushed outside the Piazza, so it’s a bit of a maze, but at least it’s outside the wall (11^th century construction).

Lunch was a hoot.  Time for some authentic Italian cuisine! Where shall we eat? No need to get caught in a tourist trap near the Tower and we’re certainly not going to eat at the (apparently very popular) McDonalds (you read me right) immediately outside the wall to the piazza. So let’s head part-way back and look for a little local… wait a minute! Is that an Ikea??? Hey… meatballs are Italian, right? It turns out that it’s the first one in Italy and it opened two weeks ago! I learned that the student body’s priority was less to eat all Italian cuisine… and more to just avoid American food. You would be surprised how many Italian “ristorantes” advertise hot dogs in their window. Not a very high opinion of the American diet I suppose.

 

We tried to stop at 2 different supermarkets, but like most things in Europe between the hours of 1 – 4, they were closed.  But one couple of parking lots had EXCELLENT views of the countryside so it wasn’t a total waste of time.  Sadly, on the way back, I began to realize how addicted to caffeine I must be.  After 3 days without it, a caffeine headache set in, and would not dissipate.  Since the supermarkets were closed (i.e., no Coke available) we made it home where I found some Excedrin and lay down.

The Principal, MIL, and the girls journeyed to the supermarket.  After their return, 3 of the kids decided to join the Principal for another journey through the streets of San Gimignano. They didn’t walk all of the wall, but it was a good hike and a good family time out. Apparently, they decided to sneak an extra gelato stop into the walk.

 

MIL had quite the adventure with the Laundromat during the afternoon.  She doesn’t like dirty laundry to sit still for too long, so she decided that she’d follow the sign to the Lavanderia I saw on the street outside the complex.  Across the street it led down the steep hill, around the corner and she began walking.  After walking what she says was about 3k, and speaking to several people along the way that assured her, “Yes, this is the way to the Lavanderia, just ‘sempre diretto”.  Which is a great Italian colloquialism for “Always straight ahead – Follow the road – just keep going”.  It’s a TERRIBLE way to give directions…although it can at least be reassuring that you’re on the right road.  One lady told her, “Oh yes, about 50 meters, “… MIL is pretty sure a meter in Europe must not be the same meter we use in the US.

Once at the Laundromat (that was apparently just 4 washers & 4 dryers in somebody’s garage) she reads that it’s E3 for the dryer and E4 for the washer.  She loads up ALL her clothing in the machine, reads the Italian label somewhat carefully (or so she thinks) and starts it up.  Clothes start whirring around… but no water.  It’s a dryer.  Oh dear.  She takes out the clothes, moves them to the other machine and puts everything into one load again.  Deposits her money.  It doesn’t move.  It’s too much for the machine to handle, so now she’s E7 (or nearly $8 out and still has dirty clothes).  She separates everything into two loads and is debating between 1 pod of detergent or 2… decides on just one… and loads them up.  The machines begin filling with water… swirling around… it’s looking good.

That’s when she notices a sign WAY up high that clearly says the washers are “All inclusive” including detergent, fabric softener, and sanitizer.  Oh dear.  She looks back at the machines and everything is looking VERY sudsy.  Very VERY sudsy.  sigh.  At least it makes for a good story, and with enough rinsing, VERY clean clothes. 

Dinner was gnocci con Bolognese, homemade by MIL, and delicious!  The girls helped cook, so we decided a good reward was a nice evening stroll for some more gelato.  What we didn’t realize was that San Gimignano essentially closes up shop at 7pm, so arriving at the gelateria at 8:30 was disappointing. It turns out that the covert gelato purchase from earlier in the day would keep the gelato-a-day streak from dying on day 2 – except for Buddy and yours truly. Buddy was particularly depressed to see his dream of potential Olympic participation in the event dashed… and the kids walked on ahead to the apartment - crestfallen.  But not all was lost! The Principal and I were window shopping (less sales pressure when the stores are closed) – and found that a small bar that was still open (a “bar” in Italy is nothing like a bar in the US) and they had gelato! So we picked up a small container and returned with the good news that the streak was still alive!”… but  the judges won’t be able to properly compare the “Gelato World Champions” to the “Best Gelato in the World”.  I suppose the decision will have to wait for another day. Perhaps tomorrow… or perhaps not since we hope to make the drive over to Assisi and Perugia, and that could take all day (editor’s note – especially if The Staff discovers the chocolate factory).