Day 307

Well between bugs and bats, i don't think I've ever walked so fast in my life. My Mom and I just came home from dinner, and we booked it up the hill. Obviously though, that's not where my day began, that's where it ended.

I ate far too much for breakfast - but that was kind of a given. Afterward, my Mom and I went to the info center in Calci to see about horse back riding on the beach. Apparently they don't do that Mondays. I was not happy.

We walked over to the corner store, bought some bus tickets, and went to the usual cafe to sit down for a pastry and drink. When it was time, we dragged ourselves over to the bus stop, and waited for it to arrive. - I didn't feel well at all -

We got on the bus, and rode into Pisa. I fell asleep on the way. When we arrived, we went into the travel center there, then walked to the most hated bus station I've ever been to, and caught a bus to the beach.

As we got closer, we passed a beach that was all rock. Not knowing which stop we needed, we asked a young guy in front of us to let us know when we were there. He did. My Mom and I got off the bus, and walked onto the sandy beach. Not knowing what part was private, and what part was free...we took a stroll. Eventually...getting nervous that we shouldn't be walking where we were, we stopped to ask a lifeguard. He didn't speak much England. He told us where we should go to ask though...and so we did. The next guy said we had to speak to his boss. Back to the top of the beach we went, and we spoke to a very good looking older Italian man. He told us we could rent two chairs and an umbrella. So we did.

Well...we stepped onto the sand, and our feet were on FIRE! I laid my lawn chair down after plenty of frustration and swear words, and eventually got comfy. My Mom went into the Ocean. After seeing how many people left their things unattended while she was gone, I didn't see any reason why the two of us couldn't go into the Ocean together. So we did. We had a nice time taking pictures and such, and eventually came back to the piping hot sand and chairs. I laid on my back for a little while, then tried my stomach, and after some more frustration with METAL chairs in 40 degree heat, I pulled mine into the shade, and sat there. By this time, we were about ready to leave. A few minutes passed, and we packed up our things. We stopped to get an ice cream, and then walked up to the first bus stop we could find. The bus got there just minutes later. Score! On we got, and we went back to the Pisa Centrale bus station to catch the next bus to Calci.

When we arrived in Calci, - both of us half asleep, but with an eye open so we didn't go past our stop - we went into a Co-op and bought some grapes, juice, and water. We had some on the walk back to the Bed and Breakfast. Knowing restaurants don't open until 7 for dinner, we walked all the way up the hill to shower before eating. We took our time, but eventually my craving for an excellent dinner at my favourite restaurant got too strong, and we had to leave. As we were walking down to the restaurant, my Mom noticed all the umbrellas were down, and the patio chairs were up. "No, they can't be closed" we thought. But, they were. A little bit of panic set in as we realized we'd have to go to the place where we got pasta last.

We walked in, and ended up having to sit outside. We both chose a pizza - but turns out we should have just split one - and we pigged out. I was sooooo full half way through mine, but you can't take left overs home here...and my Mom and I couldn't understand wasting something so good...so instead, we forced it all down. My Mom cheated and still had a little bit left. My plate was clean, and I was on the verge of going into a food coma. We ordered cappuccino's, but as we waited for them, little flying ants kept landing on us and the table. Freaking out, I drank my cappuccino - still hot - as fast as humanly possible, ran inside to pay, and then danced around at the bank machine outside, until we had done everything that needed to be done.

As we walked back up the hill, I realized that what I had thought were bats a few nights ago, definitely were. It was like pitch black, and every now and then you'd see these things fly by lamp posts etc. Again...I freaked. The noises they made did not make anything any more relaxing, so my Mom and I practically raced up the hill. We made it to the Bed and Breakfast in record timing I'm sure. As we had already showered earlier, we spent a bit of time on the computer, then tried to watch Big Brother but couldn't get it. Now my Mom's asleep, and I will be shortly. Good Night xx