Once we hit the open road and were ticketed and on the autostrada (the toll road) we felt pretty good. We were even lucky enough to be able to pay our autostrada toll to a real person rather than fiddle with the ticket and the credit card as people honked behind us. So...off the autostrade and into Fierenza. One issue...get gas. Must return the rental with a full tank. So we stop at a gas station and are presented with another new puzzle to solve. How to get the gas to pump. We stood behind a young man who tried and tried to get the machine (no people at this station) to take his €20 bill. No luck. We traded him a €20 bill in hopes that another would work. Nope. So he drove off. We tried our credit card...it was rejected 4 times...then a young Italian couple tried their luck. Somehow, we traded bills, fiddled, laughed and between the four of us got the pump to work. After several tries...we both ended up with full tanks and with great thanks and grazies we drove off...Into Fierenza.
All was going well until Louisa told us to turn right, down a street where she apparently didn't know there was construction. The street was totally blocked off. Flummoxed, we turned left and Louisa lost it...and we were lost. We went around the same block 4 times...we understood we were to cross the Arno river, but couldn't do it the way Louisa wanted, so finally, ending up on a street that crossed the river on a bridge just below the Ponte Vecchio, where Louisa wanted to cross...we crossed and seemed to be back on track. But no. When Louisa announced that, "Your destination is on the right. Route guidance is ended," we realized that she had brought us to the Uffizi Museum (where Pam had her picture taken with the street mime) and that was the end of that. No Hertz Rent-a-car, no home for Leonardo.
So we drove around on our own, turning down streets that I didn't think a bicycle could go down. We fit somehow, but ended up in the Piazza della Signore--one of the most historic piazzas in Florence. No cars. Pedestrians only. And there we were in a crush of tourists.
We are sure we will get a ticket for this too, as there are cameras around the piazza, but there we were! We saw two street cleaners, pulled up next to them (they were not too surprised) and asked, "How to get out? We are so lost!" They told us to go to the Farmicia and turn left and go straight. We did. Got off the plaza and were still hopelessly lost.
Eventually, we just plain stopped, pulled over into a space by the curb just off a market and let the traffic flow on by. I walked off in one direction and Pam in the other and eventually I was able to flag a taxi. I motioned him around the corner to Leonardo, explained the situation and asked if we could hire him and follow him. Yes, OK...and off we went. I cut off a herd of tourists, two bicycles, ran a red light, but never lost our taxi. All of a sudden we were at Hertz. Oh what a relief to put little Leonardo in his stall, check in, and be on our walking way to the train.
Arrivederci, Leonardo!
Then we walked to the train. While waiting for our train, we tried to pay our parking ticket. We were directed to the Post Office, NO! Then to the bank...all closed from noon to 3 o'clock. We couldn't miss our train because we knew there would be a special treat waiting for us at our hotel in Milano. So we left the parking ticket for another time.
Oh! No! Our first train was 10 minutes late (never would have happened with a Swiss train). We boarded and at the other end of about and hour and a half, we had 3 minutes to run to the track and catch our next train to Milano Malpensa...we got to the door of the last car as it began to move down the track.
In 35 minutes we caught the next train and finally arrived at our destination...Milano airport. We got a bit lost in the airport but a wonderful Hertz agent walked us to where we needed to go to get the shuttle to our hotel. And when we arrived, here was the best prize ever, waiting for us...
Katie PIetsch...all the way from Zurich just to have dinner with us. Oh what a joy. We had a few hours to catch up on her life, have some laughs about traveling in Italy and then, after dinner it was time for Katie to drive back across the border to Switzerland, turn in her rental car, and take the train back to Zurich. Oh, Katie...thank you so much for making this huge trip for a couple of hours. We do love you and thank you...
and off she drove into the night...
Now, for sure, we hope this is the end of our adventures. Tomorrow off to the aerporto and onto a 10:30 a.m. flight for Frankfurt and then Denver...and Lee and Mare! Once again, thanks for traveling with us. Ciao and so much love and thanks to Katie for making the effort to connect.
Bonnnie & Pam
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