A Second Beginning

Awaking before my alarm, I got dressed, finished packing, and walked into town for a last look. The village was just beginning to stir and I could hear the street sweeper making his morning rounds. Claudio was already serving people lined up at the caffe´, and many delivery trucks and vans were parked hapahyardly on both piazzas making their morning deliveries. I took a few last precious pictures of Cortona, my home away from home, before Maria and Laura drove me to the train station at 8:00. There were maybe 20 people waiting for the train with me and Laura felt sure one of the men would help me get my suitcase aboard the train. As it turns out, the men took one look at my big suitcase and fought each other to get on the train leaving me to wrestle the monster suitcase alone. A kind lady gave me a hand though, and since I could not find a place to put the luggage, I parked it in the corner of the train car which worked out fine. The train trip was uneventful and I gazed out the window listeing to my MP3 and crying a bit now and then. I am so happy that I have had this opportunity, but sad to leave people who were so kind and generous to me.

Upon pulling into the station in Florence, I dragged my 400 pound suitcase to the "left luggage" office where I checked it in for a few moments in order to search out a new pair of walking shoes. I trotted across the street to the Bata store, which was nearly deserted at 10:00 AM, and tried on a pair of running shoes, which turned out to be a good fit. I wore them out of the store leaving my old pair with the young saleswoman and loped back to te train station to pick up my suitcase which I then dragged to the other side of the station and down a flight of stairs. I wove my way across the street and around the corner to the bus station station where I lugged all my bags onto the airport shuttle exactly one minute before departure! I sat in a high seat at the front of the bus which gave me a wodnerful view of Florence as we left. Unfortunately, I also hd to keep one leg on the suitcase which had a tendency to tip into the aisle on sharp corners.

At the airport, the customs agent did not want to stamp my tax free forms as she said I am supposed to do it when I depart Europe for good. I explained I was going onto other countries and would not be leaving for months and she kindly agreed to go ahead and stamp them so I could get my 50 euro refund. I checked my bag in with Lufthansa and was informed it was overweight by about 2 kilos (4.5 pounds), but the agent politely agreed not to charge me an overweight fee. How lucky I was! I poked around the airport, had something to drink and ate a sandwich (mozzarella and prosciutto) before clearing security and making my way to the gate. Eventually, the assembled group of travelers was herded onto a couple of buses and driven to the tiny aircraft which ultimately departed nearly an hour late.

The plane was the same hip-squeezing model I´d taken to Florence. I am happy to report that, while the fit was tight and the seatbelt short, I was able to buckle it and not be in agony this time! I was still a bit weepy on the plane. Sometimes goodbyes are very hard for me and there is usually a time of melancholy while I adapt to a new situation. A pretty flight attendant passed out snacks of a cheese sandwich, an apple, and a candy bar. Good thing I accepted it as it turned out to be my last food of the day. The plane landed without incident and we were packed back into buses for what seemed like a 12 mile ride to the terminal. The luggage was delayed 45 minutes while they sorted it out and ferried it in from Cleveland, er...from the plane. I needed to use a restroom something terrible, however the baggage claim area had some sort of temporary facilities, and the women´s and handicapped toilets had overflowed creating a terrible mess and smell. In due course the suitcase arrived unharmed and I began a 6 mile hike to the car rental counter, then to the garage to find my car. I was given a royal blue Fiat Punto, the same car I´d had in Italy! Driving an Italian-made car alleviated just a tiny bit of my homesickness.

The drive to Rothenburg, the small town where I will be living for the next 2 months, took quite some time due to several traffic jams, known as "stau" in German. Once I reached Rothenburg and entered the town through one of the tower gates, I was unable to locate my apartment. Frustratingly, I could not match my printed directions with the layout of the town. What´s worse, in keeping with the quaintness of this ancient town, the street signs are printed in some kind of indecipherable calligraphy. Rothenburg us also full fo "einbahnstrassen", one-way streets, so I found myself circling the same few blocks over and over while I tried desperately to read the street signs. I took to waving cheerfully as I passed diners sitting at the outside tables of two restaurants watching me as I circled the block for the 17th time. Eventually, I parked the car and headed off on foot. My normally good sense of direction reasserted itself and I located my new home quickly. It was by now 8:45 PM and my landlords were waiting worriedly for me. They are very, very nice and my landlady, Frau Froehlich, walked back to the parkplatz with me to retrieve the vehicle and allowed me to park it in their gated driveway.

My little apartment is on the second floor and I spent some time unpacking and "nesting" as women like to do. Th St. Jakobs Kirche (church) is one block away and I have a lovely view of its spires from my living/sleeping room window. I also have a bathtub....what luxury! I am going to like it here!