Day 12 – Saturday 4th June 2011
At 5.30am I’m awake. Location: Genova train station. Last night I got the train from Aosta to Torino (Turin) and then onto Genova, arriving at 1am. The train to Pisa leaves at 6.20am, getting me there just after 10.30am. A bit of time for more sleep on the train.
So I get to Pisa and I’m thinking, “I need to find a Tourist Information centre and get a town map.” In Aosta it was easy: follow signs to the town centre, find the main square and it was right in front of me. In Pisa, there are many squares! I found one, but no Tourist Information. All I’m really here for is to see the leaning tower, taking photos of anything else of interest along the way.
As I circle the town trying to find a Tourist Information centre, I notice something poking up above a wall. I think I’ve found it... but the next road in that direction is one way – the wrong way. I continue forward, aware that I was now getting further away. Taking the next left, I came across a little street heaving with people and market stalls lining both sides. Barely 2 people can walk abreast and I have a bike with a lot of luggage!
I look for another left turn so I can double back on myself. I see an archway and another street also full of people, albeit much wider this time. Maybe I don’t want to go that way, but wait... what’s that poking out from behind another building like it’s trying to hide?
It doesn’t look like much of a lean... maybe I’m at the wrong angle. As I get closer, I come across a sign which reads: “Due to the dangerous nature of the leaning tower we have had to make adjustments to make it vertical.” Dated January 2011. So that explains it...
Only joking! From the archway I head towards it, thinking, “That’s quite a lean!” There are loads of people stood with their arms out as friends and family try to take photos making it look like they are trying to hold the tower up (or pushing it over, as one person was!)... so I thought it’d be quite fun to take a photo of all those people looking silly with their arms out!
Desperate for a cold drink and somewhere to sit out of the sun, I find a little snack bar and have a bite to eat as well. I don’t quite get how they charged me... I asked them if they could fill up my water bottles, which they did, but either they charged me for 2 cokes when I only had one or they charged me for the water as well... €2.60 for some water??
I mooch around the town some more – by now I know my way around pretty well (“I’ve been down this street 3 times already!”). I find a supermarket then head back to the station to ask about getting to Rome. Along the way I cross a road and the back wheel doesn’t feel quite right. Great, a puncture. The first one of the whole trip. Forget puncture repairs, I was never good at them anyway. I decide to use my last spare inner tube: Halfords’ finest. (It wasn’t actually Halfords’ “finest,” just their basic one that fits a 700x28c tyre. I had kept the 700x23c inner tubes from the old wheels – just in case – but this was my last spare “new” one.) Fifteen minutes later and I’m all done and on my way again.
Trains from Pisa to Rome the next morning are either at 7.45am or 11.45am. Ideally I’d like to catch the 7.45am train, but if I miss it that’d be a horrid 4 hour wait I would not want to have. Wild camping (again) down the road? Let’s check it out. I head off towards Marina di Pisa.
There are a few places along the road where I might be able to bivvy for the night, but nowhere suitable to put the tent up. Oh, well. I get to Marina di Pisa and find a nice area to have a dip in the sea (a few other people were there, so I didn’t feel out of place). It’s a chance to try to get rid of the horrible sweaty smell I’ve accumulated over the last couple of days from wild camping and sleeping at train stations. Not a proper shower (or bath), but it’ll have to do.
There’s a little restaurant up the road as well. So I’m sat there, writing as the sun sets, having a nice large glass of coke. Fantastic!
Stats
Mileage = 28.89 miles
Riding time = 3 hours 41 minutes
Average speed = 7.8 mph
Top speed = 19.2 mph
Total mileage since start = 715.1
At 5.30am I’m awake. Location: Genova train station. Last night I got the train from Aosta to Torino (Turin) and then onto Genova, arriving at 1am. The train to Pisa leaves at 6.20am, getting me there just after 10.30am. A bit of time for more sleep on the train.So I get to Pisa and I’m thinking, “I need to find a Tourist Information centre and get a town map.” In Aosta it was easy: follow signs to the town centre, find the main square and it was right in front of me. In Pisa, there are many squares! I found one, but no Tourist Information. All I’m really here for is to see the leaning tower, taking photos of anything else of interest along the way.
As I circle the town trying to find a Tourist Information centre, I notice something poking up above a wall. I think I’ve found it... but the next road in that direction is one way – the wrong way. I continue forward, aware that I was now getting further away. Taking the next left, I came across a little street heaving with people and market stalls lining both sides. Barely 2 people can walk abreast and I have a bike with a lot of luggage!I look for another left turn so I can double back on myself. I see an archway and another street also full of people, albeit much wider this time. Maybe I don’t want to go that way, but wait... what’s that poking out from behind another building like it’s trying to hide?
It doesn’t look like much of a lean... maybe I’m at the wrong angle. As I get closer, I come across a sign which reads: “Due to the dangerous nature of the leaning tower we have had to make adjustments to make it vertical.” Dated January 2011. So that explains it...
Only joking! From the archway I head towards it, thinking, “That’s quite a lean!” There are loads of people stood with their arms out as friends and family try to take photos making it look like they are trying to hold the tower up (or pushing it over, as one person was!)... so I thought it’d be quite fun to take a photo of all those people looking silly with their arms out!Desperate for a cold drink and somewhere to sit out of the sun, I find a little snack bar and have a bite to eat as well. I don’t quite get how they charged me... I asked them if they could fill up my water bottles, which they did, but either they charged me for 2 cokes when I only had one or they charged me for the water as well... €2.60 for some water??
I mooch around the town some more – by now I know my way around pretty well (“I’ve been down this street 3 times already!”). I find a supermarket then head back to the station to ask about getting to Rome. Along the way I cross a road and the back wheel doesn’t feel quite right. Great, a puncture. The first one of the whole trip. Forget puncture repairs, I was never good at them anyway. I decide to use my last spare inner tube: Halfords’ finest. (It wasn’t actually Halfords’ “finest,” just their basic one that fits a 700x28c tyre. I had kept the 700x23c inner tubes from the old wheels – just in case – but this was my last spare “new” one.) Fifteen minutes later and I’m all done and on my way again.
Trains from Pisa to Rome the next morning are either at 7.45am or 11.45am. Ideally I’d like to catch the 7.45am train, but if I miss it that’d be a horrid 4 hour wait I would not want to have. Wild camping (again) down the road? Let’s check it out. I head off towards Marina di Pisa.There are a few places along the road where I might be able to bivvy for the night, but nowhere suitable to put the tent up. Oh, well. I get to Marina di Pisa and find a nice area to have a dip in the sea (a few other people were there, so I didn’t feel out of place). It’s a chance to try to get rid of the horrible sweaty smell I’ve accumulated over the last couple of days from wild camping and sleeping at train stations. Not a proper shower (or bath), but it’ll have to do.
There’s a little restaurant up the road as well. So I’m sat there, writing as the sun sets, having a nice large glass of coke. Fantastic!
StatsMileage = 28.89 miles
Riding time = 3 hours 41 minutes
Average speed = 7.8 mph
Top speed = 19.2 mph
Total mileage since start = 715.1
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