Arezzo Adventure

Anyone who thinks living in Italy for six weeks is a dream come true... would be right! Anyone who thinks that it's a walk in the park... well you'd be wrong, it's a walk in a lot of parks.... and piazzas.

But anyone who thinks that being in Italy alone is without struggle.... well you'd need your head examined.

I've found that my horrific childhood shyness has returned since I can no longer rely on the language skills of my friend, Dee. I've lost most of my self-confidence and yet I plunder onward with the stubbornness of a Deutschlander's Daughter.

Yesterday, while out walking I decided to stop in the Santa Maria Novella train station to check out how to buy train tickets. Of course, you can stand in line and hope you get a ticket agent who speaks English or understands your very poor Italian. The Florentines have been so offputting about language that I decided I would purchase my tickets from the machine. There was an icon with the British flag so it seemed hopeful. The machine asked for the date I wanted to travel. "Today, Tomorrow, or Another Date" I decided to purchase a ticket to Assisi for Tuesday next week. Everything went well. I pressed the button to "Buy" and then the machine told me all the reasons I couldn't buy.... in Italian.

I was too embarrassed to try again because there was a long line panting behind me. This is the "fast ticket service." So I walk to another area of the train station and try again. Same thing. I walk to a third machine and this time I say I want to travel "today" and I choose the first name on the list of choices... Arezzo.
Success! I figure why not go to Arezzo today. I have nothing better to do. Mind you I have no idea what's in Arezzo, but it's a Tuscan hilltown... and the cost round-trip is 11 euro. Why not?

Was I happy with my decision?