Sunday- April 1
When we got inside we went to the left side to get palms to be blessed, which were actually olive tree branches. I later learned that they use olive trees instead of palms because palms are not as grown in Italy. I found that interesting.
This morning we had to wake up early because we were going to church at the Cathedral. Last night when I went home to gather church clothes, I asked Jess if she thought what I already had on would be good because I've been told the dress code is strict.
She said she thought I would be fine. She recommended getting there early because when her parents were here they tried going to church and waited in line and had the door shut on them.
So we all woke up at 9 to shower and get ready for mass at 10:30. We ended up leaving at 10 and when we got to the Cathedral about five minutes away, we walked right in on the side of the church. I was surprised because I thought there would be a line since it was Palm Sunday.
When we got inside we went to the left side to get palms to be blessed, which were actually olive tree branches. I later learned that they use olive trees instead of palms because palms are not as grown in Italy. I found that interesting.
I was also surprised to see two things. One, that they church was not full. There were a lot of empty seats, so we were able to find seats together without a problem. Two, people were in jeans. I was appalled because I've been told no jeans at church here and no dresses higher than your knees. I guess they're not as strict as what my teachers told me. Oh well, I'd rather be safe than sorry.
The mass started at 10:30 and a plethora of priests filed in with the music. They carried flags and banners. A chorus walked with them singing, their notes echoing in the massive church. After a ton of people filed in behind them. I realized this was probably what Jess had done with her parents. After so many people filed in, they shut the huge, wooden doors and people found places to sit. Quickly, the church was full of people.
The entire mass was in Italian, so I really didn't follow it too much. During the third reading where they read the passion of Christ, I understood when Jesus was getting ready to die because they said, "Mio dio, mio dio, perche?" Which means, my God, my God, Why?
I also picked up when they were getting ready to say the Our Father. Other than that I was lost, and the mass seemed like it went on for hours. It was an experience though to be in the Florence Cathedral for Palm Sunday.
After church we went home to change into new clothes. Since it was such a nice day we decided we were going to go to a beach. I found a beach near Pisa, about an hour away by train and then a 20 minute bus ride. Since it takes an hour to get there I figured we could make the 12:50 train since it was only about noon.
However, everyone took their time getting ready and then Jonathan decided he wanted to make a hot dog. Of course. So we ended up leaving the apartment around 12:45 to catch the 1:38 train to Pisa. Thankfully trains run often to Pisa.
We stopped at Astor on the way because mom wanted her decaf coffee. It was a different group of workers and when mom asked for what she had yesterday, they said they couldn't make it. I told them they made it yesterday for her, so they ended up making it. The guy didn't look too happy about it, but I figured if someone could make it yesterday, surely someone could make it today. Mom said it didn't taste the same, but it was still alright.
I ordered a banana coffee frappe, which was surprisingly good. I wanted to try something different and that it was! It was in a tiny cup for €3, so I didn't think it was worth the price, but it was till tasty.
We walked to the train station around 1 to buy tickets and make sure we had enough time to catch the train. I wasn't in the mood to run to catch a train like I normally do. We got there and had enough time to get our tickets and find the platform.
Thank goodness we did have time because we couldn't figure out which platform was ours because Pisa wasn't listed. I went back to a ticket machine to see what train number ours was and we learned the final destination was Lucca, so we looked for the train number on the departure sign and found Lucca.
I went to go validate the ticket, but the newly installed machines weren't accepting it. I waited in line at the information desk to ask how the new machines worked. While I was waiting I asked Jon to try a different machine, which thankfully worked.
We walked over toward where I thought platform 4 was. Almost all of the trains going to Pisa go out from the same area, but when we got there I couldn't find 4. I asked a man working there in Italian, where platform 4 was. He was extremely kind and directed us to it. I had never left from this platform, so it was a new experience too!
We walked onto a train car, only to find that it was mostly full. So we walked to the next train car, which was almost full too. We walked almost to the end of the train and I was starting to worry we would have to split up for the ride there. I had never seen the train this busy before. Luckily, we found four seats together right in the second to last car.
After we got adjusted I led mom to the bathroom in the train, which was in the first car. While I waited I looked to my left and saw where the conductor controls the train. I thought, "Oh cool, I've never seen that before."
The train ride ended up being an hour and 20 minutes because there were more stops than normal. When we arrived in Pisa, mama had to use the restroom, so we walked into the McDonald's in the train station. There was a man standing in front of the restroom doors collecting money to use the bathroom. It was more of a donation and wasn't required like some public restrooms, but my family was surprised you had to pay to use the restroom. Welcome to Europe!
Jon decided he wanted to get something to eat from there, so while he ordered I went to the information desk to ask where the bus station was to purchase tickets and catch a bus to Terrenia. The woman was very helpful and it made it easier because she spoke in English to me. When it comes to directions, it's always easier if it's in my first language.
I walked back into the McDonald's and Jon was still waiting for his food. Ali and I waited for him while mom waited outside. Soon enough his fries and pop were up. We met mom outside and we started walking in the directions the woman gave me. Ali and I split a french fry since we were kind of hungry. I hadn't had french fries from Mickey Dees since January, so they were yummy, although they don't taste the same as the ones at home.
When we found the bus station after a 10 minute walk, we went inside and purchased roundtrip tickets for €4 each, which was really good I thought. The woman told us to wait at the middle stop, where most of the people waiting were standing anyways. I looked on the sign and it said Terrenia was stop number 4.
We only had to wait about five or so minutes, which was nice because the bus comes about every half hour. The bus ride lasted about 20 minutes. I counted every time we stopped to make sure we got off at the right one. I've been traveling for the past few months, so I'm used to finding my way eventually, but my family isn't used to it, so I remained calm, not knowing exactly where we were.
When we stopped for the 4th time we got off. I was 95 percent sure we were at the right stop because there was a massive boardwalk a few yards in front of us, and I saw water. I figured that was a pretty clear sign we were at the right place.
The little town was so cute and very beachy.
There was a plethora of people walking along the boardwalk, and there were a couple blow up games and slides where children were running around laughing.
It was a little chilly out, but with the sun shining down, it felt like a summer day. It was already 4:00 because we had gotten a late start to the day, but I was glad we made it. I was also glad it was somewhere I hadn't been yet and got to experience it with my family.
We started walking along the boardwalk, and we weren't quite sure where the beach was at. We saw a lot of people standing on rocks that stretched out into the waters, but no beach.
We ended up walking farther and found a white stone beach. It was like something I've never seen before. With the sun hitting the rocks, it made them appear even brighter than what they probably were.
Despite how pretty it was, it was quite difficult to walk on to get to the water.
The water was something different from what I've seen too. Greece has beautiful clear waters, and so did Terrenia, but this was different. The water was so clear that you could see everything below it, so you could see the algae, which made the water appear green. It was really pretty to see how the water looked as if it were changing colors, but it was actually so clear that you could see the floor of the sea changing colors.
We started walking along the boardwalk a little more because we thought there was a sand beach somewhere along here — at least there was in the pictures I looked at the night before. As we were walking, Ali and I kept getting stares up and down by women and men, and I knew exactly why. They were thinking, "why are they wearing shorts?!"
It was chilly, but not cold enough to not wear shorts. Italians, however, don't seem to wear shorts until it's probably like 90 degrees out. As I was walking around very comfortable and not cold, women were walking around in their winter coats. I wanted to say, "please travel to Ohio or Pennsylvania and you'll experience true cold."
Jon decided he wanted to get something to eat from there, so while he ordered I went to the information desk to ask where the bus station was to purchase tickets and catch a bus to Terrenia. The woman was very helpful and it made it easier because she spoke in English to me. When it comes to directions, it's always easier if it's in my first language.
I walked back into the McDonald's and Jon was still waiting for his food. Ali and I waited for him while mom waited outside. Soon enough his fries and pop were up. We met mom outside and we started walking in the directions the woman gave me. Ali and I split a french fry since we were kind of hungry. I hadn't had french fries from Mickey Dees since January, so they were yummy, although they don't taste the same as the ones at home.
When we found the bus station after a 10 minute walk, we went inside and purchased roundtrip tickets for €4 each, which was really good I thought. The woman told us to wait at the middle stop, where most of the people waiting were standing anyways. I looked on the sign and it said Terrenia was stop number 4.
We only had to wait about five or so minutes, which was nice because the bus comes about every half hour. The bus ride lasted about 20 minutes. I counted every time we stopped to make sure we got off at the right one. I've been traveling for the past few months, so I'm used to finding my way eventually, but my family isn't used to it, so I remained calm, not knowing exactly where we were.
When we stopped for the 4th time we got off. I was 95 percent sure we were at the right stop because there was a massive boardwalk a few yards in front of us, and I saw water. I figured that was a pretty clear sign we were at the right place.
The little town was so cute and very beachy.
There was a plethora of people walking along the boardwalk, and there were a couple blow up games and slides where children were running around laughing.
It was a little chilly out, but with the sun shining down, it felt like a summer day. It was already 4:00 because we had gotten a late start to the day, but I was glad we made it. I was also glad it was somewhere I hadn't been yet and got to experience it with my family.
We started walking along the boardwalk, and we weren't quite sure where the beach was at. We saw a lot of people standing on rocks that stretched out into the waters, but no beach.
We ended up walking farther and found a white stone beach. It was like something I've never seen before. With the sun hitting the rocks, it made them appear even brighter than what they probably were.
Despite how pretty it was, it was quite difficult to walk on to get to the water.
The water was something different from what I've seen too. Greece has beautiful clear waters, and so did Terrenia, but this was different. The water was so clear that you could see everything below it, so you could see the algae, which made the water appear green. It was really pretty to see how the water looked as if it were changing colors, but it was actually so clear that you could see the floor of the sea changing colors.
We started walking along the boardwalk a little more because we thought there was a sand beach somewhere along here — at least there was in the pictures I looked at the night before. As we were walking, Ali and I kept getting stares up and down by women and men, and I knew exactly why. They were thinking, "why are they wearing shorts?!"
It was chilly, but not cold enough to not wear shorts. Italians, however, don't seem to wear shorts until it's probably like 90 degrees out. As I was walking around very comfortable and not cold, women were walking around in their winter coats. I wanted to say, "please travel to Ohio or Pennsylvania and you'll experience true cold."
After 10 or so minutes of walking we decided to sit down on the rocks that stretched out into the waters. We all found comfortable spots to relax for a while. Mama laid down and rested her head on her bag. It definitely felt warmer when you weren't moving and the sun was just resting on you.
We sat on those rocks for probably a half hour just enjoying our time.
Jon was getting antsy and wanted to start walking — which I'm used to because he does this when we're at the beach. It made me laugh. It's always the same thing: Mom wants to lay out and relax, and Jon wants to go on adventures and see what else there is.
Eventually we started walking on the boardwalk again in hunt for food. As we were walking we ended up passing a sand beach. I thought, "well go figure!"
We decided not to venture down to it though because there were probably three teenage Italian couples going at it. It was ridiculous. Italians have no shame in PDA, and it drives me nuts. If someone was to do that at a beach in home, they'd be yelled at. I guess it's just another difference in our cultures.
It was getting close to sunset and we wanted to catch the 6:30 bus back. We passed some restaurants along the beach that ended up being closed because it wasn't tourist season. Others were too expensive.
We walked outside and sat in front of the tiny place to eat. The woman who helped me order brought out another chair for us to put the pizza on. After she did that her young son came up on his scooter and started asking her questions. Then I saw a grandfather figure come and talk. I realized this was a family-run business. It was so cute to see her son run around while she and her mother made the pizzas and the grandpa played with his grandson.
The pizza was out of this world. It wasn't better than Gusta Pizza, but it was very, very yummy. We couldn't believe we actually finished the entire pizza! We were hungrier than we thought we were!
-view from where we were sitting-
We sat on those rocks for probably a half hour just enjoying our time.
Jon was getting antsy and wanted to start walking — which I'm used to because he does this when we're at the beach. It made me laugh. It's always the same thing: Mom wants to lay out and relax, and Jon wants to go on adventures and see what else there is.
Eventually we started walking on the boardwalk again in hunt for food. As we were walking we ended up passing a sand beach. I thought, "well go figure!"
We decided not to venture down to it though because there were probably three teenage Italian couples going at it. It was ridiculous. Italians have no shame in PDA, and it drives me nuts. If someone was to do that at a beach in home, they'd be yelled at. I guess it's just another difference in our cultures.
It was getting close to sunset and we wanted to catch the 6:30 bus back. We passed some restaurants along the beach that ended up being closed because it wasn't tourist season. Others were too expensive.
We turned around and started to head back to a pizza place we saw people standing outside of.
The sold sandwiches, pizza by the slice, or maxi pizzas. We decided to get the maxi pizza for €13 and split it between the four of us.
When it was finally my turn to order, I went up and told the woman what we wanted. She asked for my name and when I said Caitlin she couldn't understand what I was saying. That happened to me in Madrid when I was at Starbucks. I guess it's just not a popular name here. She was very kind though.
We waited for probably 15 minutes until it was ready. It was a small joint and we watched the pizza get made and put in the brick oven. When she handed me the box, we couldn't get over how massive this pizza was. It was ridiculous!
We walked outside and sat in front of the tiny place to eat. The woman who helped me order brought out another chair for us to put the pizza on. After she did that her young son came up on his scooter and started asking her questions. Then I saw a grandfather figure come and talk. I realized this was a family-run business. It was so cute to see her son run around while she and her mother made the pizzas and the grandpa played with his grandson.
The pizza was out of this world. It wasn't better than Gusta Pizza, but it was very, very yummy. We couldn't believe we actually finished the entire pizza! We were hungrier than we thought we were!
We started walking back to where the bus dropped us off a couple hours ago. Ali and Jon walked ahead of mom and I, which is completely normal. It's usually them walking a feet yards in front of us and mom and I trailing in the back. I didn't realize how far we had walked along the board walk until it took us forever to get back to the bus stop. As we walked, mom and I enjoyed the atmosphere and view around us.
We saw a bus drive by us and then we realized it was the bus we wanted. When we got to the stop I looked at the times and it said another bus would be here in 20 minutes.
While we were waiting we weren't paying attention to the fact that no one was waiting by us at the stop. Ali and Jon made the observation that there were a ton of people waiting across the street. Hmm...interesting.
Ali and Jon then thought that maybe the bus that had passed us on our side of the street would be making its way back to Pisa on the opposite side of the street. With this is mind, we had two of us look one way and the other two the other way.
Then one of us yelled (I can't remember who) BUS! It was coming on the other side to stop where all of those other people were standing. So we crossed the street real fast before the bus could make it to the stop. When it pulled up, we all said, "Oh my gosh."
The bus was jam-packed, and there were even more people piling into it. The best part was, was that it was a tiny orange bus. I went to the back entrance, and mom said, "Caitlin, we're not going to fit on here."
I said, "Mom, yes we will. I've done this before." I experienced a squished bus at the airport before, so I know how many people can fit on a bus. There were a ton of teenage boys, probably Jon or Ali's age, piled on this bus. I stepped on and so did Jon. Mom said again that we wouldn't all fit. I pulled mom and Ali on and pushed the boys farther back into the bus. There was room, they just weren't moving, so I moved them.
It was hilarious because Ali was pushed up against these two boys and they were laughing so hard. Then when the doors started shutting, they started shutting on Jon and mom. They had to squish in more so it wouldn't shut on them. Mom was belly laughing, which made me laugh even harder. I felt like cattle. When the bus started moving I fell back onto the boys standing behind me and had to gain my balance. We all had to try to hold our balance while the bus kept trucking on. At the first stop the doors opened and Jon had to maneuver his way around the doors so they could open. I though mom was about to fall out of the bus, but then I realized she was bending down to pick up here bag.
I thought it would only be four stops like they way here, but it ended up being like eight. Every time the doors opened, mom bent down to get her bag and Jon moved out of the way of the door and Ali fell into the two boys. I couldn't stop laughing — none of us could.
FINALLY, we got to the bus stations and we jumped off as fast as we could so we wouldn't get pummeled by all of the teenagers. "Well, that was an interesting bus ride!"
After we walked over to the train station, we bought our tickets and tried figuring out again where the platform was. After another potty break, we walked down to platform 8 and hopped onto our train. The train ride back was only an hour this time, which was nice.
By the time we arrived back in Florence it was dark out. Right outside of the train station, Jonathan wanted to get gelato at this cafe he had seen this morning. There were a lot of treats in the window that caught mom and Ali's attention too.
I was worried the man would be rude because I thought he was getting ready to close because it was about 9 on a Sunday night. He was the most welcoming man. He even made mom and Ali coffee drinks. I got this little chocolate pastry that was pretty good. The man was so helpful and so patient with us. It's people like him that re-instill my faith in Italians being friendly.
I stopped back at their apartment on the way to pick up my things to go back to my place. Since I have school tomorrow, I wanted to spend the night at my place. I let mom walk me home the entire way with Jon and Ali because I knew it would make her feel better. No matter how old I am, she will alway mother me and I'll just have to let her.
As we neared my apartment mom asked Ali or Jon if they had the key to their apartment. Jon said he didn't have it and then Ali said she didn't. Mom said, "You're kidding me. One of you has it."
My first thought was, "well, I guess they're staying at my place for the night..."
After a few minutes, Jon said, "April Fools!!" Mama wasn't too happy, but she was at least relieved.
I ended up going to sleep earlier than I normally do because I was exhausted from my day's travels.
We saw a bus drive by us and then we realized it was the bus we wanted. When we got to the stop I looked at the times and it said another bus would be here in 20 minutes.
While we were waiting we weren't paying attention to the fact that no one was waiting by us at the stop. Ali and Jon made the observation that there were a ton of people waiting across the street. Hmm...interesting.
Ali and Jon then thought that maybe the bus that had passed us on our side of the street would be making its way back to Pisa on the opposite side of the street. With this is mind, we had two of us look one way and the other two the other way.
Then one of us yelled (I can't remember who) BUS! It was coming on the other side to stop where all of those other people were standing. So we crossed the street real fast before the bus could make it to the stop. When it pulled up, we all said, "Oh my gosh."
The bus was jam-packed, and there were even more people piling into it. The best part was, was that it was a tiny orange bus. I went to the back entrance, and mom said, "Caitlin, we're not going to fit on here."
I said, "Mom, yes we will. I've done this before." I experienced a squished bus at the airport before, so I know how many people can fit on a bus. There were a ton of teenage boys, probably Jon or Ali's age, piled on this bus. I stepped on and so did Jon. Mom said again that we wouldn't all fit. I pulled mom and Ali on and pushed the boys farther back into the bus. There was room, they just weren't moving, so I moved them.
It was hilarious because Ali was pushed up against these two boys and they were laughing so hard. Then when the doors started shutting, they started shutting on Jon and mom. They had to squish in more so it wouldn't shut on them. Mom was belly laughing, which made me laugh even harder. I felt like cattle. When the bus started moving I fell back onto the boys standing behind me and had to gain my balance. We all had to try to hold our balance while the bus kept trucking on. At the first stop the doors opened and Jon had to maneuver his way around the doors so they could open. I though mom was about to fall out of the bus, but then I realized she was bending down to pick up here bag.
I thought it would only be four stops like they way here, but it ended up being like eight. Every time the doors opened, mom bent down to get her bag and Jon moved out of the way of the door and Ali fell into the two boys. I couldn't stop laughing — none of us could.
FINALLY, we got to the bus stations and we jumped off as fast as we could so we wouldn't get pummeled by all of the teenagers. "Well, that was an interesting bus ride!"
After we walked over to the train station, we bought our tickets and tried figuring out again where the platform was. After another potty break, we walked down to platform 8 and hopped onto our train. The train ride back was only an hour this time, which was nice.
By the time we arrived back in Florence it was dark out. Right outside of the train station, Jonathan wanted to get gelato at this cafe he had seen this morning. There were a lot of treats in the window that caught mom and Ali's attention too.
I was worried the man would be rude because I thought he was getting ready to close because it was about 9 on a Sunday night. He was the most welcoming man. He even made mom and Ali coffee drinks. I got this little chocolate pastry that was pretty good. The man was so helpful and so patient with us. It's people like him that re-instill my faith in Italians being friendly.
I stopped back at their apartment on the way to pick up my things to go back to my place. Since I have school tomorrow, I wanted to spend the night at my place. I let mom walk me home the entire way with Jon and Ali because I knew it would make her feel better. No matter how old I am, she will alway mother me and I'll just have to let her.
As we neared my apartment mom asked Ali or Jon if they had the key to their apartment. Jon said he didn't have it and then Ali said she didn't. Mom said, "You're kidding me. One of you has it."
My first thought was, "well, I guess they're staying at my place for the night..."
After a few minutes, Jon said, "April Fools!!" Mama wasn't too happy, but she was at least relieved.
I ended up going to sleep earlier than I normally do because I was exhausted from my day's travels.
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