La Spiaggia Part 1

Viareggio. It's a beach's beach. Here thousands of umbrellas make a rainbow on the sand.  The sea feels good. The sun feels even better. So nice in fact, I think instead of going to Milan and Como next weekend, I will save money and head to the beach. (Then come home and clean for my next guest that I am the most excited about!)

Do to the fact that I cannot afford to go to Milan and Lake Como this weekend, it's something I want to save for Adam, and I really like la spiaggia I decided I will go back.  This will summarize the first trip:

1. I slept in that Monday, because it was a holiday in Pisa. I was up late for Luminara and needed my rest for the long day I intended for the beach. (Now when I say slept in, I mean I didn't wake up at 7...not most people's definition.)

I arrived at the train station hoping to get a quick train to Viareggio. I mean, they should go every half hour.  No, my train wasn't leaving for two hours.  I bought the ticket, left the station, and read by a fountain for two hours.

Finally on a train headed to Viareggio. Get off the train, and take a wild guess which direction to walk in. I am approached in Italian being asked how to get to the sea. (I was mistaken for an Italian!)  He is obviously an American, so I honestly tell him, I'm guessing...this way. We walk, and I have made a friend for the rest of the day.

We walk about 10 minutes to the sea. The views along the way are a flowering elegance.

 

We pay 5euros for all day beach access, and now, I have someone to watch my things as I float in the salty sea.  The water is warm. The water is beautiful.  I look back on the beach and see the rainbow of many umbrellas. Possibly thousands.

 

 

The Italians are tan, and we white Americans stick out like a dog among chickens.  Not to mention we cannot stop staring at the huge mountains that are snow capped we can see from our spot on the beach. WOW! Natural beauty is my favorite. God has a good eye for painting a perfect picture.

 

We both decide we are hungry, and desperately thirsty in need of a cool drink.  We go to a café along the beach road, that Viareggio is famous for.  I find out, he too is a vegetarian, so we must find a salad or light pasta. With cheese of course.  We go to the first restaurant after an ordeal of finding a bancomat (ATM).  This restaurant looks lovely, and when we go to order, in Italian, we find they are out of mozzarella.  How could any restaurant in Italy be out of mozzarella?

 

We find a new place, he picks. Slightly more than what I would what to pay for things, but he's a man, and really, I think they just don't get it sometimes.  We eat a nice lunch, talk, and I find he is actually teacher architecture at the University in Florence.  I'm a teacher, he's a professor. He's one up on me.  He pays for pranzo I pay for gelato. (Yes, I had ice cream, again.)  We go back to our spot on the beach, and I am thrilled to read, fall asleep, and soak in the sole.