A Good Day of Travel

On Saturday we left our farmhouse in Tuscany and made our way to the village of Vietri Sul Mare, near Salerno, on the Amalfi coast.  Packing-up is a bit of work, mostly for Thipp who is managing Alex's things, plus our food staples.  Alex sometimes doesn't like his toys loaded-up, but in this case he enthusiastically participated in packing-up his train set and puzzles.  We had a full day travel ahead of, which unfolded as follows:

- One last breakfast in our Tuscan farmhouse.  The weather had cooled noticeably the past week and our place was quite chilly.  Autumn had definitely arrived.  Alex fed carrots to the rabbits and pigs one last time. It is 9:45 a.m.

- We drove to Florence to return the rental car. It was nice to have the freedom and flexibility of a car,  but I had to give the curving country roads my full attention.  Driving back into the city had additional stresses, so I was both happy and relieved when I drove into the parkade and was able to hand-over the keys.

- The sun is out and it's noticeably warmer.  I take off my fleece top.

- We arrived at the train station with plenty of time to spare before our departure.  Alex and I celebrated with a McDonalds lunch.

- While I was left watching our luggage Thipp and I go for a wander around the train station.  We almost miss the train.

- Have a comfortable and scenic train trip from Florence to Naples, passing through Rome.  Can't really tell when the farmland is no longer Tuscany.  Our train hits a maximum speed of 300 km per hour.  I speculate how much longer our three hour trip would take by car.  Alex has a good nap on the train, setting him up for a happy rest of day.

- Catch the  train from Naples to Salerno.  This train isn't as nice as our first one, but in some ways it feels more authentic.

- Arrive at the Salerno station.  To our pleasent surprise our AirB&B host Elana and her daughter Alessandra greet us at the station and drive us the 10 km to the apartment we've rented for the next week.  The almost sea-side apartment is wonderful, with plenty of space, a deck overlooking the sea, and antique furnishings that had once belonged to Elana's grandfather.

- The temperature had reached 25 degrees today.  Maybe summer isn't over.

- We settle into our new home after a good day of travel.  It's 6:00 p.m.