40th Anniversary Trip Day 8 - Monday

40^th Anniversary Trip Day 8 – Monday – Barga to Padua

We have a train from Florence at 2:30 but leave about 11:30 to give ourselves plenty of time to return the car.  This time we decide to take the (toll) autoroute, and it’s relatively easy to find it as there are plenty of signs.  We lose about a half hour due to construction and have to drive around Lucca, but once we hit the autoroute it’s a straight run to the vicinity of Florence Airport.  The autoroute ends there, so it’s no problem to pay the toll and I’m also able to gas up the rental car.

The map says you just continue straight on after the toll booth, then make a U-turn to the airport, and surprisingly it’s signposted.  Then (wonder of wonders) we see signs for “Rental Cars”.  These start us in the right direction but we end up just going around in a circle so I find a place to park in the airport and go to the info desk.  The person there has obviously done this before and gives me a map to the rental car return place.  The first sign we followed was correct, but then we have to negotiate a couple of roundabouts, but eventually we’re able to return the car and take the shuttle to the airport terminal (there’s only 1).

We see the tram stop just outside the terminal and get ourselves and our luggage onboard a waiting tram with no problem.  Now we need tickets.  The system in Italy is you buy a ticket before getting on the tram or bus, then validate it at a machine on board.  If an inspector catches you with no ticket or one that isn’t validated, you get fined.  I get off leaving Vicky and the luggage onboard and search the platform for a ticket machine.  An English couple arrives and points me to the machine, which they use first, taking quite a while to figure out how to work it.  They get on the train and I follow their example with the machine, but as the second ticket is appearing the tram, with Vicky and our bags, takes off.

There’s another tram in the station, leaving in 5-10 minutes so I get on there and validate my ticket, hoping that Vicky doesn’t meet an inspector.  When I get to the stop for the train station, there’s Vicky with the bags so we have a joyful reunion then cross the road (a hazardous experience at any time in Italy).  We’re about a half hour early for the train and they haven’t announced the track yet, so we hang around until they do.

We have no trouble finding our reserved seats (2 windows again) and 1.5 hours, a bag of cheese crackers, a glass of Coke Zero and a bottle of water (all free) later, the train pulls into Padua, our home for the next 2 nights.  We’ve booked an apartment in the city center thru Air BnB and have directions.  We hop on a tram and 3 stops later hop off, walking a short distance and find the apartment.  The self-check-in instructions work fine and there’s an elevator to get our bags up to the 2^nd floor.

Alina, our hostess, will come by around 6-6:30pm to get copies of our passports (always needed in Italy) so we go for a short walk around the area.  We’re right on a square where a young man is playing a piano, and the restaurant right next door to the apartment looks good so we make a reservation for 7:30.  We also find a cheese shop and bakery and get ourselves some Pecorino and rolls for breakfast tomorrow. 

As we wait for Alina (who won’t come until tomorrow morning due to a family emergency), I check opening times for the Scrovegni Chapel (of which more anon) and discover you have to book a specific time slot.  I get us tickets for 6:45pm tomorrow (the only slot open) and now it’s time for dinner.

It’s strange, but we never tire of Italian meals.  This time we share a salad and smaller meals.  Service is good, and the journey back to the apartment is easy (next door, remember).  Vicky decides to turn in but I'm not tired so I go for a short walk before I do the same.  I don't even get lost.  Our apartment door is just to the right of the monument.