treat the universe right....

I have never been a very superstitious person, but I am a true believer of sending out positive energy and canceling negative thoughts – everyone knows Lynn and I are the “cancel” girls and it has caught on to most of our friends. You see, I think the universe will work with you if you let it – if you nurture it, it will nurture you. My mom has always raised me this way and while we all have our moments of complete negativity, I try to follow an optimistic path – see the good in even the most awful situations – chalk things up to everything happens for a reason - find the sliver lining no matter how dark the cloud. And look at all the amazing good fortune I have had in my life – proof positive J. So you see, it does work. And today was one of those flawless days when you know the universe simply must be on your side.

 

I woke up pumped and ready – without a doubt running on adrenaline seeing as I am still trying to get over this cold. We packed up our last minute items quietly as to not wake the rest of the girls and crept out to meet our cab for a 3 am pick up. We loaded up the cab, and just like that, we were off! 

We had to catch the 3:30 am Gatwick express, but the Victoria Station is close to our flat, so we knew this would be no problem. Our taxi driver, on the other hand, took an interesting route, and then drove us all around the station trying to find the entrance that would actually be open so early in the morning. The clock was ticking, the meter was running, our hearts were pounding – we’re going to miss our train. She was stopped at every red light, and then let us out at some curb, no where near an accessible entrance. We SPRINTED to the station and got there at 3:27 am. This all sounds terrible – especially on three hours of sleep – except the universe said – “Jenny, you are tired and sick and I love you – here is a little treat!” Our train was delayed 15 minutes – we got out tickets 4 for 2- meaning half price for everyone – and we got a great seat with a table. Everything worked out just fine – and hey, it was my cardio for the morning J.

After riding on the Gatwick Express for 30 minutes, we arrived at the Gatwick airport which is actually beautiful – its like a mall – tons of stores, really clean, nice food court. I was very surprised seeing as it is not a central airport like Heathrow. We checked in, had to check one of our carry-on’s unexpectedly, and waited a bit to get through security, but we ended up at the terminal area with a half hour to spare before boarding, so it was great. We felt relaxed, had some McDonalds McMuffins, and then traveled to gate 11 where our flight to Pisa departed. We waited in line and boarded the plane, said our prayers, and took off into the sky – at quite the 90 degree angle – it was a bit like an amusement park ride, but we leveled out soon enough and it made for an exciting lift off.

 

As we were in the sky, I fell in and out of sleep. The window became one of those binoculars we had as kids – I can’t think of the name but you would slip the paper disk into it, look through the eyeholes and switch the trigger. A beautiful image, one after the other would illuminate before your eyes. I slipped in and out of sleep and each time I woke a new image would appear in the window as I I had switched the trigger each time –first the city of Paris – fade out – the landscape of Milan – fade out – the beautiful Swiss Alps in Geneva – fade out – and then finally our destination – Pisa. The flight alone was gorgeous. We landed beautifully, my ears popped back to normal (this is crucial to my happiness), we took a tram to the main terminal, and walked right through customs – no wait at all. They simply looked us scarily in the eyes (I of course smiled the entire time as my default “I’m innocent” face) then stamped our passports with firm indignation– so serious - but I was over joyed - it was my first real stamp!

 

We got our bags – no luggage lost – and we headed out to the exit. It is so warm here in Italy – like 70 degrees and sunny. It is amazing how you can be in the freezing rainy cold of London, and just hours later be somewhere completely different, new, exciting and beautiful in its own right. Unfortunately, the trains and buses were on strike today (not cool…) but we took a cheap taxi (there are four of us so it was only like 3 euros each – ps – I LOVE EUROS! Such a better exchange rate – whoop whoop!) to the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

 

We had all of our luggage with us, which was a bummer because it was really warm – but we took pictures, walked around, and laid down on these beautiful marble steps out of the way, looking up at the Leaning Tower and the blue sky – clouds rolling by in the wind. It was a great morning – just as I had predicted it would be yesterday. Not to mention, Jen got to go up to the top because this tour group had one extra ticket – she was so excited about seeing the tower before Laura, Katie and I even planned it into the trip, so we let her take the ticket while we stayed on the steps. What great luck for her J. She loved it! We didn’t all go because it is 15 euros to go to the top – that is a little much for me, plus we had to get a taxi back to the airport (only a ten minute ride) to catch the seventy minute bus into the center of Florence.

 

Our timing could not have been more beautiful for every transition. Even though this morning was rushed, we made it, and didn’t have to wait forever. We did Pisa in two hours, and arrived back by 11am (now we are six hours apart – just FYI) which left us just enough time to eat lunch and make the 12pm bus. We had some delicious pizza, boarded the bus and slept our way to Florence.

 

We woke about ten minutes before arriving, which allowed me to see the beautiful city – I love the streets – they are so classically Italian – just what I had pictured. We were dropped off at the Santa Maria Novella – which is the central train station. It was only a ten-minute walk to our hostel. We found it without too much trouble – and simply strolled past the Duomo on our way – it is unbelievable, one minute you are walking past some shops and than WHOP there’s the most beautiful church I have ever seen – so architecturally divine. Obviously, we are going back there tomorrow, but we wanted to be rid of our bags. We arrived at The Academy Hostel at 1:45pm to a sign on the door that said closed for cleaning. But lucky for us, we only had to wait 15 minutes on a beautiful terrace before we could check in – again, great timing – thank you universe!

 

We checked in and were simply stunned by the cleanliness and beauty of the hostel – such a far cry from any of the hostels I have stayed in – ESPECIALLY the one in Scotland. Instead of smoke, the smell of fresh lemon, instead of crappy beds, the most comfortable – even more comfortable and larger than the ones at our flat. The room is incredible- big and modern. The walls are colorful and the bathroom is so clean! We were so excited and relieved and it made us feel like we are truly on vacation. (see the pics below)! Plus it is in the heart of the city so the great location will make it easy to navigate. 

 

I am writing while the girls rest up, it is about 3:10pm here, and tonight we plan to just walk around, have dinner in one of the markets, and go to bed early. Tomorrow we are seeing the David bright and early, and then we have a full day of sight seeing. We are going to do our own walking tour following a Florence guide book we bought, and then we have this awesome wine tour at 5pm which will be so fun! So great things ahead and if today was any indication – it is smooth sailing from here on out.

So the next time you are running late and stopped at a traffic light, you spill on your favorite top, the dog won’t stop barking (if yours is anything like mine, it never stops :) but I still miss you CJ), or simply everything is going wrong – take a deep breath. Love the universe in spite of these setbacks – if you do, one day when you are running really late, it will be because of that love that the universe will work in your favor. Because let’s face it – life is too short to miss the train.

 

More tomorrow!

Love and hugs,

Jenny