Now this picture should be the end of this story, but it isn’t. So sit back and relax, this is a happy little romp.
Grams saw a picture in a guide book of a resort named, Guido, in Viareggio. In Italy the government owns the beachfront and they lease back sections of it to private groups, who then name these sections and rent cabanas to beachgoers for the day: thus, Guido. Well, you probably realize that Gweeds is a nickname. My given name is Guido. Grams had to find 'Guido.' Okay, enough back story.
We were in Firenze, staying at the Hotel Ritz. The evening before Grams mentioned to Sergio that we wanted to go Viareggio the next day, St Stephen’s Day. Sergio said, “Ah, let me figure out which train for you to take. I live in Viareggio, so I’m very familiar with the route.” She then took out the guidebook with the picture of ‘Guido’ in it. “Do you know where this is Sergio?” He looked at the picture, “No, I’m so sorry.” So, thanking Sergio, we toddled off to bed.
The next morning there was a whole schedule for our trip to Viareggio left by Sergio who had already gone home. They do spoil us at the Ritz. After our wonderful breakfast we walked over to the train station. Grams even remembered to validate the ticket in the yellow machine. Right on time, our train left for Viareggio.
Grams was looking out the train window at the beautiful Tuscan scenery when Big Guy asked the obvious question, “Do you have any idea how you’ll find this place?” “Sure,” she said. “Want to give us a clue?” he asked. She turned around and smiled, “We’ll ask. I know that’s foreign to you boys, but I am going to ask to directions.” With that she turned around to look out the window again. I looked at Big Guy. He shrugged his shoulders.
Tuscany is beautiful, and it’s incredibly beautiful from the train. Sergio had made sure that we were on the express train, so the scenery whirred by as we relaxed in our seats. As we left the station, the train went through the countryside. Streams and woodlands opened up into broad vistas. We went by towns and farms and ancient walled cities. As we passed by Lucca, Grams read about it in the guidebook, “It’s a walled city! Oooh, I do want to see that! Not today, but maybe tomorrow.” Big Guy nodded and winked at me.
Sergio had told us that when we saw some white mountains to the right, that would be Carrara and that the white wasn’t snow, it was marble. I saw them first, “Look! Are those the white mountains?” Big Guy looked at the mountains while Grams checked the map, “Yes! It’s Carrara! We’re almost to Viareggio.”
However, we weren’t prepared for the station in Viareggio. It looked like a huge white ocean liner. “Oh look!” said Grams, “It’s a big white art deco ship!” It was built during the ‘30s by Il Duce. There’s a lot of art deco fantasy architecture around Italy. But that’s another story.
We got off the train and Grams ran off to find a taxi, figuring that a taxi driver would know where ‘Guido’ was located. This is were the story gets even better.
But that’s for tomorrow – to be continued
A la prochaine. Moochas smoochas,
Please give what you can to Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders).
*Beautiful girl with the blonde braids, for her name, we call her Veneranda
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