The Journey Home

20 November

We had decided to make our return journey to the Highlands into a holiday and the first stage saw us getting a lift to Golfo Aranci, a quiet port near Olbia to catch the ferry to Livorno in Toscany on the Italian mainland. All was calm, despite the arrival of heavy cyclonic rain in parts of the country.

Golfo Aranci - fishing boats

The ferries can be very reasonably priced if you travel without a vehicle, in the low season...... and especially if you qualify as an island resident!

Grand Duke&4 Moors, Livorno

Livorno Station

 21 November: After walking the mile or so to the railway station from the quay, we decided to catch an earlier train than planned to our next stop, Pisa.  This was easy as the trains are quite frequent and not expensive.

Pisa station

Pisa on the river Arno

Piazza del Duomo &Tower

Pisa surprised us, as we did not expect to find such a beautiful, mainly pedestrianised old town centre, which led ... directly to the famous....Tower and Cathedral....though we gave them a miss and hurried back so as to catch our next train, this time to the walled town of Lucca, where we were to stay the night.

Lucca station

Heavy rain on our arrival at the station, situated just outside the town battlements, meant that we could make for the first restaurant in town as soon as we found our way through the wall by way of an underground passage and steps.  We really felt like invaders!

'Undici, Undici' was the intriguing name of the cosy trattoria/osteria beside the cathedral: Battistino went straight for the Tuscan cold meats, while I stuck to salad.

Mixed platter with spinach

We wove our way through the tangled web of tiny cobbled streets, GPS proving tricky to follow without falling off the pavement or bumping into something.  Luggage can definitely be an issue, and although we had thought carefully about what and how to carry it, there is the inevitable relief when you get to your lodgings.

Our B&B owner had chosen an historic theme: our room was King Arthur's (next door were Sir Gawain and Sir Lancelot).  I am yet to discover a link between Lucca and this band of merry knights, but it was cosy and we enjoyed the quirky style.

Re Artur

Wall walk

Piazza Anfiteatro

Facade of San Michele church

Torre Guinigi (note the trees on top)

22-23 November

Superb own brand coffee at Caffe Ninci on the Piazza Napoleone after taking in yet another market - November seems to be the season for markets hereabouts.  Then it's off to catch the train to Prato, changing onto another for Bologna.  As we wait, we chat to Sister Maria Rosa about her travels  and experiences in the places she has been 'posted'.  Countryside is very water-logged, following heavy and prolonged rainfall in recent days and weeks.  We see many nursery plantations for trees as we pass on through Tuscany to Emilia Romagna, where we alight and head a short distance up the main road to our hotel, which overlooks the bus station.  The first delight to greet us as we head out in search of the old town is another market....one totally devoted to CHOCOLATE!!

one of the chocolate market stalls

From drinking chocolate and chocolate beer to Lego bricks and screwdrivers....

We finally arrive at the Piazza Maggiore at dusk and choose a local bar rather than a stroll inside the cathedral.  Impressive clock ...

on Piazza Maggiore

97.2m Torre degli Asinelli

It seems the tower architects persevered more here than in Pisa so that their first attempt was improved on and its neighbour became straighter and taller ....      So we spent some hours strolling around the city, wondering at the amazing displays of fresh produce - especially cold meats, porcini and cheeses.  We began to hunt out 'osterie', realizing that that's where to find excellent meals at a good price....you may need to queue for a while, but it's well worth the wait.  We found the Osteria dell'Orsa where we had a great meal, crammed into the small space in an amazing atmosphere of people just enjoying their food.  Next day, after a couple of breakfast and coffee stops, we ended up in the Osteria Bocca Buona for another good feed.  At night, we took a carry-out from La Prosciutteria, with its freshly sliced ham, cheese and salami, presented in thick crusty bread.  For the record, this is in Via Oberdan!!  We had seen, lost, hunted for and eventually found it again after much seeking...

One of the Salumerie

Dried porcini

Our takeaway 

                                                                                              

Breakfast

24 November Breakfast next day at the station coffee bar before setting off for Lyon, via Torino.  Heavy rain set in, so we had been very fortunate in Bologna, having had dry weather the whole time.  Torino Porta Susa station is used for the hi-speed service and it is out of town, so we went for a walk to a nearby bar, watched the Sunday football and enjoyed a toastie and a pint of beer.  The wait at the station was a bit bleak, despite it being a modern construction....only basic facilities and some of those shut, either on account of the local strike, or because it was a Sunday.  We worried that our train might have been cancelled, as the earlier Paris-bound train had apparently been delayed...and then cancelled and there was little or no information available about services operated by SNCF.

Torino Porta Susa station

View over Lyon station

Finding our reserved seats proved a puzzle on this train as Nr. 8 coach did not appear to be marked as such,  and a smattering of French was required in order to sort the problem out.  French and Italian students accompanied us as far as Lyon.  They had been on an academic exchange to Torino and were full of excitement about their adventures. Lyon was easy - hotel very close by the station, though no food available on a Sunday evening, so we contented ourselves with the remains of yesterday's abundant takeaway supper!
The hotel buffet breakfast provided a good selection, but sadly the quality proved disappointing.  Nevertheless, we hung onto a few slices of their bread and ham, which we eventually turned into toasties on our return to Drumnadrochit....3 days later!!

25 November

Filled baguettes/soup

Bastille monument

Gare du Lyon

 Arriving in Paris on a beautiful autumn day, we had time to stroll out of the Gare de Lyon to find a sandwich bar and take a shot of the Bastille before using our carefully conserved Metro/RER tickets for the journey to Gare du Nord.  The signage at these stations is more confusing - being unfamiliar with the system, so it was helpful to be re-assured by asking other people if we were heading the right way.  LINE D, direction CREIL!!
Eurostar is well-organized and efficient.  Our first port of call, a bar, across from Kings Cross, turned out to be run by Italians....so no chance to become homesick!  We found out it is a lot cheaper to use contactless at London Underground ticket gate, rather than buying a single ticket to Victoria.  Victoria station has excellent, free, toilets.... and the restaurant floor at the Victoria shopping centre provided us with an enjoyable Frankie and Benny's Vegan Burger / BBQ ribs to keep us going on our long night's bus ride to Edinburgh.  It may be called Megabus, but it is only Mega in size, not comfort, we found.
26 November
They got us in to Edinburgh 15 minutes earlier than scheduled, though we had no need of extra time as Chris wasn't expecting to hear from us until after his shower i.e. eight o'clock!  The 3 of us had breakfast together at his local Sainsbury's, left the luggage at the flat, and we two headed out in the rain for a leg stretch in town, visiting charity shops etc, until lunchtime beckoned us into the Shakespeare in Lothian Road.  Time to check in at Cameron Toll, enjoy a well-earned shower and relax, before persuading Chris to join us in the salubrious Travelodge restaurant for dinner.....and, indeed, for breakfast the next morning.

Our Megabus Gold journey to Inverness was brightened up considerably on another grey day by the very witty, helpful and forgiving bus driver, who more than compensated for the fact that the refreshment steward had not turned up for work, meaning no hot drinks available as promised!  Change of chariot in Inverness to a double decker, driven somewhat more recklessly, but which dropped safely at our very own front door in Lewiston.  Home again.