Part 21: Giant worms and lots of rain in the walled city of Lucca

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Continued…
So I didn’t murder myself. I already gave away my gun to this cheerful Yemeni fellow I met at Heathrow when I first got to Europe. It was so uncomfortable to lug it around on the plane anyway.
Alex eventually arrived from sightseeing in Pisa. We walked back to the hotel in the rain, taking a moment to appreciate the fortress walls, as well as the giant worms that crawled all over the city sidewalks.
Modern day Lucca is made for tourists. The ancient feel of it, combined with the brilliance of Tuscany surrounding you on all sides make it a natural warm-up for Florence (Firenze).
We wandered the medieval streets in the rain, looking for a pasta shop. We found some, and bought it along with some cheese and wine.
I cooked the pasta while we listened to excellent jazz from KMHD-fm online (my favorite station from Portland) and drank the wine. As the rain pounded against the window, I began to feel the romance of Tuscany.
As good a friend as she is, I have to admit that on that night in particular, part of me would have been pleased to have exchanged the sisterly company of Alex for an actual date (just in case you had any WRONG ideas about the two of us).
The rain lasted all night long, and the next morning we saw the cathedral, another generic Italian city market, and I finally got an Italian Vodafone SIM card for my phone.
Moments later, I hit the road for Firenze.

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Photos

goodbye kiss
If this picture doesn't make you smile, you owe me a dollar

cool love
...is more than a terrible, forgotten song by Pablo Cruise

Thumbs up
what's the thumbs up all about?

train station
Waiting for a train

giant worm
If you are in Lucca after a hard rain, you may see one of these lurking

LeaningTower1
From Alex' side trip