Hellacious Bus Ride

Our adventure to Italy began at 9:45pm on Tuesday. We boarded a bus with less space than a modern airplane, and proceeded to head south for 12 hours. Not being a great sleeper myself, when I was unable to get comfortable, I just sat there wishing the hours would fall away faster. Luckily, the bus stopped a couple times, and we were able to get out and stretch our legs or purchase something to drink. Our bus also came equipped with a tiny closet of a bathroom, right across the aisle from our seats. So in addition to not being able to sleep I also got to listen to the squeaky door rattle all night, as well as my fellow riders making frequent trips to toilet. Upside, no vomit, and no deuces.

Shortly after sunrise, we stopped at an Italian rest stop for breakfast. Before we left, I had examined the itinerary, so I knew that we weren’t checking into the hotel, and were jumping right into touring. Joe and I brought our toothbrushes, and I brought a change of clothes; we were almost refreshed. However, the bathroom where all this freshening was supposed to occur was outside. In a trailer. The real bathroom was under construction. Oh, and the doors weren’t clearly marked so men kept walking into the women’s room. Awesome.

The rest stop was packed, and it consisted mostly of grab and go cold sandwiches. Nothing we were really excited about, so we decided to pass. We did grab some drinks and ate some poptarts for breakfast on the bus.

After everyone boarded we set off for Pisa.