It's a Small World, After All...

It really is.

Got on the train heading to Pisa at about 1 yesterday afternoon.

Was making eyes at this one cute guy sitting behind me, but he was with a group of his buddies, so it's hard to approach someone in that situation. I mainly just listened to my MP3 player and updated my journal and map.

Coming into the first station in Pisa, I stood up to collect all my bags and to reorganize, and cute boy piped up and asked me in accented english if there was only one station in Pisa.

Never having been to Pisa, I wasn't sure, so we asked around until someone assured us that the Centrale, or Main, station in Pisa is the second stop.

They had been spying on me, and saw that I had been to Portugal, and since they were all from a small village in Northern Portugal, we started chatting about my thoughts on the country, and where I would go when I go back.

We all got off at the main station, and the 4 of us headed to the Leaning Tower to take the typical "Look Mom, I'm the only thing stopping the Tower of Pisa from becoming the Pile of Pisa" shot.

We decided to head into the shade, and as we were walking and talking I swore I heard someone call my name.

Realizing that I am, in fact, in Pisa, Italy, it seemed highly unlikely that anyone would know me, but I glanced around casually in case I recognized anyone, or saw anyone frantically waving at me, kind of like Johann was doing from his perch in the shade.

Since the last time I saw him was on the platform in Atocha Renfe, and the last email I got from him stated he was in Marseille, France, he was the last person I expected to see a week, and 2 countries later, but amazingly, there he was.

We hugged, dragged all his crap (some men are much worse overpackers than women) over to where the Portuguese boys were waiting and then caught up.

Like the Portuguese boys, he had a helluva time in France, which just made me feel a lot happier that I didn't make it to the French Riviera after all. Since I was planning to spend the weekend there, and they were all stuck there at the end of the weekend due to the large crowds who all had the same idea I did, I guess heading onto Torino, and taking a miss on Nice and Monte Carlo was really a stroke of genius.

Sent him back to Cinque Terre for the photo ops, and then the Portis and I hopped on a train heading for Florence, so they could catch their connection to Ancona (and then onto Greece) and so I could check into my hostel room before it got too late.

Got into Florence at about 7-ish, sent the Portis on their way with a quick exchange of contact details and kisses, and then found my hostel room in no time.

Checked in, chatted to the lovely Polish girl at the front desk for a bit, then met my friendly roommates, where we chatted about Cinque Terre (the South African in my room was at the same hostel in Biassa on my first night there), Florence and our travels, and then I found an internet cafe that was open late where I proceeded to spent almost 7 Euros on a phone call home to mom.

I think I'm really going to like Florence.