Training Log Archive: Charlie

Took the bus to Lucca this morning. Nice ride, about an hour and 10 minutes, pretty easy once you figure out where the buses leave from. Lucca is an old walled city, and the top of the wall has a path all the way around. After a bit of that, we went down into the city and headed to the Giunigi Tower, a nice enough tower with a good view of the city, but I was a bit disappointed that the art display that had been here a few years ago was no longer here. It was a series of panels showing scenes from the wars between the Lucchesi and the Pisani back in the 1300s or thereabouts. Pretty fascinating and I was hoping to see it again, but according to the attendant it has been moved to a museum, and he wasn't sure when.

Then over to the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro for an open air lunch in the sun, the best mushroom risotto I have had, and some very fine butter and sage ravioli, with a half liter of white wine to split.

I am also getting a fair amount of coffee, because it seems that one or the other of us, more usually the other, is needing a bathroom, and it seems reasonable to buy a coffee to ease the transaction, although perhaps not strictly necessary.

Caught the bus back at 2:55. Very efficient. Stopped in a few churches on the way back from the station.

Dinner at the very nice family trattoria two doors from the apartment. When we go we share everything, so not too much food. First, a spinach salad, baby spinach with thinly sliced pecorino cheese and black truffle carpaccio. Then our first plate was spaghetti in a very light sauce with shrimp, mussels and tiny clams with cherry tomatoes, our second plate was roast sea bass (spigola) with thinly sliced potatoes and tomatoes. Excellent! Rhonda declared this her favorite meal, but in fairness she has done that almost every time.

C • coffee 9

We are more or less walking all day around here. Stopped for coffee on the way out, then went to the archaeological museum, primarily Etruscan and Egyptian artifacts. From there to the big fortress, but it was closed, so we wound our way over to the park of the Cascine west of town, where I had orienteered in 2014. Walked around in there for a while, a nice enough park but pretty useless as an o venue, narrow, flat, and mostly featureless. Then across the river, through the old wall, and back to the lovely Osteria Mescita San Niccolò, for penne all'ortolana (with celery, tomatoes, capers and olives) for Rhonda and a pretty nice buffet for me - mixed greens, tomatoes olives, two kinds of frittata, roasted vegetables, roast pork, green beans, cannellini beans in olive oil, etc. just fine. Then back across the Arno and we went into the Duomo for the club up into and above the Brunelleschi dome. I never did that when I was here before because the lines were daunting, but things aren't at all crowded now, and we went right in.

Walked around for a while in the morning, then came back for a nap to deal with jet lag. Can't seem to get coffee in this town earlier than 7, but perhaps that is unnecessary.

After the nap we walked up to Piazzale Michelangelo and thence to the church of San Miniato al Monte, closed when we were there, and then back down the big hill stopping for lunch at a little Osteria that turned out to be wonderful, and definitely a local hangout, very inexpensive, too. We had fettuccine with black cabbage and risotto with radicchio and speck. The risotto was excellent, but the fettuccine sublime. €5.50 a plate. Osteria Mescita San Niccolò. Then back across the river for a tour of the Uffizi. We had signed up for a guided tour, which is recommended to skip the lines, if not on its own account. It was fine, only one other couple, but skipping the lines wasn't particularly important as there aren't any right now.

After some more walking around, dinner next door at Acquacotta, where we had pheasant and truffle ravioli for a first plate and stuffed rabbit for a second. Nice, but the rabbit wasn't all that was stuffed afterwards.

Walking around Florence. Paolo, who rented us the apartment, picked us up at the airport. Very nice man, lovely apartment.

Strolled through the Christmas market at Santa Croce, along the Arno for a bit, Piazza della Signoria, Piazza della Repubblica, Piazza del Duomo. Lit up for Christmas, not so crowded like in March. Going to the Uffizi tomorrow, planning on a lot of walking.

C • What's the ocassion? 11

Working out with Eric in the gym. Generally in better than average back condition, and I ended up doing a bunch of goblet squats, which were fine, as well as the usual stretching and core.

For once my low sleep came from staying up too late rather than getting up to early. I kept intending to go off to bed, but the Patriots kept inveigling me to see one more series. I'm sure the sleep I got was more restful for them having won, though.

dog loop with Sassy. Snowy/icy, nice day

Wow, this seemed hard. Faster than I have been going, but really not all that fast. A long way to go to get back to the condition of last winter, or at least last winter before the back incident of about Feb 3.

Leg is doing much better. A bit of a knot in my upper back today, so not pushing it. Now that the leg is calming down, maybe I can start building up, or at least start when I return from Italy the end of next week.

2 dog loops. Cold, slow. Had some other ideas for exercise, but this is the one that seemed to work out.