Treeeeeees

I'm going to Lucca today! I've gone to Lucca twice already, and I would have stayed there except I paid the hostel here for two weeks up front. (Note for future: two weeks is probably a week longer than you ever need to tourist in one city.)

Fortunately the train tickets aren't expensive, and I love train rides. I love all forms of transportation except airplanes, which do not have wheels to make a pleasantly soothing humming noise as they move.

I love Lucca. Florence is beautiful, but it's a grand, aggressive beauty, while Lucca is elegant and quiet and at home with itself. It's a city for sitting on shady benches along the path around the old city walls, eating chocolate-orange gelato and enjoying the refreshing breeze and wavering shade from the stately old trees. TREES. TREES!

Florence doesn't do trees, and it's slowly strangling my soul. I don't think I'm designed for urban environments.

I'm starting for home on Sunday. It's been a lovely month, but I'm tired, and ready to go.

International Woman of Mystery

My dorm at the hostel is almost COOL! I might get away without any quasi-fever dreams tonight!

Seriously. I keep dreaming of running from serial killers. Even dreams that don't start out with serial killers, like the one with the (bodaciously enormous) backyard full of people in pseudo-historical dress, end up careening through the streets, flying into shot signs, running away from a perfectly nice looking young man who was secretly a serial killer.

That one was in Massachusetts. My brain was very specific about the state.

But possibly now I will be serial killer free.

Also. That murder mystery idea I mentioned? I totally have 3000 words now. Train rides are for writing! Park benches are for writing! Evenings are for sitting in the hostel and typing it all up! It's so much fun. Mysteries have so much delicious character conflict!

This may be how I spend the rest of my vacation.