I Only Pee For Free

Sunday morning we came down for breakfast and Annie's was there. She had popped in before her tour to say goodbye and bring us a jar of homemade apricot jam and a can of olive oil from their own trees. Can anyone say more shipping (see previous post) Two cappuccinos, more goodbyes and we are on our way to catch the bus. Of course this is Jim organizing this tour, so we are early. However there is a really cute, young girl who tries to board the bus and she is having some issues, so the bus driver feels obligated to help her. He sends her all the way back to the tabacchi for her bus ticket "because it is less for you (wink, smile....). Jim starts muttering "we are going to be late, I've researched this, it's only 50 cents, why is he helping this idiot?" Ten minutes later when she returns and boards the bus Jim sees her and comments " how nice that he helped that poor, sweet (insert hot here) turista!...the results are that we leave a little late....that's ok we still make our connection. We change buses in Volterra-Saline and head for Cecina and from there catch the train to Pisa. Up to this point this trip is running like a well oiled machine. We arrive in Pisa Centrale station and our first stop is the restrooms...well first stop after we walk all the way to the end of the platform only to discover the toilets at the opposite end of the station...that will be 1 euro please....Jim announces that "I don't pay to pee, I only pee for free!" I pay and I pee (albeit in the men's bathroom, but we won't go into that!). Now that we have that chore out of the way, I have another mission....a little background. While in Rome we purchase all of our train tickets. Some of these train tickets had to coordinate with bus connections which I got off of the Internet because we all know that everything on the Internet is correct! When we arrived in Volterra we went to purchase the necessary bus tickets for our departure from Volterra only to discover a flaw in our well laid plan...the only bus out of Volterra left about two hours after our scheduled train left the station in Pontedera...that's a problem! Oh, but she can sell us all new tickets and we can get a refund on the original ticket at any station, any time....sounds like a plan! So, now that we have an hour lay-over here in Pisa I'll take care of our easily refundable ticket. I wait in line at the information desk where the very helpful gentleman say well, you can not do the refund for this ticket, it must be for €20 and this one is only €19.40...you can just use for another trip....well as noted above we have all of our ticket....what happened to anytime, any station! Here's an idea...we'll just refund the ticket we got in Volterra (€22) and use this ticket to purchase the refunded ticket again! Back in line....yes, this you can do, but not here over there in the ticket line...into the ticket line....listening, listening are any of the ticket staff speaking English? No, and in fact that heavy set woman is yelling at the people in her line...better just go for it in Italian! The first attempt yields me a second ticket, but no refund...however with my second explanation, we got both a refund and a new ticket! I am proud! We board the train ( ok, I was successful but not quick!) find carrozza 4, find our assigned seats and Jim searches out the (free) bathroom....but karma strikes! The out of order bandit has been at work and the is no working toilet for Jim, in carrozza 4...."I only pee in my own carrazza!".....he'll have to wait! Should have paid! We arrive safely in Levanto. My friend Valeria had wine, peanuts and chocolate waiting in our room...baci Valeria! Three hours later Jim is able to use the (free) toilet in the room, we do laundry, and go out to get the "lay of the land". There are a million bici (bikes) everywhere and a cute little festival. We buy some food, open some wine and sit on our terrazzo...life is really good.