Day 111 - La Spezia

1 April 2022

Up early. No hangover. I get the time incorrect. We arrive an hour early. Better early than late. We grab a few coffees. I play around with the ticket machine to see if I can get a train to Bari with bikes. I can. My only concern is that I have never seen a bicycle at Rome Termini. We have been here a lot recently. Not a single bike. Can you bring them here?

The train is full. There is an American couple wrestling with huge luggage. They look exhausted. They are from St Louis and arrived this morning. The man decides to strike up a conversation with us. We swing to politics. He is a Republican. It still surprises me that people would prefer him as President over Biden. I am no real fan of Biden, but Trump was unstable.

“America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between.” ― Oscar Wilde

Arrive in La Spezia. It is very cold. A chill wind. We find our place and head out to get some groceries for breakfast tomorrow and dinner tonight. Oats and two minute noodles. Shell shows me some baby food. Made with horse meat. Interesting.

La Spezia has a good vibe. The streets are buzzing despite the cold. The buildings are a few stories high, and the streets are narrow. The balconies overhang. I like the town. Good feel. I am approached by someone to sign a petition.

‘Can I talk to you about our petition’ he says.

‘I can’t sign it, I don’t live here’ I respond.

‘It is for a drug rehabilitation centre, all you need to do is sign’ he persists.

‘Like I said, I am a visitor here. I can’t sign a petition in a town I don’t live in. It is not fair for me to make decisions about a town I don’t live in’ I explain.

‘So you won’t sign’ he looks confused.

I walk on.

“They have provided a system which for terse comprehensiveness surpasses Justinian's Pandects and the By-laws of the Chinese Society for the Suppression of Meddling with other People's Business.” ― Herman Melville

Head home. Eat. Read. Think about bed.

Maybe I am a little hungover.