Montecatini Trip - 1 - Getting there

Saturday 25th June 2005

Up at 0425, tea, shower & set off for Gatwick at about 5. The journey was quite swift & we parked the car at Crawley Down, getting into the airport at 0630ish. This was the North Terminal & a mistake, as the British Airways check-in system is diabolical. A zig-zagging ski-type queue in which we were stuck for 3/4 hour, resulting in us being separated on the aircraft & having no time for anything to eat except a sandwich & coffee we took onto the 'plane (737-400) with us. The 'breakfast' on the 'plane was a horrible mini-baguette of turkey (i.e. tasteless) & cheese plus fruit salad. One go of tea only. I think BA is going bust.

Pisa Airport is a bun-fight. Too small for the number of flights (Ryanair had two 'planes on the ground), the luggage was not unduly delayed but the whole place was packed. Fortunately, Citalia had a fast track to the car hire, as the regular queue looked an hour long. Hot & Avis found some shade to wait in while I was bussed to the Ford Fiesta we were to have.

St. Maria near St. Croce

Rather than going the autostrada route in the Citalia itinerary, we went on the 'old road', which was fine until we got to Montecatini, which was very confusing. We asked at another hotel & were given a tortuous route to ours, as the place is full of one-way streets. The Park Hotel Le Sorgenti turned out to be lovely. An old building like a giant Tuscan farmhouse, set in a park with a swimming pool in one corner. We snoozed for a couple of hours before having a coffee & talking to a compatriot, here with his family of 5 days.

The dinner was adequate, rather than superb. At the table next to us was Barry I had met at the airport. It came out gradually that he had a shop in Chingford, was a Huguenot, ran a music shop (went to the RAM) & was Labour. That is one lot of co-incidences. We had a salmon & rocket starter, veal steak & cake. We walked a little way into town but it was a bit grotty & still very hot, so we did not persist. The water supply failed briefly in the hotel.

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