The day following our last hike in Kotkatharju, we took train from Pieksämäki to Helsinki, where we spent a couple of days doing final purchases and picking up our eyeglasses. Then we flew back to Pisa, and spent two nights there.

In Pisa we stayed in central but relatively quiet neighborhood just five-minute walk away from the main railway station and a 20-minute walk from the airport, although we did not try walking from there to the apartment, but took a taxi instead. Pisa‘s airport was very crowded and cramped, and we did not find any logic in how the taxi stand worked, or if there even was any queue. It seemed that whoever happened to stand where the taxi stopped got to get into it.

We headed early to the leaning tower, since we expected it to be very crowded. If the airport was very busy, the downtown Pisa was surprisingly quiet, and of course there were tourists around the tower, but those crowds were manageable. Overall the central Pisa was quite peaceful.

After lunch we left for a short walk to Parco urbano di Stampace and the Arno river. It was getting really hot, so we preferred our air-conditioned apartment. We also had some planning to do for the rest of our trip, first of all the train ride to Genova the very next day.

The Pisa-Genova train was packed. Following the conductor’s advice an older couple had taken our seats  as they had been sold non-existent seats. We traveled with Interrail Global Passes and the seat reservation was mandatory, so there was nothing much left for us to do, but take someone else’s seats, who then took yet someone else’s seats etc. Frustrating but what could you do …

Even more frustrating was the self-check-in process into our Airbnb apartment in Genova. There was no key-access to the building, but everything was done online through a website. Brilliant idea in the old town with poor 4G reception! There were two options to enter the apartment, either to use the link on the webpage or the keypad on the apartment door handle. We chose the latter following the instructions: first touch any key to illuminate the keypad, then enter the PIN and press lock button, and finally turn the handle and push the door open. We tried and tried for 30 minutes, I guess, frequently asking the host for more clarifications. Eventually he arrived and opened the door with ease following the same instructions. What he had fail to communicate to us was that the handle should be turned with quite a bit of force until it clicks!

Next morning was cloudy and windy, but it was nice to have a respite from the scorching sun. We left for a short run in the old port. Then we headed out to the town. First thing was to by swordfish fillets at the nearby fishmonger for dinner. The day continued grey and gloomy, and we were surprised by a heavy downpour at midday, but we could also see some sun later in the afternoon.

The plan for the last morning was to climb the stairs to the top of Genova, and there were a lot of them. Eventually we found ourselves quite far from the starting point when we decided to turn back. After the run/climb we did not have much time to spare before catching the train to Torino Porta Nuova. For once we reached our destination quite early, just after noon. We were super hungry so the first thing we did after reaching our residence near Torino Porta Susa, was to walk in the first restaurant we saw (which in hindsight was a mistake, since there were much nicer places a little farther away). The most important thing, though,was that our hunger was taken care of.

Our vacation was nearing its end. Our last run took us to the river Po and Parco del Valentino.  We were not the only ones with the idea in mind of going for a run on the beautiful Sunday morning. Before catching the train to Chambéry, we went for a short stroll in the city center. Still avoiding too long day trips, and too much sitting, we spent the final night in Ibis Styles hotel in Chambéry, and took the train to Grenoble on Monday morning. Happy End!

There is still one more post upcoming, and that is about the food we ate and cooked during our vacation. Bon appetit!