A Safe Haven

Today I walked the short distance from Jane and Marks house to the walls of Lucca. The way Lucca is set up is unique: there is the larger city area which extends beyond the walls, and then there is the "centro" which is the city that lives inside of the walls. Inside of the walls, housing is more expensive, the town is slightly more busy, there is more foot traffic and fewer cars. Mark and Jane live almost immediately outside of the wall, which I think is perfect for a local with children. On the way to the wall I grabbed a gelato (my new favorite is Cocco a.k.a. Coconut) and I walk under the archway into the centro. I realize that reading is preferrable to strolling the hot streets so I make my way up a short hill to the top of the wide wall where I can read. Right now, that book is The Last Boleyn, and it is completely addictive. I start out on a park bench but its not comfortable enough. I move to the grass but the bees are hovering over the sweet flowers and its hard to find a good spot. I walk a little further and find what I will now refer to as "my place." There is a bridge (underneath, cars enter and exit the city) and it has a roof with trees on either side. I sit down in one of the window-type seats (which are about twice my width) and begin to read my book. Over the next hour or so, I look up and see a breach where the clouds shine through and the nearby church gongs its bells. I look below at the park and there are children swinging on the slightly squeeky swingset, and only steps away, the piazza where everyone is busy. Its amazing how close you can be to everything and also how far away. I enjoyed my book and left for home.