A day of pouring rain

The weather report was correct today for once – an exception. Rain, as if the floodgates of heaven had opened. It was supposed to start around midnight, but the weather god granted us a little grace period – which I took advantage of for a walk with Pipo to the beach.

I was waiting for the rain. Everything was prepared: grey and black water emptied, fresh water tank filled. The sky grew darker, the wind picked up. Gradually, the campsite emptied. Together with our neighbor from Bad Aibling, we are the last ones here. They are leaving tomorrow, in search of the last warm rays of sunshine.

We are staying. Until the end. On Monday, Livio, the manager of our campsite, will close the place for four months.

We really can't complain about the weather. There have only been two days – today included – when it really rained. That’s unusual for Tuscany in October.

Equally unusual are the temperatures here on Monte Argentario. During the day, we mostly had around 20 degrees, and as soon as the sun disappeared, the thermometer only dropped one or two degrees – then rose slightly again in the morning. I can't remember when or where I ever experienced such small temperature fluctuations between day and night.

For the first time, we also shopped under police protection – at a Lidl in Grosseto, near the train station. Above the entrance to the parking lot was a sign: No motorhomes allowed. We drove in anyway. In the store, two armed police officers stood at the checkout, chatting relaxedly. I asked if it was okay for us to park here briefly. “No problem,” one of them replied.

We took longer than expected. When we finally got to the checkout, the two police officers were still there. I asked the woman in front of me if there had maybe been a robbery. She just shrugged: “They are always here – and that's a good thing.”

At that moment, it occurred to me that our motorhome was parked a bit off on the parking lot. In the blink of an eye, we were suddenly very quick. In a flash. We dashed to the vehicle, flung the door open – and there sat Emmi, with her typical look: Everything under control!