TRAIN PAYBACK TIME

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Buon Giorno from Roma,

Ah, the Eternal City, home to Angels and Demons, Gladiators and Gelato.

Well, it had to happen. We have had such a dream run in all our travels so far, good weather, great accomodation and trains, all as planned and expected.
Spoilt by Austrian efficiency and timetables bordering on precision, we looked foward with much anticipation to our trip down to Rome on the CIS fast train.

Having heard so much about these trains and their being so popular and nearly always full, we decided to do the 'right thing' and pre book reserved 1st class seats when in Innsbruck. This is over and above the Eurail Pass we have and you pay a bit more but get allocated seats so you dont have to run to get a good seat. You have to see the crowds of people here in Europe at train stations to really appreciate what its like. Bedlam!
This we did.

Our timetable was to be leaving Zurich at 7am today and arrive in Rome at 3.30 this afternoon. via Milan where we had to change trains.

Well, here in a few words, extracted from my travel diary on todays events. Hope you can get a feel for how we were feeling by the time we got to Rome!

Set alarm 5.30 in hotel, give our paid for b'fast a miss, wont have time, need to be at station by 6.30 latest.
Get on board, train 10 mins late departing, alocated seats no good, other passenger climbing over us. Fat Singaporean sitting next playing loud music on his mobile. Breakfast on board CRAP and EXPENSIVE! Weather gloomy, poor visibility, saw nothing outside most of way to Milan. Didnt know we had got more late on way down. We start to worry about missing connecting train, NO announcemant in English to advise passengers train late next stop. Very fast garbled PA in rapid fire Italian. We can understand slow phrasebook Italian but not PA rapid. Last minute rush by those Italians in the know to trample over you to get to connecting train, got off train Milan, rushed to Info counter, didnt want to talk to us in English, we work out we have missed train to Rome, rush to other side platform miles away, panting heavy bags, puffing, cursing. Mary swearing, pause by timetable board, work out in Italian next train, Mary spots a dirty looking heap of sh.t that looks like a train ,yells, 'get this one QUICK' we run again bashing into 10000 Italians going all directions.
Train whistle blows, train starts moving, we jump on just like in movies tossing bags in, hanging on door, finally on board confront conductor, demands our tickets, says in broken English 'this train giong to Naples', we are on our way, cant get off. Conductor now 'No speeka da Inglish!' work out from friendly nice lady Italian passenger that train DOES go via Roma! sigh of relief, but NO SEATS. we have lost seat alocation, on the wrong train, shit!

Problem now for us is we have paid for 2 expensive reserved seats on train which has now departed. They apparently dont hold train if incoming one late, had we been told we might have run in the right direction to catch it, only just missed it, sh,t...bugger, our reservations not valid on any other train, have to pay new fare on next train or else huge fine...

Somehow find 2 spare seats, slump down nursing heavy bags, train stops at station, more get on, take our seats, we now stand up. Nice lady says something in Italian, finally we work out she means train goes to Roma via all stops, takes 6 hrs, be there someatimea tonita.!!
We NOT HAPPY. feeling angry, cheated, Mary homicidal, wants to kill train officials. Train stops ,some get off, we grab their seats, conductor asks see our tickets again, cant undrstand our problem, Mary tells him that his F....ing train is our problem, we drag bags thru carriage after carriage looking for seats, second last car, see a Wallabys rugby jumper in a cubical, stick head in door, jumper says' Gidday Mate" best sound heard all day, Aussie and his mate move over ,share seat, BLISS. next stop Aussie and mate get off, we pinch their seats in EMPTY cubicle, now we are NOT moving for anyone. Train now half way to Rome, only 3 hrs to go, train stops, bugger, more get on, big heap passengers pushing shoving down aisle looking for their allocated seats, we dont move ,Mary pulls curtain across, nobody comes in, train pulls out , picks up speed, now really rattling along, faster than we have ever gone before, this baby is now really flying, 'Is this driver trying to make up time, or what!'
Starting to relax a bit now, new conductor comes in, he knows we in wrong seats and speaks in Italian, we now a bit more savvy, understand what he saying in Italian, he very nice young man, Mary thinks him an Italian spunk, he lets us stay in seat, PHEW! Grazie.
Things looking up, country side lovely, sun now fully out, green rolling Tuscan hills lovely, little villas and vineyards, olive groves, look! theres some old roman ruins and look, an old castle on that hill! All of a sudden we are really in Italy! Train stops again, brace ourselves, heaps get on and off, we stay put, nobody comes in our car , off we go again, need go to WC, find toilet, seat broken, no water, lucky we carry antiseptics and water, good move. Dying for a beer, go to dining car, Mary minds bags, NO beer left, run out of everything, train now really cracking along, nice conductor he say, Roma now 5.10, wonderful news, making up time, now only 2 hrs later than our planned ETA. but getting there.
Outside now very pretty, more lovely tuscan houses in clusters on hillside, more ancient ruins and lovely crops and trees. Passing thru Lombardia, Emilia/Romagna, Tuscany, Umbria and into Lazio, we now starting to discuss what to do tonite in Rome, Sunday nite, not much, too stuffed, just want get in our guest house and relax.

Arrive Roma Termini 5.10 on the dot, finally heave bags off, longest walk ever on a station platform, millions (yes, millions) people , seething mass of humanity, going all directions, carefull of pickpockets, hang on to bags, wallets, everything, Rome hot, sultry, humid weak sunny sky ,sun setting over ancient rooftops, horns blowing, Italians yelling, more bedlam, we find ATM that works, 2nd one, draw money, grab a taxi, bid driver, 'Buon Giorno, , per favore, via Marco Aurelio 37, grazie' and he replies, 'buon giorno', puts our bags in and opens the door for Mary, things now really on the up, driver now proceeds give hair raising demo how to drive in Roma traffic, we impressed. Thru winding streets, old ruins, majestic landmarks and old familiar historic features so well known the world over pass our taxi as we finally round a little street, there it stands, asit has for 2 thousand years, that unbelievable symbol of Rome, the Colosseum, right next to our B&B. Perfecto! Driver asks for what is on the meter, plus a bit for Sunday and a bit for lifting the bags, us very happy at last, drivers lucky day, me now so happy he gets tip!

Up old steps to old doorway, press bell, Vincenzos lovely sister, Barbara, greets us warmly in Italian, she explaina she no speeka da inglish, I say that her inglish is better than my italian, we have goodlaugh, she wants carry our bags , she then makes us anice coffee and explaina da room...we LOVE it. Barbara such a sweety, nothing too much trouble, we dont even unpack, Mary off down srtreet to corner, yes, just one block away, 3 mins walk, there it is. Just next door is old ruins where the gladiators entered the Colosseum from, lots of lovely little ristorantis nearby, we choose one for dinner tonite, come back via a gelato shop on corner, man playing 'Ole SOL A MIO' on accordion outside, stop by flower stall outside our place, buy Barbara some roses, gift wrapped for being so nice after a bugger of a day.

We tidy up, go back to restaurant, waiter exceptional, friendly, polite, wins over Mary, we have the best ever lamb and veal cutlets and veg in ages, red wine and fresh bread, the man comes back in and plays a Deano tune on his squeezebox again and all of a sudden we are in Rome doing what they do best and that is enjoying the food and wine and song. One more delisious gelato and off to the room for the best ever sleep.
Tomorrow, its Angels and Demons!

Oh! and by the way , did I mention that our room has FREE INTERNET unlimited!

All is now right with the world

Ciao

A & M

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Comments

[Rachael]

One Powerball....
Sounds like a serious case of Grumpy-Old-(Wo)Man syndrome! Hope you're not expecting too much sympathy from us poor saps who're just coming to the end of another Groundhog Day.... I know where I'd rather be! Have some wine, a big bowl of spag and hit the shops. I'm sure you'll feel much better xx

[Bron - me too]

Aww..... first class all the way you poor things!! Having Italian friends it's no surprise Italy is like that, that's the way they live - full throttle 24-7! Ciao!