June 21 - Train Strike to Rome

Well CRAP we were told there would be days like this but did we really think it would happen to us? When we woke up this morning and went to check out the hotel clerk confirmed the rumor we heard the night before that the trains were on strike until 9:00PM tonight. He could offer no comfort or confidence that we would make Rome tonight but he gave me some information from the TrenoItalia web site and one train was running to the town of La Spezia and another one was connecting on to Rome. La Spezia, I wondered. Isn't that Italian for "Hey stupid, don't even think about coming here during a train strike". I had a bad feeling about this but I suggested to Fran we move on and take our chances. The hotel clerk was very supportive and said if we had to comeback he would find us a room somewhere in the village.

When we arrived at the train station I expected the kind of masses that we see American airports when weather closes the runways causing flights and people to backup. But instead we were surprised to see the terminal was largely deserted. It seems when strikes happen everyone stays home. That's when I really started to worry. Did they know something we didn't? Do these phantom trains only run on the internet? CRAP!!

My worst fears were unfounded as the train to La Spezia arrived on time and nearly empty! This was too easy and my anxiety returned. It was obvious that fate was directing us away from the safe confines of Monterosso where now we actually know people there who could help us if we were in trouble to the town of La Spezia, our 'point of no return'.

We arrived in La Spezia not long after we left Monterosso and it was also nearly deserted as people stayed away in droves. The TV monitor on the platform said the one and only train to Rome was still running and scheduled to depart at a certain time. But then, as we kept checking the monitor the expected arrival time would slip 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, then 30....CRAPPP!!!

It arrived only 1/2 hour late and we had most of the car to ourselves. We settled in quickly and told ourselves we can now relax as we are on our way to Rome...and I also promised Fran I would not say the word 'CRAP' any more today.

The ride was about 4 hours and was fairly uneventful. It made many stops to pickup folks and a few came into our berth, as the cars were starting to get full. We met a cordial gentleman from Sri Lanka who spoke better English then my Italian and we were able to chat for the entire trip. He was from Milan working for DHL and was going to Pisa for reasons he didn't explain. His family still lives in Sri Lanka and he sends money home. He spoke, with great sadness, about war in his homeland and in other parts of Africa. He seemed resigned to the notion that the violence and tension will probably not end in his lifetime. Still there are signs of hope which he clings to. He gleefully talked about the World Cup and the Ugandan team making an entrance. This was the pride of all of Africa and anticipation of great things were felt by all. I asked him to teach me some more Italian which he did. Fran asked about his family. He has his mom and dad as well as several brothers and sisters. He lives alone in Milan and has few friends there but enjoyed his quiet, simple life there.

He got off in Pisa and some young boys came on in his place. They were equally nice but did not want to engage in any conversation. I think it was more shyness from not knowing English and my Italian was far from conversational quality. They got off about an hour later and 3 high school girls got on. They were on their way to Rome for some outing and were very friendly and polite to us. They were curious about how we found Italy so far and asked if we were enjoying ourselves. They offered assistance in getting around Rome and gave us list of 'can't miss' sites for us to see. We enjoyed their company and laughed to ourselves as to how teenagers were the same all over the world. They all had cell phones, pockets full of candy and junk food, they talked incessantly - in Italian of course - and all spoke at the same time. Every random thought was uttered and there was always spontaneous laughter. Of course, they had to capture the moment with their cell phone camera with a few pictures. They were fun!

We arrived in Rome and of course Mr. Anxiety was there waiting to greet me as we got off. Our next challenge was to find our hotel. I spent quite a bit of time mapping our route from the train station to the hotel from information on the Internet. It was only minutes away according to all of my sources. So how do we get out of the trainstation? The maps implied only one main exit but I saw signs pointing to several main exits all from different directions. CRAP!

I went to tourist information and found out what and where we needed to go so we were back on track. We dragged our suitcases through the craziest traffic I've ever seen and made it to our hotel in quick fashion. We checked in, cranked up the AC, and congratulated ourselves - we arrived in Rome!

That night we strolled through the area to find our restaurant. The hotel clerk recommended a place not far from us and gave us a very detail map which was a life-saver. We were seated right way in an outdoor courtyard and started into another multi-course meal of sheer delight. After the meal our waiter brought us complementary lemoncello which Fran never had before. She loved it and it was the perfect nightcap for a very interesting day.



It was late evening but it seemed the Roman streets were coming alive. We strolled around the Republica Plaza and took some pictures as well as enjoyed the night air. After about an hour we turned in to watch the latest round of the World Cup and get ready for a busy day tomorrow.