The Wanderers Return - 10 Weeks in Europe - Part 2

Getting to Italy, Trains & Rome

Throughout our grand adventure we were amazed at how well the train system worked. We could get almost anywhere, they almost always left on time, the views in many cases were awesome, and we could just sit back and relax, knowing that we would eventually reach our destination. Some of the trains had sleeping cars, bar cars and dining cars. Some of them had people who came through with snack and drink carts, like on the airlines. There were varied comfortable seating arrangements, from nice little compartments with seats for 6 people to lounge type setups with tables for card playing or eating to airplane type seats, except more spacious and comfortable. Train riding was one of the fun parts of travel. That didn’t, however, mean that all the details always worked out as expected.

. Leaving Spain turned into an interesting experience, as we arrived at the train station in Barcelona an hour ahead of time and learned that our night train had just left. The internet said the train left at 21:30, which we had verified the day before at the station when we reserved our sleeping berth. Now, with full packs on our backs, we were told that “You can’t trust the information on the internet,” and “There’s nothing that can be done. The train leaves at 20:30.” A call back to our hotel determined that they had no rooms for the night, but they knew of a small apartment nearby that we could have for the night at the same price as the hotel. So we spent the night in a charming little apartment and got to have an extra day in Barcelona!
In Italy, we first visited Vernazza, one of five little villages (the Cinque Terre) hanging off the cliff over the sea. I never had the guts to count, but I think there may have been as many as 200 steps up the 7 sets of winding rock stairways between buildings to get to our lodging house. Then we got to climb to our 3rd floor room in the charming old building. The place was awesome, and I would do it again, but I would consider skipping the 3rd and 4th courses at dinner before trekking to our room the first night! Watching the sea beat up the rocks far below made me feel like I was living in a storybook. This couldn’t be real.
After Vernazza, we headed for Rome for Semana Santa, where we got to see more amazing architecture and art and statues living outdoors. We also got to be in St Peter’s Square on Easter, along with several thousand other people, to observe the Pope blessing the world. I’m not Catholic, but nevertheless found it to be fascinating. Even more fascinating was to listen to all the Italians happily talking in little groups with their friends throughout the ceremony. Those who weren’t with friends were on the cell phones talking to their friends. Amazing. I also noticed that, in the Sistine Chapel, with signs and guards everywhere asking people to be quiet and not speak, there was the constant hum of conversation. These people just can’t stop talking! The art, architecture and history! What an experience to get to see all those places we had only read about! We spent an afternoon wandering around the Forum, where, although archaeological excavations continue, we felt we had stepped into the past. We learned that the Coliseum took 10 years to build, and that it was built to hold 50,000 spectators. We also learned that during the 100 days of opening ceremonies in AD 80, hundreds of animals and 2,000 gladiators were killed. Some knowledge you’d prefer not to have, but there’s no denying the grandness of this ancient structure. St Peter’s Basilica, the Roman Forum, the Coliseum, the Pantheon, the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, Trevi Fountain. Ancient statuary in the public streets, everywhere we looked! We spent a fun hour watching a wild woman wading in the Trevi Fountain for coins. We thought the policeman who was trying to get her out was going to end up falling in the fountain with her. He finally threw up his hands and left! Rome was an awesome experience, but after a week there, I wasn’t really unhappy to move on. Our hotel room was more than adequate, and only three flights up, but the innkeeper was a witch. It was still cold and rainy and Gene was suffering with a sore throat. I never did figure out how to say “sore throat” in Italian, but apparently my grabbing of my throat while gasping and wheezing got the point across at the farmacia, and gave them a good laugh for the day as well. We found a favorite eating spot, with great, cheap food and friendly waiters, but most of the restaurants seemed overpriced. We barely caught a thief (actually a team of two) attempting to steal my handheld PDA directly off a restaurant table in front of me. These guys were good. One of them put some kind of flyer on the table to show us, while the other one talked. Suddenly we realized we didn’t know where the PDA was. It was under the flyer, with his hand ready to take both as they walked away! Although Rome offers some of the most awesome art and architecture in the world, most of the city was dirty. If we were planning our first trip again, we would definitely go to Rome because it was a great opportunity to see all the historic sites. But it’s probably not one of the places we’ll travel to again.