(QT Luong---gleaned from web search) Pic of IL Campo in Sienna
Italy the second time around was amazing. The weather was wonderful just warm, sunny and pleasant. Plus this time I had my siblings (people to share my experiences) plus I got to try more food, have more private space and someone to watch my luggage when I needed to do errands (buy tickets, make calls, ask for directions etc) and use the loo to name a few.
After that lovely time in Venice (Venezia), the next day we got early. Our goal for the day (long day of train traveling) was depart Pordenone at 7:30am head to Pisa by 1pm (to see the Leaning Tower) then take the train to Sienna (by 3pm) and then hang out a few hours to take the late train (around 8pm) and arrive into Rome (Roma Termini by midnight).
Well after checking with the ticket guy in the station at Pordenone, we were told we did not need to do anything extra for the travels were doing that day. We got on the train headed towards Florence (Firenze S.M.) we were promptly told we had to cough up 55 euro (RSVP fee and surcharge of 8 euro a person). Plus we had to follow the conductor to the rear of the train (to the last car #9) for seats after telling us he ran out. Very frustrating but we survived. We did not have time to have breakfast. We feasted on whoppers and a Japanese rice snack mix (I love wasabi flavored snacks) and bottled water. Bottled water is definitely our friend but the mineral taste does take some getting used to.
As my sibs rested I just did some research and wrote in my journal. I love writing in a travel journal, a must I say! I make the time to write all my feelings and thoughts. I wish I could type it out as I type faster, but it is nice to have. Plus I take meticulous notes on rsvps, lodging, transport, lists of contacts, and expenditures etc. It is the all purpose journal filled with useful information whenever I travel.
We arrive into Florence and rush to find out the next train to Pisa. We only have 15 minutes to get on and rush to the appropriate platform (binari). We are tired and hungry. We decide to get 2 euro sandwiches in the machines on the platform. Tons of mayo and crustless, but the stave our hungry (as we have no other alternative) I chose the ham and cheese, my sister the tuna and our brother got the prosciutto and cheese. After taking the train, we arrive into Pisa almost an hour later. Unfortunately, we find out there is a public transport strike. (echoes of the Venice water bus strike---I did not think it was Nationwide for public transport). We are told if we want to get to the Leaning Tower it is a good 50 minute walk away (we are carrying all our stuff on our back, we are not amused). We see the train station, step out and look around. We notice the next train to Sienna (Siena) via Emboli is within 30 minutes. *We are very frustrated. We end up buying some postcards.
As we trek back to Emboli (we bypassed it to get to Pisa) we are attentive to the beautiful rolling hills of Tuscany (Tuscano) which is beautifully. I loved all the green colors, farms, wineries and rustic buildings with the red tile roofs. As one old colleague told me, the only time he truly relaxed and felt at peace in his life was in Tuscany. I can totally understand. The feeling of tranquility and not having to be rush rush was nice.
We used the public facilities in Emboli which were surprisingly spic and span and no charge either to use! We were excited! I was so hot and still on my crusade to have gelato everyday. So I got some in Emboli to fulfill my self imposed gelato quota for the day. We were also in search of an ATM to no avail. Oh well. We tried but feared venturing too far from the train station. We had a good 40 minute window before heading to Sienna (Siena).
Using the public phones in Italy are not too bad and calling land lines are not too bad. Either use coins (have to find the slot on top of the phone) or use the Italia Telecom phone cards. As I found in my research, do NOT follow the instructions on the pay phone to use your credit card to call abroad (you will be overcharged to the hilt). Better to get from the tabacchi (stand that sells metro/bus tickets as well as post cards, books etc) an international phone card which is a more affordable alternative. Calling from Emboli back to Pordenone (a few hours from train) only cost me 50 euro cent to talk for a few minutes. My hostess was trying to get rsvps for me to visit the Borghese Galleries in Rome for me. (RSVPS are mandatory to visit). (In the end, I am unable to get a rsvp and I had to miss out. It will be on my list to visit whenever I visit Rome again).
Add another hour we are in Sienna finally it is almost 3pm and we buy the bus fare to get to the center of town (it is not closeby). After talking to some people and meeting a fellow traveler Robert (from South Africa) he is an educator on a few weeks holiday (people do not use "vacation") wandering Tuscany. He then informs us the buses are on strike (we were informed in Pisa that their transport strike was not relevant to Sienna--I guess we got bad information). As we are deciding to cabbing it into to town, Robert offers to take us to the town center.
It took us a good 40 minutes to walk up a hill (treacherous when you are tired, have a big heavy load) to get to the town center. A couple from Canada came up with us and then we parted ways once we got near to the Town Center. He kindly gives us a quick break. My sister loves the outdoor water fountains. I am a bit tentative using one. But after her big thumbs up sign, I found the water crisp, refreshing and refilled my water bottle as a result. Ahhhhhh!
Robert took us to a great place---CONAD a supermarket in town. We went nuts and bought enough rations for supper and snacks for later. He then takes us to the converted Nunnery he is staying out for 50 euro a night, no tv but safe and accessible to the sites. After dropping off our packs (big ones) we head out to the Il Campo (Piazza Del Campo) the center of activity in the town. We have to climb a little to it (not as bad as the initial walk to the town center).
It is almost 4 and we have one hour to take in the Museo Civico (based on our guide books something we should check out). Some great art works, paintings were seen and at the top there was a beautiful sight to take photos from a high point of the town. Outside the museum on the Piazza del Campo, there were some interesting snake designs. From my readings, I found out the local emblems of the nearby towns used animals. So we found many a post card with many animals on them.
Then we went to the Duomo which was under construction. (I noticed that on all my trips to Europe there always seems to be tons of construction). We sit outside and eat our food from our grocery shopping trip. We feast on grape tomatoes on the vine (glorious and they all burst with wonderful flavor never found in our tasteless tomatoes that are non organic), juicy and sweet strawberries, we make some sandwiches buying some bread, cheese and luncheon meat. I adore Mueller yogurt (from my travels in Germany). I think we scared Rob as he mentioned we ate a lot. We had to tell him that we were ravenous and since it was almost 6pm we had not really had a real meal all day.
We noticed the sun came down later than it did back in the US. (Later on I find out from Ben living in London --in the summer it gets fully dark by 10pm but the winters are horrid with it being pitch black at 3pm). We noticed a lot of birds flying around. My sibs and I joked it akin to the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz.
We head back to the nunnery to get our gear and walk down to the train station using a less scenic route back to it but more efficient route. Robert kindly escorts us back to the train station and carries my day bag. He proclaims was I carrying a body in it? I joked and told him I actually took out some stuff out of it.
We had 20 minutes to spare before taking the train to Rome. He said we should have a drink together. We decide to be adventurous and have campari.
(from www.azcentral.com)
Campari was created after extensive recipe testing by maitre-licoriste (master drink maker) Gaspare Campari for his cafe in Milan, Italy. House recipes were common practice, but word spread of the liquor's distinctive flavor and soon many cafes in Italy were ordering the vibrant bitter for their own bars. Davide Campari, Gaspare's son, shifted Campari from a national brand to an international success, possibly because of a woman.According to the Campari Group, Davide Campari fell in love with the famous opera singer Lina Cavalieri. As she moved around the world to perform, Davide followed her, each time telling his family that he was opening a new export market. And so his product showed up in Nice, then Russia, then the United States.Campari can be used just like other bitters, such as Angostura and Cynar, but the flavor is complex enough to let it be the star of a drink. As a cooling summer drink, try Campari with soda or freshly squeezed orange juice. Before dinner, the classic Americano and Negroni are palate-opening drinks. Both are made with Campari and sweet vermouth; the Negroni also includes gin.
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We had the campari and soda his treat. We had a toast and the bitter taste grew on me. My sister kept cringing but it will be something I will never forget tasting. Heck, I grew up drinking bitter melon soup or eating stir fried. Not my fave melon but it is not something I do not mind having for its medicinal qualities per my mom. She says it is good for cleansing your digestive system.
We got on our train and Robert takes a few photos with us and his batter dies on his digital camera. We got on the train and it is a bit stuffy. We open our windows. My sister and brother stick their heads out of the window enjoying the breeze. Later on a dour faced guy comes on and has us close the window. It becomes very stuffy as he proceeds to close every window in the train.
During this day, we saw our fair share of interesting trains varying in design, seats and color (intercity, interregional, Eurostar etc) all day. A big contrast to other trains I have traveled in ie Japan. But I wish that we used more trains in the US but we are a big car society (except where I live in the Northeast). I have yet to own a car thus far. With gas prices at $3.50 a gallon of premium gas right now (topping prices from last year) it is a surprise SMART cars in europe have not come over to the US. *Yowza! I walk or rely on the "T" (the name of our public transport).
Luckily Trenitalia (the national train company did not have a strike). Our hostess Karen relayed a story that when a surprise train strike occurred her folks missed their flight back to the US as a result. But if you dig around, you can find out in advance about strikes because they do become posted. As for the strike in Sienna, the times for the buses not to work did not disrupt the daily lives of the kids in the town. The strike started 10-12pm then started back up at 3pm and afterwards. The times in between allowed children to get back to school and home again.
We get into Rome almost midnight. I booked a private room triple bed with shared facilities at a hostel/hotel a 10 minute walk away from Roma Termini. It was easy to find (good directions from the website). (A must as I found during my back packing trip places to stay near the train stations helpful and more imperative was the directions to the lodgings). Based on all guidebooks, the train stations are cesspools of crime and to beware of all gypsies. Other sources for travelers warn to be on guard of your belongings, anyone could be a pickpocket, violent crime is not prevalent. These people just want to relieve you of your valuables. So we hightailed out of the train station as soon as we could (especially at such a late hour---I usually avoid arriving late at night to a destination if I can).
As we entered the hostel, two gals were frustrated. Their rsvp was not honored by the lodgings they thought they had an rsvp for . So they were traipsing around the city around midnight in hopes of finding lodging. My heart went out to them, we checked in. Found out that the credit card machine was not working. Expecting to pay by credit card, we can only pay for two nights lodging upfront and pay the rest the next day. I have learned that always be prepared to have cash handy over credit cards. The room is simple and clean. So the bathroom is fine and adequate. We like the fact we have a sink in our room. (we find out later on it leaks which is a pain).
Finally in Rome, we are tired and get some rest by 1:30am.
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