Final days
Leaving Milan on the 9am train for Rome meant an early start. Farewell to the same breakfast ingredients and a Ciao to the workers and we walked over to the Stazione Centrale for the last time, past the beer shack that catered to the Africans, some of whom slept in the park after a night's consumption, into the shopping mall at the station and a glance at the bookshop where Doreen had bought the latest Grisham novel, whilst ruing the fact that she had decided not to bring her e-reader so she had to buy a paperback for a larger price than the download. Waiting beneath the Departures Board for it to tell us the platform that the train would be leaving from.
Platform number nine, the sign displayed, and we set off. Validated our ticket in the franking machine and found our seats in car nine. our companions were to be a mother and daughter who spoke no english. The mother was about six foot tall and had her hair cut in a masculine 'short, back and sides' the daughter was about eleven and acted like a five year old, bothering Doreen all the way to Rome. It must have been the day that the kids got out of school the train, at least our section of it, was overrun with little kids, none of whom seemed subject to parental control, all of them running the aisle with childish abandon. Jeez we must be getting old!
The Termini in Rome was the only stop and it took three hours to get there. Chaos appeared to be the norm for this station but the crowds didn't overwhelm us and we found the right exit to leave from and following the map, copied from Google, the night before, we found the address of the hotel. It became obvious why the hotel couldn't be seen on Google Earth's streetsview, the hotel was in a quadrangular building where the different floors were individual hotels. The Hotel Ferrerese (our two star) was the fourth floor, the Hotel Milo was the third and fifth and another hotel had the second and sixth. This hotel, selected and booked on the internet before we left, turned out to be run by a family from Sri Lanka. All the doors were operated by button locks and we became quite adept at figuring out how to wait for the guy at the desk to look at his cameras and open the door on command. Very peculiar but gave one a huge sense of security. The room was a little cramped but very clean, no A/C but a fan. Trouble was the temperature rose quickly when one shut the window to keep out the street noise. But as Doreen said, "It is only for one night!"
Settled in we then walked around the block looking for a lunch. The difference between Milan and Rome can be seen immediately - Rome has sidewalk cafes on each stretch of the pavement that you trip over, in Milan you have to look for them. Competition ensured good prices and we had a "Turistico" for twelve euros - a good buy. back in the room we waited out the afternoon heat and then decided that a coffee and a bun would be nice. But I had googled "Irish Pubs in Rome" and found two just around the corner - so we went looking. Found the first one down a side street with three scruffy looking 'navvies' outside finishing off their fags. Doreen was a little discouraged and we entered the gloomy and dimlit space. I said, "cheer up this is what we will be doing in Ireland (in October on our next trip)," Somehow this failed to cheer her up and I guzzled the pint and we left. Walking a short distance, past the usual Roman sights of antiquities, mediaeval churches and modernity built side by side we found the other Pub. This one looked even dingier than the last and we forwent the pleasure. But we did come across a very nice and modern Cafe that served pastries and coffee. Sitting outside we 'people-watched' for a couple of hours. The main sight was a pair of scruffy men who were squeegeeing car windshields. One of them had it down to a fine art. Jumping out with a spray bottle in one hand and the squeegee in the other, he attacked the window as the car stopped for the red light, and refused to be waved off. It is to be quessed that the drivers felt guilty when the job was done and the traffic light allowed them to proceed because most paid something for the job. Very few refused to pay, at which point the squeegier just shrugged and waited for the next victim. Noticing us watch him he did wave and smile as if to say, "it's all part of the game." Calling it a night we walked back to the Hotel.
Up early we entered the very small breakfast room and chomped down our last pastry and coffee. Five minutes later we were walking down the long underground passage to the Fiumicino platform. This direct express - the Leonardo Express - runs every half hour nonstop to the airport. Recognising the terminal from last year's trip, the checking in, the security screening and the finding of the correct gate was completed with the usual waiting in line at each operation and the the three hour check-in process went quickly. Boarding was achieved without being called by seat number and it kinda fitted the Italian "controlled chaos" to be at the front of the line for a change. getting settled in on the plane was easy - too easy as the plane sat on the pad for an hour after the scheduled departure time, the official reason was "a problem with the flight plan!".
Impressions of the trip:
How clean and efficient Milan was. Everything worked, the transit was plentiful, fast readily available. The streets were clean and swept. The people friendly and eager to help. One wondered just who the City Fathers were who planned and built this City that works then I remembered that the Communists had been running the City for years - take that Ford Nation!
Leaving Milan on the 9am train for Rome meant an early start. Farewell to the same breakfast ingredients and a Ciao to the workers and we walked over to the Stazione Centrale for the last time, past the beer shack that catered to the Africans, some of whom slept in the park after a night's consumption, into the shopping mall at the station and a glance at the bookshop where Doreen had bought the latest Grisham novel, whilst ruing the fact that she had decided not to bring her e-reader so she had to buy a paperback for a larger price than the download. Waiting beneath the Departures Board for it to tell us the platform that the train would be leaving from.
Platform number nine, the sign displayed, and we set off. Validated our ticket in the franking machine and found our seats in car nine. our companions were to be a mother and daughter who spoke no english. The mother was about six foot tall and had her hair cut in a masculine 'short, back and sides' the daughter was about eleven and acted like a five year old, bothering Doreen all the way to Rome. It must have been the day that the kids got out of school the train, at least our section of it, was overrun with little kids, none of whom seemed subject to parental control, all of them running the aisle with childish abandon. Jeez we must be getting old!
The Termini in Rome was the only stop and it took three hours to get there. Chaos appeared to be the norm for this station but the crowds didn't overwhelm us and we found the right exit to leave from and following the map, copied from Google, the night before, we found the address of the hotel. It became obvious why the hotel couldn't be seen on Google Earth's streetsview, the hotel was in a quadrangular building where the different floors were individual hotels. The Hotel Ferrerese (our two star) was the fourth floor, the Hotel Milo was the third and fifth and another hotel had the second and sixth. This hotel, selected and booked on the internet before we left, turned out to be run by a family from Sri Lanka. All the doors were operated by button locks and we became quite adept at figuring out how to wait for the guy at the desk to look at his cameras and open the door on command. Very peculiar but gave one a huge sense of security. The room was a little cramped but very clean, no A/C but a fan. Trouble was the temperature rose quickly when one shut the window to keep out the street noise. But as Doreen said, "It is only for one night!"
Settled in we then walked around the block looking for a lunch. The difference between Milan and Rome can be seen immediately - Rome has sidewalk cafes on each stretch of the pavement that you trip over, in Milan you have to look for them. Competition ensured good prices and we had a "Turistico" for twelve euros - a good buy. back in the room we waited out the afternoon heat and then decided that a coffee and a bun would be nice. But I had googled "Irish Pubs in Rome" and found two just around the corner - so we went looking. Found the first one down a side street with three scruffy looking 'navvies' outside finishing off their fags. Doreen was a little discouraged and we entered the gloomy and dimlit space. I said, "cheer up this is what we will be doing in Ireland (in October on our next trip)," Somehow this failed to cheer her up and I guzzled the pint and we left. Walking a short distance, past the usual Roman sights of antiquities, mediaeval churches and modernity built side by side we found the other Pub. This one looked even dingier than the last and we forwent the pleasure. But we did come across a very nice and modern Cafe that served pastries and coffee. Sitting outside we 'people-watched' for a couple of hours. The main sight was a pair of scruffy men who were squeegeeing car windshields. One of them had it down to a fine art. Jumping out with a spray bottle in one hand and the squeegee in the other, he attacked the window as the car stopped for the red light, and refused to be waved off. It is to be quessed that the drivers felt guilty when the job was done and the traffic light allowed them to proceed because most paid something for the job. Very few refused to pay, at which point the squeegier just shrugged and waited for the next victim. Noticing us watch him he did wave and smile as if to say, "it's all part of the game." Calling it a night we walked back to the Hotel.
Up early we entered the very small breakfast room and chomped down our last pastry and coffee. Five minutes later we were walking down the long underground passage to the Fiumicino platform. This direct express - the Leonardo Express - runs every half hour nonstop to the airport. Recognising the terminal from last year's trip, the checking in, the security screening and the finding of the correct gate was completed with the usual waiting in line at each operation and the the three hour check-in process went quickly. Boarding was achieved without being called by seat number and it kinda fitted the Italian "controlled chaos" to be at the front of the line for a change. getting settled in on the plane was easy - too easy as the plane sat on the pad for an hour after the scheduled departure time, the official reason was "a problem with the flight plan!".
Impressions of the trip:
How clean and efficient Milan was. Everything worked, the transit was plentiful, fast readily available. The streets were clean and swept. The people friendly and eager to help. One wondered just who the City Fathers were who planned and built this City that works then I remembered that the Communists had been running the City for years - take that Ford Nation!
