"ciao, bella"
I've been meaning to share stories from my travels forever, but for some reason doing so has been very hard. I could list about a hundred reasons why, but we have no time for that.
Here is anecdote #2. (Anecdote #1 was the fox that stole somebody's underwear.) It's pretty long, which is why it took me so long to get around to writing it, but it's pretty surreal. With the exception of Morocco, it's probably the most ridiculous thing that happened during my entire trip.
The rural Italian train system in rural is extremely unreliable. I should have concluded this rapidly, given the state of the stations' Arrival / Departure boards: yellowing glass-framed posters, they were clearly inflexible and out of date. Would the wandering backpacker have any way of knowing if routes had been changed or trains delayed? No. There was nothing to do but board the first train with destination 'Roma' marked on its side.
The train I boarded was less than enticing. The seats had rock hard 'pillows' that were so uncomfortable I actually chuckled, and the blindingly-lit car I was in reeked of industrial cleaner that had never been used. Grimly, I understood that I would have to endure five hours of this... so I needed distraction. I opened my GRE prep book and lost myself in math.
Some three hours into my journey, my train abruptly stopped for longer than expected. It had been stopping and stating with infuriating frequency throughout the entire journey, but this time an unusual silence caught my attention and pulled me away from my math. "What's going on?" I said to no one in particular.
Nobody answered. There was no one in the car.
There was no one in the car in front of me, either. There was no one in the car behind. There was in fact nobody anywhere: we were not at a station.
"Oh shit," I said.
With a growing sense of urgency I jumped out of my seat and began moving from car to car looking for other travelers. Four cars later I encountered an old man in a suit pulling his suitcases toward the exit, and I rushed forward in relief attempting to communicate with him in English or Spanish. He did not understand me. He gesticulated wildly at his suitcases and pointed out the open door. I saw a scattering of men in bright orange construction vests walking around out there... but none of them spoke English.
I ran back to my car.
Gathering up my belongings, I hastily strapped on my backpack and hurried back to the car with the man. The man was no longer there, though, nor were the construction man. I continued passing through cars until I finally found another person near the front of the train.
A tall bald man in metallic gold shoes was in the process of getting off the train with his suitcase. I asked him if he spoke any English and to my relief he responded with "just a little," followed by the broken indication that we had to get off because the train was going to be worked on.
"Where are we?" I said.
"Levanto," he said. And then he told me that we had to walk.
Completely bewildered by the whole situation, I stepped off the train and onto the tracks. Fortunately when I looked where we were headed I saw that we had just passed a station a train's length away, and I walked with the man toward it while exchanging introductions and learning that I had to take a different train from here. Why the train to Roma did not go to Roma... that I don't know. But I did know I had to arrive in my hostel by 6m or my room and money would be forfeit.
As we were walking the man abruptly handed me a black tailored jacket. It was shaped sort of like a woman's suit jacket but made of slightly stretchy material, and it had a plunging neckline with a few buttons in front. "Somebody left this on train," he said. "Here. It is not too small."
Not really sure of what else to do, I took the jacket and tried it on. I sensed that he was trying to give it to me, but I was still bewildered from the train situation, and I wasn't quite sure whether or not I was supposed to accept random gifts like this. I smiled and laughed awkwardly. The jacket fit.
"It is nice," he said. "A gift for you. I cannot wear it... it is small woman's jacket. It is for you. Bella!"
We arrived in the station while talking about it and he walked toward the train schedule with me, pointing out the next train to Roma (which luckily was going to arrive in an hour and a half.) He then asked if I liked coffee, I said yes, and he pointed to the cafe inside, so we went. Then as I was getting out my wallet he ordered coffees for us both.
Just in case I wasn't bewildered enough already, suddenly I felt like we were having a date. I stared at his shiny bald head, his clean-shaven face, his preposterous metallic golden shoes. And I found that I had no idea what to say. I attempted to insist that I should pay for my coffee but he moved his hand dismissively and offered me the sugar.
After a quick thank you I stood there sipping my espressos in silence until it was gone. Incidentally, it was the best espresso I have ever had... he smiled at me warmly. I wondered frantically if this some sort of date or just a stranger trying to take care of a lost puppy.
Five minutes later we finished our coffees and walked outside toward the trains. For one nervous instant I thought that he was going to say that he would accompany me to Rome, but instead he said "This is my train" and pointed to a train that was about to depart.
Before I knew what was happening he was taking my hands and looking brightly into my eyes, and then he was kissing both of my cheeks in a ritualistic Italian farewell.
"Ciao, bella," he said in melodic Italian.
And just like that, the man with gold shoes left me standing on the platform in the middle of nowhere, wearing a new black jacket and wondering what the hell had just happened to me.
Here is anecdote #2. (Anecdote #1 was the fox that stole somebody's underwear.) It's pretty long, which is why it took me so long to get around to writing it, but it's pretty surreal. With the exception of Morocco, it's probably the most ridiculous thing that happened during my entire trip.
The rural Italian train system in rural is extremely unreliable. I should have concluded this rapidly, given the state of the stations' Arrival / Departure boards: yellowing glass-framed posters, they were clearly inflexible and out of date. Would the wandering backpacker have any way of knowing if routes had been changed or trains delayed? No. There was nothing to do but board the first train with destination 'Roma' marked on its side.
The train I boarded was less than enticing. The seats had rock hard 'pillows' that were so uncomfortable I actually chuckled, and the blindingly-lit car I was in reeked of industrial cleaner that had never been used. Grimly, I understood that I would have to endure five hours of this... so I needed distraction. I opened my GRE prep book and lost myself in math.
Some three hours into my journey, my train abruptly stopped for longer than expected. It had been stopping and stating with infuriating frequency throughout the entire journey, but this time an unusual silence caught my attention and pulled me away from my math. "What's going on?" I said to no one in particular.
Nobody answered. There was no one in the car.
There was no one in the car in front of me, either. There was no one in the car behind. There was in fact nobody anywhere: we were not at a station.
"Oh shit," I said.
With a growing sense of urgency I jumped out of my seat and began moving from car to car looking for other travelers. Four cars later I encountered an old man in a suit pulling his suitcases toward the exit, and I rushed forward in relief attempting to communicate with him in English or Spanish. He did not understand me. He gesticulated wildly at his suitcases and pointed out the open door. I saw a scattering of men in bright orange construction vests walking around out there... but none of them spoke English.
I ran back to my car.
Gathering up my belongings, I hastily strapped on my backpack and hurried back to the car with the man. The man was no longer there, though, nor were the construction man. I continued passing through cars until I finally found another person near the front of the train.
A tall bald man in metallic gold shoes was in the process of getting off the train with his suitcase. I asked him if he spoke any English and to my relief he responded with "just a little," followed by the broken indication that we had to get off because the train was going to be worked on.
"Where are we?" I said.
"Levanto," he said. And then he told me that we had to walk.
Completely bewildered by the whole situation, I stepped off the train and onto the tracks. Fortunately when I looked where we were headed I saw that we had just passed a station a train's length away, and I walked with the man toward it while exchanging introductions and learning that I had to take a different train from here. Why the train to Roma did not go to Roma... that I don't know. But I did know I had to arrive in my hostel by 6m or my room and money would be forfeit.
As we were walking the man abruptly handed me a black tailored jacket. It was shaped sort of like a woman's suit jacket but made of slightly stretchy material, and it had a plunging neckline with a few buttons in front. "Somebody left this on train," he said. "Here. It is not too small."
Not really sure of what else to do, I took the jacket and tried it on. I sensed that he was trying to give it to me, but I was still bewildered from the train situation, and I wasn't quite sure whether or not I was supposed to accept random gifts like this. I smiled and laughed awkwardly. The jacket fit.
"It is nice," he said. "A gift for you. I cannot wear it... it is small woman's jacket. It is for you. Bella!"
We arrived in the station while talking about it and he walked toward the train schedule with me, pointing out the next train to Roma (which luckily was going to arrive in an hour and a half.) He then asked if I liked coffee, I said yes, and he pointed to the cafe inside, so we went. Then as I was getting out my wallet he ordered coffees for us both.
Just in case I wasn't bewildered enough already, suddenly I felt like we were having a date. I stared at his shiny bald head, his clean-shaven face, his preposterous metallic golden shoes. And I found that I had no idea what to say. I attempted to insist that I should pay for my coffee but he moved his hand dismissively and offered me the sugar.
After a quick thank you I stood there sipping my espressos in silence until it was gone. Incidentally, it was the best espresso I have ever had... he smiled at me warmly. I wondered frantically if this some sort of date or just a stranger trying to take care of a lost puppy.
Five minutes later we finished our coffees and walked outside toward the trains. For one nervous instant I thought that he was going to say that he would accompany me to Rome, but instead he said "This is my train" and pointed to a train that was about to depart.
Before I knew what was happening he was taking my hands and looking brightly into my eyes, and then he was kissing both of my cheeks in a ritualistic Italian farewell.
"Ciao, bella," he said in melodic Italian.
And just like that, the man with gold shoes left me standing on the platform in the middle of nowhere, wearing a new black jacket and wondering what the hell had just happened to me.