OK, I’ve discussed the trains before but they really deserve their very own blog. Where to start? I'm sure that anyone who has ridden a train in Italy understands what I am talking about...OK...to begin, Italy as a whole, is a very laid back, easy going place (at least in my experience)...they take their time eating, they siesta (like half the day away), and, besides the urgency of getting the grapes in and pressed, I haven’t really seen anyone killing themselves. Now, this doesn’t mean you do not get good service, because you do, I love the wait staffs at restaurants and the retail staff members that have helped me, In fact when they are helping me, I sometimes feel like I am truly their only concern...its kinda nice. Italians...they definitely set the world record for hand waiving, and I hear driving in their big cities is a lot like russian roulette, and I’m sure you could come up with many more examples of “those crazy Italians”. That being said... there is nothing on earth, and I mean nothing, like the unorganized mess of the train system and there daily operations...
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| The ticket. Nancy is in charge of stamping...isn't she great! |
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| The high tech speaker systems employed at the stations! |
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| Great picture...bet this phone has been used since 1970. |
OK, from the top, you have to find the place to buy your ticket, not so hard. The schedules are listed, but the keys (to reading the schedule) aren’t...there are many kinds of trains...there are express trains, regional trains and something like a tweener...if you want the train to Corniglia it is listed as the train Levanto (local knowledge helps)...but this is not all the trains to Levanto...some stop in Corniglia and some don’t.You see these trains stop here and there and everywhere, you just don’t know exactly where! So you buy your ticket, the ticket does not usually have the gate or the time, maybe the train # is listed, but I’ve never been able to see a # on the train. If you ask the agent for this info they will gladly tell you, but most foreigners (which makes up at least 1/2 of the riders) assume the #’s and gates are listed on the tickets. But let’s say you got your ticket, know your gate and have an idea of the time...now the question becomes, did you get your ticket stamped??? I know what your thinking, you just bought the ticket, why would you need it stamped...well, because in Italy your ticket is good for the whole day, so they have you stamp it as a way to tell when you used it...I know what your thinking...Why? I mean don’t they collect the ticket? This is not an easy answer, once in a while they ask for your ticket, but more times they don't. It is a very funny system. Now lets say you have figured out this ticket stamping business...a train is coming to your gate #...OK...now the real chaos begins, you see no one, not even Italians are sure if the train coming is their train. In every language the question is being asked of those standing next to you, “do you know if this is the train to Corniglia”? And you are talking about 100’s of people...it is both a horrible nightmare and the greatest comedy on earth! I mean come on, even the Italians don’t know!! We got on a train the other day because it was heading to Corniglia (and of course everyone around us assured us it would stop there), you guessed, it no Corniglia...so we just go to the next station and turn around and come back (if you get the right train). We met a nice young couple who were honeymooners, they caught the train from Milan, just like we did, big difference though, it took them 9 hours to get to La Spezia, we only took 3 hours...why? Because the guy that sold them the ticket put them on the milk run (trains that stop everywhere)...they could have probably waited to catch their train for 1 hour and arrived 5 hour earlier. Then there is the boarding and un boarding...I’m actually sitting here laughing...these two operations happen simultaneously with no real winner, imagine 50 people trying to get off a train out of the same door as 50 people are trying to get on the train, and no one giving the other an inch! Its like rugby with teams of 50 with old people and little kids making up parts of the teams...some have luggage and everyone else has backpacks, briefcases or bags of groceries. God this is fun! OK, OK, Nanc has just reminded me of a couple of other points...like, when you board the train there is no air conditioning and possibly hundreds of sweaty people turning the cabin into a sweat box...if you do open your window, invariably someone who thinks the air is coming on soon, complains... or maybe they think its to loud when you actually start moving...so this is a no win situation. On our first local train ride we had a ticket agent sell us a ticket, and didn’t tell us about the stamping ritual so, as we are boarding the train one of the railway men informed me I had to get my tickets stamped and he said I’d better hurry, because the train was leaving...I ran, yes literally ran back to the station, found the stamping box,stamped my ticket, and ran back to the train...yea I made it, and waited for 20 minutes for the train to leave.
I wish I had something else to compare this experience to but I don’t. The whole train scene would definitely be a recurring funny part of any movie I ever made...and talk about big laughs...even the Italians would have to laugh.
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| Corniglia Station. |
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| Maybe the guy couldn't speak english. |
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| The station time piece. |
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| It is Absolutely Forbidden to cross the tracks! |
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| Even the planters are a little cracked! |
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ReplyDeleteI must throw in my two cents regarding the Italian train system. About four years ago, I was on a cycling trip through the Provence region of France, starting in Nice. Following my trip, I decided to head east across the boarder into Italy for some R&R. After two magnificent days in San Remo, I went to the train station to catch my train back down to Nice for my fight later that afternoon. When I arrived at the train station, I was told by the Impiegato (ticket attendant) that there would be no trains until 3:00 that afternoon, as the workers decided to call an impromptu strike. What?! They decided to strike, but only until 3:00? I think they just wanted to take the day off, what with the weather being so nice that day. Needless to say, I didn't have the ability to wait if I planned to get back to the States that day. I ended up having to take a taxi from San Remo to Monaco...$175 euro! I was then able to catch a train on the border of France from Monaco back to Nice. To Roger's point...if you ever plan to take a train in any European country, plan for the unexpected!
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