Bon journo from Italia!
Let me tell you about my last 48 hours…
Last time I left you I was just beginning my Spanish travels. I’ll get back to that later because it was amazing, but for now I would like to tell you about the last two days. I am in Italy on my way to Milan and am finally having some time to create this entry. Melody and I wanted to leave Barcelona on the 27th in order to arrive in Genoa by the 28th to meet up with her hunky and fun boyfriend Stoffel, so we could all hike Cinque Terre together. We were going to leave quite early so we would still have a chance to take a day trip to Marseille or Nice in the French Riviera. But, as is quite common, plans change, because as is quite common France Rail goes on strike! (1st hiccup)
After cursing the French, we weighed our options and Mel and I opted for the overnight Ferry from Barcelona to Livorno Italy. The Ferry would depart at Midnight and arrive at 7:30 pm in the Port of Livorno the next day. Quite a long Ferry, but only 27 euro, and it still gave us plenty of time to catch a train into Genoa to meet Melody’s BF on the 28th. The very last thing Melody and I did before catching our train was head down with a bunch of new friends to Placa d’Espanya to view the magic fountain light show. Around 10:45 we knew we were cutting it close to arriving at the Ferry terminal for our 11 ‘o clock check in time, so we ran all the way WITH OUR BAGS to the metro, then all the way from the Metro to the Terminal. At the terminal we were told we could board at 11:30pm. We ran for nothing but were stoked because we were on track, so we blotted the sweat and had some snacks. Turns out we didn’t end up boarding the Ferry until about 12:30, and didn’t end up departing Barcelona until 2pm (so literally ran for nothing). (2nd hiccup)
The up side of all this was that because we didn’t book a cabin, we were expected to sleep in the ferry bar because there were no assigned seats for passengers without cabins. I know what you’re thinking, “Tanya is such a bar star, she just loves partying all night”. But to our delight the bar was empty and had long couches with very comfy cushions. I also was able to meet two Catalonians, Joel and Albert, and the three of us finished a bottle of wine, while Melody slept. Later, I crawled into my sleeping bag on the comfy couch at about 4 am, and had one of the most enjoyable overnight transportation sleeps I have had yet.
I strongly suggest taking Ferries long distances over trains, because the next day was spent out on the deck sunning ourselves on the provided deck chairs in the middle of the Mediterranean and enjoying the company of our new friends, as well as the musical expertise of the Spanish Seniors choir that was also aboard. It wasn’t until around 6 pm that Melody and I started thinking about what the heck we were going to do when we arrived in Livorno. We had learned that the Ferry was going to be 4 hours late, which insured we would miss all trains going to Genoa. (3rd hiccup)
After again weighing our options, we came up with a plan B. Pisa it was! It was a larger station, and it was also where our new friends were camping before continuing their Italian Motorcycle journey. This is where we became frustrated though because after speaking with the manager of the Grimaldi-lines Ferry we were on, I’ll call him Big Fat Bastard, we learned that Customer Service is not a strong point in Italy….but hopefully not a trending topic. Basically, Melody and I were stranded due to the 4 hour delay and Grimaldi-lines was not providing any compensation, or help in terms of continuing our journey. They will be receiving a strongly worded letter from me. Our only option was to take a cab from Livorno to Pisa, and that cab cost 60 euro! (4th hiccup)
In the end, we shared a 60 euro cab with an American family. I even tried talking to the cabbie about the price and seeing if we could cut a deal, but he was not having it. This was the first time I felt like I was taken advantage of for being a “tourist”, and it sucked not having any other options, especially since it was a pretty short cab ride. I mean I have taken longer cab rides home from the bar that only cost me 10 euro. When we arrived in Pisa, we needed internet, or some way to contact her BF to let him know we would not be arriving in Genoa that night, but that we would take the 3:30 am train to arrive in Genoa by 6:14 am. Melody has had her own case of the hiccups on her trip, losing her water bottle, sunglasses, breaking a purse, losing her scarf, and most recently losing/getting stolen her cell phone. We were very much reliant on both the kindness of a hostel worker, and Melody’s knack for making her eyes well up with tears on command. We got Stoffel the message and decided to check out the leaning tower! It was pretty close so we made the hike, and we met some Toronto Canadians on the way. The tower at night was pretty cool, leaning and tower-like of course, and it worked out pretty well that we were able to see it at this point in the journey rather than making a special trip at a later time.
We headed back to the train station and waited for our train to arrive. It was a sleeper car, and it was full! (5th hiccup) We ended posting up in the hallway of the sleeper car, which was very dark, dingy, run down and most of all stinky. After no sleep, we arrived to Genova, and after an excruciatingly painful and exhaustingly long and lost walk, we made it to a very nice hotel in Genova called NovoTel. Now after being up all night you would think that we would hop right into those comfy beds and get some shut eye, but you’d be wrong! We had things to do and a full days hike with Stoffel in Cinque Terre, I mean that’s the whole reason Stoffel was meeting us in Genova… well that and to finally meet yours truly of course ;) Rather than sleeping we decided to plan our next steps using the free wi-fi that all European McDonalds have, and then we would start our all day hike through the lush old world coastal paths of the Cinque Terre. But as has been customary in the last 48 hours, one can’t expect Italy to be like everywhere else in Europe, and the “free” wifi was only available for use by people with Italian SIM cards. (6th hiccup)
So it was back to the hotel for us, in order to pay 5 euro an hour for hotel internet (which is ridiculous by the way). One thing we have learned on this trip is DO NOT TAKE ONE PERSONS ANSWER FOR TRUTH! Always get a second opinion because after asking a different hotel employee we found that the hotel offers a free internet connection, so no thanks to the first woman I asked before we even went to McDonalds for no reason! We quickly did our internet business and booked accommodation in Florence for Sunday and Monday and then decided to head to the station to make the 12pm train to Cinque Terre. The three of us had a lovely day together, and I will post picks of the park soon.
Melody and Stoffel want some alone time in Genova, and I want to meet up with my cousin Steven, so I am off by myself to Milan for the night! Currently, I am the most ragamuffin and stinky person on the train (and that’s saying a lot) because I have only slept 3 hours in the last 36, I haven’t really showered since Barcelona, I’ve stayed up all night, hiked all day, and broken into mad sweat twice running long distance to and from my train all in the same outfit. On a side note, I am wearing my Modrobes lounge pants and Modarchy jacket, and I highly recommend these items to travellers, as they are lightweight, quite versatile and fashionable, and they don’t absorb my stankiness like other clothing would. Now I am scheduled to arrive in Milan at 11:30pm and my hostel reception closes at midnight, so please do wish me luck friends, and hopefully my hiccups have subsided.
This was not meant to be a venting or complaining entry, but more or less an example of how my problem solving and stress management skills are getting tested. It is also to let you know that I am alive and well and loving being a full time traveler! It is tiring, and definitely doesn’t always feel like a vacation, but reflecting back on the blur that is my life right now makes me happy to share it with all of you and makes me want to urge you all to do something that completely takes you out of your comfort zone, that scares and excites you and that requires you to look at something that you may think is “weird” or “wrong” and instead calling it “different”. With each hiccup we found new options and Melody and I are good at sussing things out. Even when things don’t work out as planned, they still work out, and I wouldn’t really change anything about the last 48 hours…well except maybe my underwear.
Anywho, dear friends, I miss you and will be back in a Monthish!
Love and Kisses as always!
T
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