I've started this post from Treno 9717 Carrozza 003 Posti 4A Finestro just because I can and who cares that no-one likes a showoff. It is 11.55 and the train is due to Venezia at 14.10. At the moment the countryside out the finestra is like looking out the window on the way to Melbourne, and from memory it doesn't get a whole lot better until we reach the bridge from the mainland to venezia islands.
I left Bergamo this morning and ended up putting on a not-happy face with the taxi driver. He turns up at the hotel with 9.80 euro on the meter already. I asked why it was 9.80 euro and he tried to tell me that because he had to come up to the old town he started his meter down in the new town, thats just what they do because there are no taxis in the old town so they can do that. I told him that he should not do that to visitors from overseas visiting his town, it makes visitors not like the town and tell others not to visit and his town will suffer. He asked where I was from. I told him non importanta and sat there with a cats arse look on my face for the rest of the trip. The cost to the statio was 14.90 euro. We stopped. He got out, I got out, I took my bags and handed him 20 euro. He gave me five euro and went to walk away UNTIL I said, mi scusi - and held out my hand so he had to give me 10cents. He hated it, I loved it. Had he not tried to cheat me I probably would have told him not to bother with any of the change, robber.
Train to Milano from Bergamo was loud with a black woman who had three huge rubbish bags full of illegal handbags, she was talking "yelling" on her phone the whole hour to I don't know who saying that no-one rings her and why doesn't anyone ring her blah blah blah. I almost wanted to ask to see the handbags but it's not worth getting caught with one.
We arrive in Milano, I raced to the bar to order a macchiato and ask for il bagno. They dont have un bango, you have to go to binario (I thought he said) 2. So, 20 minutes til the train leaves and I am at the opposite end of Milan station dragging my bags behind me amongst the Milano statzione crowd. But, I got to binario 2 and no dunny in sight so I ask a signora dove il bagno per favore. Binario 22. Of course. By now I have about 15 minutes. Off I race banging into people as I race along without looking back (maybe I AM turning Italian!) and get to the toilet to have the cleaner trying to tell the long line that il bagno is closed. Stupid man. He had no idea of the strength of a woman's full bladder. I pushed past him, put my 1 euro in the slot to open the door and stood there and cried (hahahahaha I CAN make myself cry on cue!). La Sorella in front of me (I thought it bad manners to take a photo of a nun in the queue for the dunny) was going to let me go before her but the man had gone by this stage so I stopped crying, grazie'd her like you wouldn't believe, went, got out of there with about three minutes to spare to find the train and get on - to find a freaking briefcase on my seat and a man standing beside it.
Now, after a bit of a tiff with a taxi driver then tears for the dunny , I think the man knew that to make me battle for my seat wasn't going to be a good idea. He shrugged, took his briefcase and walked away.
The thing on the trains (not regional, they are like suburban, but these other trains) is that you have to reserve a seat. To reserve a seat I think it costs about another ten euro. The only way you can get out of it is by not paying, get on the train and hope there is a spare seat and the ticket man doesn't come. Stupid. The ticket man ALWAYS comes along so the stupids then get a fine, and either get kicked off at the next station which could well be in the middle of nowhere, or pay the extra for a seat if there is one. If there isn't one is bye--bye stupid.
I'm guessing briefcase man was one of the stupids.
We are about an hour and a half out of Venezia, it's time to start looking out the window and watching for the bridge ...
I have been in Venice for a few hours now, the train arrived around 2.20 then it took me an hour to find the monestary.
I had forgotten what it was like here. There are so many people and all the little laneways and it is so easy to get lost!!!
My room is on the 4th floor and overlooks roof tops unfortunately. A very small window and because it is not summer any more as of yesterday the air conditioners were all turned off. That's a bit of stiff shit if you are hot signora. I asked sorella for a fan which I now have.
I do have two beds in my room though so can at least use one to lay shit out on.
This place is in between The Rialto and San Marco. I ventured out and thought I would go as far as The Rialto and back again. That was three hours ago. I spent the last two hours backwards and forwards between The Rialto and San Marco trying to find my way back here. And because I'm tired and because I am always getting lost and usually dont mind, but again because I'm tired and there are so many bloody people here and because I'm tired and because the bloody people don't care that there are people around them that don't want to smoke their cigarettes with them, and, because I am so tired, I was so lost at one stage and couldn't find my way out of San Marco, today, 22nd September 2014, will be the day I remember sitting on the step at San Marco in Venice and crying because I was so sick of being lost and just wanted to get back to wash my face so I could go out and have a drink because curfew is 10.
10
What sort of ridiculous curfew is that!
Probably a good one.
Tomorrow, I am going to try to get my bearings a bit better, maybe walk to The Rialto and straight back etc then the same with San Marco then go from there.
While I am the first one to say getting lost is the best way of seeing things, it's also very hard when you are on your own and only have yourself and your not very good compass to rely on.
Tomorrow will be much better I am sure!
It is thunder and raining here right now, and the tout from outside the restaurant has just come in with a huge hail stone - hope it stops before curfew!!
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