Soundtrack:
Who Let The Dogs Out?
Thursday,
13 September 2018
I
woke up early and had my shower and performed prayers. I had laundered some
clothes the evening before and was not happy to find that they were still damp
that morning despite the hot weather. Unless it had rained sometime during the
night but the ground didn’t look all that wet. I collected my clothes and
switched on the stand fan in an attempt to dry them up.
I left just after 07:30 and walked to Colchis Fountain. One of the stray dogs approached me and started following me. Normally I would have just ignored them but this one persistently followed me and after a while started growling and baring his fangs. Then it came nearer and tried to bite my suitcase. What the hell? I shooed it away but it came back and if anything, more aggressive than ever. I raised my voice and shooed it away again but it was relentless. Fortunately for me, a man passed by and he helped call the dog off. And guess what? The dog didn’t even bark at him. Huh, even dogs have double standards.
After taking pictures of Colchis Fountain, I turned back and walked to the marshrutka behind Meskhishvili Theatre and in front of Din Mart. The marshrutka was there when I walked past on my way to Colchis Fountain and the friendly driver waved at me. I paid 1 Lari and got in. The first marshrutka out to Gelati Monastery (schedule in this post), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was at 08:00 and while I should probably have taken the next one at 11:00 so that I could ride the 12:00 marshrutka back to Kutaisi, I had a plane to catch that afternoon and had no idea of the marshrutka schedule that passes the airport. I had brought my suitcase along as I wasn’t sure if I had enough time to return to the guesthouse to get my bag or not and it seemed best to just have it with me although it did mean having to lug it with me.
Meskhishvili Theatre
The
marshrutka climbed up and pretty soon we were on a higher elevation to Kutaisi.
It took about 20 minutes to reach Gelati Monastery and the workers who were
restoring the monastery exterior were already at work. I was done after about
20 minutes and that was after having to lug my bag behind me. Now came the
question of how I could get back down to Kutaisi. As usual, I trusted that
Allah would show me the way so I walked out. Outside, the stall owners (to be
honest, I didn’t notice the stalls when I arrived) had started hanging their
wares. I must say they were friendly and tried to converse with me so I was a
bit surprised when one man spoke English to me. I asked if I could take a train
back to Kutaisi and he said no (I did read about it but didn’t save the info on
my iPad). He then said he would be going to Kutaisi and that I could come with
him. I thanked him and gratefully accepted the offer. He told me it would be
another 20 minutes or so and I assured him it was fine. So I stood there
looking at how they started opening their stalls and this was a bit cruel of me
but I did wonder who would want to buy such rubbish like the cheap trinkets
they sold. They even sold small footballs with club emblems on it. Who would
want to come to the monastery and on the way back to the bus decided to stop
and buy one of those balls? Or perhaps there had been demand before and hence
why the supply was on offer?
Gelati Monastery
We
finally left and it turned out there were two other passengers: a man and one
of the women who opened the stall and tried to chat with me earlier. The man
dropped me in front of Meskhishvili Theatre and he was pleasantly surprised
when I gave him 5 Lari. He didn’t ask for it and 5 Lari was more than the
marshrutka but I reckoned it was still less than what a cab ride would have
cost me. I then took bus no. 1 to McDonald’s. After buying a bun from a
roadside vendor, I walked behind McDonald’s and found some marshrutkas there.
The marshrutka for the airport was in the last parking spot so I sat and
waited. I didn’t have to wait long as the marshrutka left at 10:32 and we
reached the airport 25 minutes later.
I
had a long wait at the airport but hey better be early and wait than late
although if it’s anything I dislike, it’s to arrive too early at the airport. I
sat down, read my book, dried my clothes in the sun (didn’t work so I had to go
to the bathroom and stood drying them at the hand-dryer).
The
airline counter was supposed to open at 15:20 or so but remained closed until
15:50. You can just imagine the queues that had already formed by then. As Wizz
Air allows only one bag on board, I had paid for the fare that enabled me a
check-in bag and one bag on board. I went in immediately and had to endure a
check; the security people even asked me to take my scarf off and I said no so
I was led to a room and was subjected to a rough check by two wenches. After
that, I went in and performed prayers near Dunkin’ Donuts before the crowds
rushed in. And oh, there’s no exchange office in there so I couldn’t sell off
my Lari. Dang.
The
flight took off at 17:45 and we landed at Rome Fiumicino earlier than scheduled
at 19:15. The immigration process was fast even though we landed around the
same time as an airline from China. I didn’t have to wait long for my bag and
after emerging, went in search for the washroom furthest away from where we
exited the baggage area. I was so happy to note sign for the prayer room and
after freshening up and performing ablutions, went in search of it. It was a
proper prayer room (not a multi-faith prayer room) with three prayer mats.
Imagine, at Rome Fiumicino, the airport for the capital city where the majority
of the population are Roman Catholics!
After
prayers, I went to the designated bay for Terravision. The bus arrived late but
it didn’t take long for us to reach Rome Termini. I wandered around first as I
couldn’t decide if I should have any snacks then decided to just head for my Intercity
night train to Ferrara. I found my compartment and there were already four
exchange students from Chicago in there and a local man. The train departed on
time and I managed to somehow doze off amidst the chatter of the excited
students. But sleep didn’t last of course because I could never sleep on moving
trains or planes.
Friday,
14 September 2018
I
got up a few times during the night to check if the train had arrived at
Ravenna (I needed to change trains at Ravenna). We finally arrived at Ferrara
around 04:40, enough time for me to change platforms for the 05:16 train to Ravenna.
I would be returning back to Ferrara later that morning but the station was
closed and so was the left baggage facility if there was one. The train arrived
on time and I performed morning prayers in the train.
We
arrived at Ravenna at 06:19. I freshened up before walking out to the city
centre (station was only coming to life then so I didn’t bother looking for the
left baggage and just took my suitcase along). The city was also just waking up
then.
As
the seat of the Roman Empire in the 5th century and then of Byzantine Italy
until the 8th century, Ravenna has a unique collection of early Christian mosaics
and monuments. All of its eight UNESCO World Heritage buildings– the Mausoleum
of Galla Placidia, the Neonian Baptistery, the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare
Nuovo, the Arian Baptistery, the Archiepiscopal Chapel, the Mausoleum of
Theodoric, the Church of San Vitale and the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare in
Classe – were constructed in the 5th and 6th centuries. I managed to visit five
out of the eight buildings (didn’t manage to visit the Arian Baptistery, the
Archiepiscopal Chapel and the Mausoleum of Theodoric).
Mausoleum of Galla Placidia
Basilica di San Vitale
Neonian Baptistery
Battistero Degli Ariana
I
hurried back to the station and purchased a train ticket to Ferrara. The train
was delayed by 10 minutes and we reached Ferrara at 11:45. It was already
getting hot by then and it didn’t help that unlike Ravenna, Ferrara city centre
was quite a bit of a walk from the station. I noticed most of the locals have
bicycles: the nonnas, the young adults, working people... This Renaissance city
has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage, thanks to its beauty and
cultural importance. I walked to Palazzo Municipale before making my way to
Castello Estense. I spent some time at the castle before taking another route
back to the station. Before going in, I decided to find some lunch and after
walking half-way back into the city, I turned back and had a pizza slice from a
halal shop near the station. It was just OK.
Castello Estense
The
train left at 14:57 and we reached Padua at 15:49. I made my way across the
canal and into the garden to my Airbnb host’s apartment at via Porciglia. It
was a slightly hot in the apartment. I got acquainted with Antonio, my host’s
husband (I thought her dad at first, opps!), as Cristina was out. After
settling down, performing prayers and having some tea, we went out. I had
earlier asked Cristina where I could print my boarding pass and Antonio was
going to show me the shop and a bit of the city centre.
We
first went into Chiesa degli Eremitani, a 13th century nearby before
continuing on to the print shop. Antonio also had a boarding pass to print and you
could either bring your thumb drive or email whatever you want to be printed.
The shop charged him 5 cents. We then continued on to the city centre and I was
pleasantly surprised to note that the city has many beautiful buildings.
Antonio showed me around then left me to wander the city on my own.
City Hall
Torre dell'Orologio
This is one of the oldest universities in the world
via Daniele Manin
via Roma
I
bought a tuna ball from a street vendor for dinner before returning to the
apartment. Cristina was back then and after a brief chat, they left me to my
devices. They went out for dinner and I couldn’t help wondering how trusting
you need to be to leave your apartment with some stranger. They made up my bed
(sofa bed) and drew the hall and kitchenette curtains to give me privacy. I
went to bed after 23:00.
Saturday,
15 September 2018
I
was woken up at 05:15 by the sound of rain and hurried out to the balcony to
collect my clothes which I washed the previous evening. I got up again at 06:00
to shower and perform prayers. The rain was heavy with thunders and continued
until after 07:30. I was planning on going out for a morning walk before
returning for breakfast but my plan was dashed. Instead, I waited until after
breakfast before going out. I headed first to print shop to print my boarding
pass (got charged 10 cents, why?) before continuing on to Prato della Valle, a large
prominent square which Cristina mentioned the previous evening.
I
had a bad tummy upset throughout the morning and suspected the tuna ball was
the culprit. I had to take some anti-diarrhoea pill when I came back. It was
quite bad and I was praying that I would be able to continue my journey that
morning without mishap.
I
left at 11:10 and hurried to the station. I had to queue to buy the ticket; I
knew the 11:40 train to Vicenza would cost me €4.65 but the ticket machine
demanded €14.90 from me, outrageous!!! So I queued and got my ticket at 11:32.
I quickly made my way to the platform. We arrived at Vicenza at 11:57 and it
was so hot! I didn’t spend a long time at Vicenza. After walking through the
city all the way to Teatro Olimpico, I turned back and returned to the train
station. I was also disappointed that the Roman ruins couldn’t be viewed – the
chap at the Tourist Info office told me the ruins are either in private residents’
properties or buried.
I
took the 14:59 train to Verona Porta Vescovo and arrived in the hot afternoon.
I took a while to get to my Airbnb host’s apartment at via San Nazaro and then
struggled to contact him to open the doors. After some time, I managed to get
him to open the doors and up to his apartment. After a brief rest and prayers,
I walked to Castel San Pietro for a view of the city. There were a lot of people
up there. Unfortunately for us, the sun was in our eyes and made it difficult
to take pictures. I vowed to return the following morning.
I
crossed Ponte Pietra and walked to Piazza Elbe. There were a lot of people
everywhere, it being Verona and on a Saturday and there was the Tocatì Festival too when I was there. So if you’re planning to visit Verona, bear all
these in mind (I only knew of the Festival just before I arrived) as finding
accommodation would be a challenge.
I
didn’t linger long at Piazza Elbe although when I was there, there was some
foot racing which I caught the tail-end of. I proceeded to Casa di Giulietta
and again there were a lot of people in that small courtyard. I was content to
take pictures from outside and left after fifteen minutes and made my way to
Arena di Verona at Piazza Bra, a well-preserved Roman Amphitheatre. It is still
in use today and when I was there, a performance was about to begin with
security guards outside the perimeter.
I
walked around the amphitheatre before deciding to return back to my Airbnb. It
took me a while though to get my bearings again and finally traverse a route
back to my Airbnb. Back at the apartment, I had a shower, laundered my clothes,
performed prayers then settled down for a snack. My host was out and still
hadn’t returned by the time I hit the sack.
To
be continued
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