September Sojourn: Part V

Soundtrack: Killing Me Softly

Sunday, 16 September 2018

I slept through my alarm and only woke up half an hour later. I hurriedly performed prayers then had a quick shower before heading out to Castel San Pietro. In contrast to the previous afternoon, there was no one there at all and I had the place all to myself. A man did show up shortly after but I didn’t see him again. I spent maybe 20 minutes up there before returning back to the apartment.

I left at 10:00 and made my way to Viale Girolamo Cardinale where the Flix bus stop is. Needless to say, I lost my way or missed a turn somewhere and ended up walking for 50 minutes! I didn’t have any Verona map with me and had to rely on Google map. I finally reached the bus stop huffing and puffing and panting from exhaustion and the heat. The bus arrived on time and after loading our bags, we were good to go.

We reached Mantova about 40 minutes later. I got down at the bus stop at via Legnago and slowly made my walk across the river Mincio to the city. It’s a beautiful walk because the city is sprawled in front of you across the river. I made my way to Palazzo Ducale and then to Piazza delle Erbe and sat soaking in the atmosphere. It’s a pretty compact city centre which was good because I had planned to depart by the 13:29 train for Modena. I stopped at a place selling sliced pizza and bought some. The owner didn’t speak English so I pointed and asked if any was vegetarian and telling her I wanted ‘piccolo’ size. After my light lunch, I continued to the station.

The ticket office was closed and I couldn’t understand how to operate the machine and after trying to get help from some locals, I went to the platform. I sighted a train conductor and bought my ticket from him. We reached Modena at 14:42, enough time for me to perform prayers in the train en route.

I asked for a map from a local and armed with the map, walked to the city centre. The Cathedral of Modena, Torre Civica and Piazza Grande are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. There were a lot of people at Piazza Grande with a stage and a woman speaking into a microphone. People were sitting voluntarily to listen so it must be a political sermon or something.

I returned back to the station to wait for my 17:41 train to Milano Centrale (I had bought the ticket online a few weeks back). I was not amused when I checked to screen again to find the train ETD delayed by 55 minutes. I didn’t feel like walking into te city again so decided to just wait. After a while, I checked the screen again and this time, it showed my train was delayed by 100 minutes and a few other trains delayed as well. One was delayed by 245 minutes! I wanted to ask if I could change my ticket but the queue at the counter was perpetually long – probably because of the delays.

A regionale train pulled up and I hurried back to the platform. I approached a lady train conductor and asked if I could board the train. She said I could but it would be better to wait for my train as it would be faster. I told her I didn’t want to wait anymore as I had waited long enough and who knew when my train would eventually arrive. She repeated that while I could, my original train would still arrive at Milano Centrale first. Somehow I doubted her because the screen showed my train was still delayed. She also said there were many delays because there was a woman who was in the tracks (thrown? Suicide?) somewhere and it caused a chain reaction.

Being a regional train, it of course stopped at various stations and before, the seats were all occupied. I was so glad I boarded at Modena where there were still a few empty seats available. We finally arrived at Milan at almost 21:00 and I rushed to the Terravision bus stop for the bus to Milan Bergamo. I apologised for being late and explained that the train was delayed and the driver and conductor accepted my story. Alhamdulillah.

The bus left at 21:15 and we arrived at the airport about 50 minutes later. I immediately headed for the washroom to freshen up and perform ablutions. I ended up performing prayers at the nursery room (one lady was there charging her phone so it wasn’t as if I was stopping any nursing mothers). Just as I finished, a man came in and wanted to use the WC. Jeez. Then I walked around to find a seat. Sleep? Elusive as usual.

Monday, 17 September 2018

I got up from the uncomfortable seat and went to the RyanAir check-in area to have my boarding pass checked and stamped. Then I went to clear security. I was not happy to be asked to remove my jade bangle and other bracelets. WTF? It’s never easy to take off and put jade bangles. I refused and told the officer to take them off for me if he insisted on it. I was waved through after they ran a wand over me.

I went to the washroom to ‘dry clean’ with body wipes and changed clothes before performing ablutions and prayers. I was not happy when I looked at the screen and found that my 06:30 flight was delayed to 11:30. Like seriously? By five bloody hours? Had I not cleared security, I could have gone over to Orio Centre for at least 90 minutes. Having no choice, I sat down to wait with other fellow passengers.

At 10 or so, there was an announcement for us to collect meal vouchers from a counter so we all trooped up to queue. We were each given two €5 vouchers for us to spend at a coffee shop. I asked what accounted for the delay but the two ladies at the counter couldn’t answer me, instead saying the flight was now at 12:00 @$&&#+!!&() I was thoroughly sick of croissants, buns, sandwiches and the like by then so only spent €5 on chocolates and water. Then I went to one of the two public power plugs available in the whole bloody terminal to charge my iPad (you have to pay at other power points, WTF).

I almost lost track of time and suddenly heard an announcement for my gate. I grabbed my things and hurried over downstairs, cleared immigration and rushed to my gate. The queue was long and slow and we only boarded the bus well after 12:00. I tried to doze off during the flight; after all I had a poor night.

We landed at Stansted about two hours later and had to take a train to the main building. The queue for non-EU citizens was short so I was able to clear passport control quickly. I went down to the bus station but the snotty woman there wouldn’t accept my ticket which I bought a few weeks back as I had already accepted the terms and conditions even though I explained I was held back by a five-hour delay. Damn you. So I had to fork out £12 for a new ticket.

I got down at the stop at Bishop’s Bridge Road near Paddington Station at 15:25 and walked ten minutes to my hotel. My mate was meeting me and I had managed to inform her that I would be delayed. Still, she was leaving for Nottingham that evening. We spent some time in the room before venturing out into the warm London evening. Dinner was had at Noodle Oodle, a halal Chinese restaurant. There was just enough time for us to return to the room where my mate performed Maghrib prayers before leaving for the tube station.

After she left, I went for a walk around before returning to my room. I rang home and was about to doze off when I had a sudden violent tummy upset. It returned again and all pharmacies were already closed, Boots Bayswater being the last to close at 12 midnight. I took some Smecta (only realised it had expired) and had some black tea. Still, I couldn’t help being thankful that I was in a hotel room and not in an airport, train or bus station; I was able to lie down and not having to move with my bags; and I had quick easy access to a clean bathroom.

Tuesday, 18 September 2018

I woke up for prayers and ended up staying awake trying to claim compensation for my delay. I showered and had breakfast (with ORS) before finally leaving after 10. It was late but I was afraid if I would be purging again. I took the tube to Bond Street where I wandered around (not fruitful) and then walked over to the Salvation Army shop before walking down to Selfridges. I was luckier at Selfridges and after paying for my purchases, went up to fourth floor to the Tax Refund. I decided to perform prayers while waiting (Selfridges has a prayer room, how cool is that?!) but my number was called when I was performing prayers. I went to ask for a new number and was advised to go to the machine and do it online as it would be faster than waiting as the queue had grown by then. I had help from a Malaysian-born Chinese man with my form.

I was relaxing in the lounge and browsing the WiFi when I had another sudden violent tummy upset and rushed to the washroom. I only left about ten minutes later, praying that would be the last time I needed to use the bathroom in a hurry. I walked to Marble Arch and rode the tube to Bank station. From the station, I walked to Sky Garden. It was a blustery day and I sat shivering as I waited to enter the building. At 15:20, I went to join the queue and we went inside to wait for the lift.

The lift whisked us up to level 35 (you could access levels 35 and 36) and the view was magnificent. The sun came out then so the city shone below. I walked around and up the stairs to level 36 before coming down the other set of stairs. I spent an hour there before going down.

I took the tube to Temple and walked to the library of the London School of Economics but was not able to enter. I walked on to Holborn and rode to the train back to Queensway. After buying dinner from Tesco, I returned to my room to rest.

Wednesday, 19 September 2018

I woke up at 04:45 today and performed prayers after a quick shower. I then had a light breakfast before finishing packing up. I left at 06:10 and walked to Queensway and rode the tube to Notting Hill where I changed lines and trains for the District line to Earl’s Court for the Piccadilly line. I wouldn’t normally have taken this route but this was what the travel planner on Transport for London suggested. I reached Heathrow 54 minutes later and went to drop off my bag. I also asked if I could change seats and as it was an A380 and a few empty seats were still available, my request was accommodated. Alhamdulillah! After dropping off my bag and getting the boarding passes, I went to the VAT office to submit my form. The queue was slow what with some people still trying to fill up their forms with their miles of receipts.

I returned to the departure level after submitting my VAT form and cleared security check. I then browsed the shops but was in no mood to shop. We were called to board at 08:30 and I was happy to find my seat was in the third row and very close to the cockpit.

I was sitting that close to the cockpit!

We landed at Abu Dhabi after 20:00 local time. We had to wait a while for the First and Business class passengers to get down and disembark before we could follow suit. This time, we didn’t have to take a bus to the terminal building. I just had time to freshen up and catch up on social media before making my way to Gate 6 for my flight back to KL.

We were served dinner and then I tried to sleep. I only managed a brief doze before I was wide awake again.

Thursday, 20 September 2018

We landed at 10:20 and I was home about four hours later. As usual, I set about tidying up the kitchen and dining areas, even dad’s clothes drawers before unpacking. I was done by 16:00 and had an afternoon nap.

And that was my trip to the Caucasus and Italy and a little bit of London.

September Sojourn: Part IV

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

Colchis Fountain

Marshrutka to Gelati with the picture of the monastery

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

Spring In My Step: Step III

Thursday, 4 May 2017

There were many sounds during the night from the Piazza del Campo and other street noises: vehicles and people walking and talking and laughing. Being so close to Piazza del Campo, this was something I expected. I didn’t sleep all that well but it was OK. Either I stay in the centre and put up with the noise or stay outside the centre and end up walking to the centre and bus stations.

Palazzo Pubblico

Torre del Mangia

Piazza del Campo, Palazzo Pubblico and Torre del Mangia

I went for a brief walk this morning around Piazza del Campo before returning to the apartment for breakfast. Eduard had told me there would be new guests checking in today, early check-in too, and that it would be better if I didn’t leave my bags behind and collect them later as he didn’t want to be responsible if the new guests removed or did anything to them. Also, he needed the keys back so that he could hand them over to the new guests. What this meant is I had to bring all my bags along with me to San Gimignano and back.

I left at 08:05 and headed for via Tozzi. The bus to San Gimignano was already there and I had to bring my bag on board the bus (no storage compartment below the bus). We soon left Siena and took country roads heading deep into the Tuscan countryside. Spring was definitely in the air. The bus stopped at a few towns along the way and picked up quite a few Japanese passengers at Poggibonsi. It took about 75 minutes to reach San Gimignano from Siena.

Now San Gimignano is a walled medieval hill town and I was initially worried if it would be anywhere as hilly as San Marino. There were cobbled streets and yes, there were steep hills too but there are alternative streets you can take. The main artery through the historic centre was not exactly flat but still manageable. The bus stops at Piazzale Montemaggio outside the town walls and you enter and walk along a street lined with shops selling leather products, souvenirs and even truffles. Thursday is market day at Piazza del Duomo, one of the squares in town. I asked some of the traders at the market where the tourist information centre was but when I got there, found it to be closed. Having managed to conserve 14 towers of varying heights (don’t think I saw all of the towers), the town is also known as the Town of Fine Towers. The town is small and you can easily cover it in two hours.

San Gimignano

I took the 11:45 bus back to Siena and arrived via Tozzi about an hour later. I had planned to take a later bus to Pienza and thought if I could find a kebab place near Porta Ovile bus stop (where the bus to Pienza departs from), then maybe I could have a kebab and perform prayers there like I did in Bologna. So from via Tozzi I walked down via Vallerozzi to Porta Ovile. Boy, was I glad I was walking down that steep road and not up! I reached Porta Ovile in less than ten minutes and at first glance couldn’t see any cafés or kebab restaurants around. I looked up and saw the bus to Pienza approaching and made a quick decision to just board the bus. At least it would provide me shelter from the sun. So I got on, hoping there’d be a kebab place in Pienza. I had bought the bus ticket earlier. Oh, one more thing, there are only a few bus 112 services to Pienza from Siena and all start in the afternoon. If you go at 13:12 as I did, you will arrive in Pienza at 14:25 while the bus back to Siena is at 14:41. Obviously, this is too short a time to spend in Pienza so if you’re planning to return to Siena, you need to change buses somewhere.

Pienza is a much smaller town than San Gimignano. There’s a terrace that overlooks Val d’Orcia which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in itself. I walked to the terrace (stumbled upon it by accident) and spent a while admiring and enjoying the view before taking the long route back to town. I walked leisurely through the town area and even then was done before long. I tried finding a halal eatery but couldn’t sight any. After a while, I went out and sat in Piazza Dante Alighieri. I had planned to take the 17:56 bus to Monteroni and from there take the train to Pisa Centrale and I had about a couple of hours to kill.

Looking out to Val d’Orcia

Pienza

The time finally came to say goodbye to Pienza and I reached Monteroni at 18:45. There was another bus behind ours and a lady was gesturing for me to get on the bus, indicating the bus was bound for Siena. Well, I had planned to take the train to Pisa Centrale and I would need to change trains at Siena but I was didn’t know where this bus would stop in Siena. If the bus passed the train station, it would be fine but if it went all the way to Porta Ovile, I would have to walk to the station and I wasn’t keen on that as I wasn’t sure of the terrain (Siena is pretty hilly). So I thought quickly and decided to stick to my plan of just riding the train. I asked directions to the train station and headed there.

Well, I found the miniscule train station alright but it was closed. No one was there at the station or any one of the two platforms and there was no sign of life. I decided I wouldn’t start to panic just yet and went back up to via IV Novembre. Sighting a pharmacy, I went in to ask. Alhamdulillah, one of the girls there could understand a bit of English and after discussing with her colleagues and a pharmacist in store, she advised me to go to a tobacconist further up via IV Novembre. I hurried on (it was a good thing I had a screenshot of the train schedule and knew how much time I had left before the train arrived) and finally found the tobacconist. I told the lady at the counter I wanted to buy a single ticket to Pisa Centrale and showed her my screenshot so that I could travel at the chosen time of 19:36. That done, I paid €11.50, thanked her and hurried back to the station.

The timetable showed that trains to Siena would depart at platform 2 so I hauled my bags down the stairs across to platform 2. Not long before the train was due, I heard an announcement which mentioned binario uno and due. I looked across to platform 1 and saw the screen lighted with the word Siena on it so I hurried back down the stairs with my bags to platform 1. The train was approaching when I got to platform 1 and saw to my dismay that the train continued on to platform 2 so I ran down the stairs again with my bags and rushed to platform 2. Seriously fmfl.

I didn’t know if the train was waiting for me but I somehow made it huffing and puffing and panting. I put my bags down at the first vacant seat I found and rushed to use the bathroom. The train was a regional one with only a few carriages and the bathroom is like the one in KLIA Express. I performed ablutions and performed prayers in the train.

We reached Siena at 19:53. I had to take the 20:18 train to Empoli and change trains again at Empoli for the 21:32 train to Pisa Centrale. As I had more than 20 minutes, I decided to go to the washroom at the shopping mall to freshen up. All that running and huffing!

The train for Empoli left Siena just as dusk was settling so I performed prayers on the train again after a few minutes. At the few stations it stopped at, I noticed the ground was wet – it had rained and stopped in some parts of Tuscany. I did see some dark clouds in the distance while in Pienza earlier. I decided that if it was still raining when we reached Pisa Centrale, I would wait a bit or take the PeopleMover to Pisa Airport.

We arrived at Pisa Centrale at 22:08 and I walked the 1 km to Pisa Airport as the rain had stopped. I sat down and decided to try taking a nap after checking the social media, knowing full well that we’d be asked to vacate the terminal building shortly anyway. It had been such a long tiring day of travelling.

To be continued

Spring In My Step: Step II

Tuesday, 2 May 2017

I woke up early today and left after performing prayers and a light breakfast. I walked quickly to the bus station at 18 Stycznia for my 07:03 bus to Modlin Airport. I arrived at 06:50 and stood there waiting. 07:00 came and went. Then 07: 03. 07:05. 07:07 and still no sign of the bus. I was starting to panic and thought of my options. I had run out of Zlotny and my other option was to hike it to the train station and take the train to Warsaw Central and take a bus to Modlin Airport from Plac Defilad. I was starting to really panic when the bus finally arrived after 07:10. Alhamdulillah! The bus was quite empty but picked up passengers in other towns. Despite the late start, we arrived Modlin Airport at 09:56 (ETA 10:15). I sat down and repacked my toiletries. My larger ziplock bag tore at KL Sentral just before I boarded the bus to KLIA and I filled up my smaller ziplock bag and then placed it in the larger ziplock bag (I usually bring a lot of toiletries and would need about three ziplock bags but alas, each passenger is only allowed one bag). After a light meal and repacking, I went in and Alhamdulillah, cleared security check.

We boarded the plane and as luck would have it, my seat was at the very last row (row 33). I saw that there was a row of three vacant seats at row 32 so I moved up after the door had closed so I could stretch out and also perform prayers.

We landed at Bologna Airport at 14:40 but it took a while before the doors were opened. At the terminal building, I bought an Aerobus ticket for €6 to the train station (I had earlier bought an ordinary bus ticket for €1.30 as I had planned to walk to Birra; unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be any pedestrian lane and no one I asked could point me in the right direction so I had to return to the airport and buy the Aerobus ticket). The journey took about 25 minutes.

I went into the station briefly before heading out. Spotting a hotel across the road, I headed for it to ask for directions and a city map. Ever since my bad experience in Madrid years ago, I had found that hotels are the best place to head for to ask for directions or at least get someone who can speak English. I was not disappointed; the kind lady at the reception handed me a map and some general directions and I set off. I walked down the seemingly endless city arcades until I reached Le Due Torri (Two Towers), i.e., Towers of the Asinelli and Garisenda, which are the main symbols of Bologna before walking back towards the train station. I also managed, with the help of another lady at another hotel, to locate the canal of Bologna.

Back at the station, I queued at the ticket office to buy a ticket to Rimini. The chap who attended to me was a jolly friendly man and he told me to take the 17:35 train as it would take me less time and cost me less. I reached Rimini just as it was beginning to get dark and went to find Hotel Alibi (I had booked and paid to stay at another hotel but due to their system error, the other hotel was unable to accommodate me and arranged for me to stay at their another hotel in their group). Unfortunately, there is no underpass at the train station which meant I had to walk the long way to cross the train tracks to get to my hotel which is on the other side of the tracks. I finally found my hotel (got a bit confused with the directions) after 30 minutes. I checked in and went to my room and stayed in for the rest of the evening.

Wednesday, 3 May 2017

After prayers and showering, I went for a brief early morning walk to the beach. It was an overcast morning and as I walked, it started to drizzle. I walked up to the beach which at that hour was deserted except for a lone jogger. I returned to the hotel shortly after and gathered my things before checking out. Turned out I had to pay €1.50 city tax for every night of stay. The bloke at the reception told me I had to pay this tax at all hotels in Italy.

I left and began the trek back to the train station. It took ten minutes brisk walk to reach the station and I bought ticket for the 11:47 train to Bologna for €9.85 (I could have bought a ticket to Siena – with a train change at Bologna - but this would cost me either €52.10 or €57.10 depending on time of travel. I found it more economical to break the trip: Rimini-Bologna ticket for €9.85 and Bologna-Siena ticket for €36.10. Total cost would be €45.95 compared to €52.10/€57.10! When I first started my research, the total cost was €31.10 from Rimini to Siena *cries*). It would leave me a short time to visit San Marino and although I could have taken a later train, I wanted to reach Siena earlier. Then I walked to the bus stop for the bus to San Marino which is outside Albergo Moderno, a 3-star hotel. The bus arrived at 07:55 and after storing my bag in the bag hold beneath the bus, I went up and paid for my ticket. I didn’t manage to buy a return ticket from the driver (I later found out that I could do that at the Tourist Information Centre. A return ticket costs €9 while a single ticket costs €5) and settled in for the ride. We reached San Marino bus station at 09:10.

 This is what I meant. If I had bought a train ticket from Rimini to Siena, it would cost me either €52.10 to €57.10 depending on time of travel. Ticket price had increased since I first did my research!

I decided to check the Rimini-Bologna and Bologna-Siena ticket prices and they turned out better. I only had to queue at Bologna station to buy the ticket to Siena but still, it gave me some saving

From the coach station, there’s a lift going up – the Old Town of San Marino is very hilly and I had to struggle walking uphill with my bag (no left luggage that I could spot). The republic is made of a few towns with the capital (also called San Marino, like Singapore) high on a mountain top. The day started to clear when I was there and I could see the Adriatic Sea far in the horizon. It was fun walking the narrow winding streets although I could do without the cobbled parts and the steep climb especially when I had to haul my bag behind me! You can appreciate why San Marino has one of the highest life expectancies in the world when people there walk up- and downhill every day and observe a healthy diet.

 Palazzo Pubblico and Piazza della Libertà

Looking down at the town below and the Adriatic Sea in the distance

After a whirlwind tour of the historic centre, I returned to the coach station for the 10:30 bus back to Rimini.

From Rimini, I rode the train to Bologna and queued to buy ticket to Siena. As I had time to kill, I went for a walk around the train station. I found a kebab restaurant and asked if they have a prayer room. Yes, they do have it at the basement and yes, I could use it to perform prayers so I hauled my bag down to the basement. After prayers, I returned to the station and had to go to platform 18 which was a few levels below ground. I was glad I decided to return early to the station as it was quite a bit of a walk to get to the platform. The train was a very comfortable one and we travelled mainly in tunnels under the Apennines for it was dark outside most of the time except when we neared Florence. I had ten minutes to change trains at Firenze Santa Maria Novella and of course the train would have to stop just before the station. We finally pulled into the station and I practically jumped off and ran to the boards to see which platform the train to Siena would depart from. I made it to the train with about 4 minutes to spare...

We pulled into Siena on time and I followed the directions to exit via the shopping mall. A series of escalators connect the train station to the old city; I think the escalators took me up about 4 or 5 storeys and I was so grateful for this because no way could I climb up any hill that high with my bag without help. From the station, I walked to the Airbnb which I had booked – accommodation in Siena is frightfully expensive. The nearer to centre, the more expensive of course but I wanted to stay as close to the centre as possible as I planned to visit San Gimignano and Pienza the next day and the buses depart from different stations in the town centre.

It took me more than thirty minutes to get to my Airbnb at via Cecco Angioleri, mainly because I stopped every now and then either to take photos of the buildings or to consult the map. I enjoyed the map and no one bothered me, no one looked at me strangely and at no time at all did I feel any hostility or being treated like a stranger. I did ask a few locals to determine I was indeed going in the right direction. This is yet another thing why I love Italy and the locals: it’s a beuatiful country and the locals are unfazed at strangers.

I didn’t realise I had to turn off at Piazza Tolomei and went on and when I discovered I had missed my turn-off, I retraced my steps back to the piazza. I finally reached the building and buzzed my host. The apartment is right on top of the building and I huffed and puffed up the stairs with my bags. I got acquainted with Eduard (my host), received some tips, placed my bags in the room and had a quick online connection before leaving to explore the historic centre. Good thing I had performed prayers in Bologna eh. I heard some drum noise while in the apartment and when I looked out the kitchen window, I saw people practising drums for the annual Palio di Siena at the little square below.

The heart of Siena, the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo, is literally a couple of minutes’ walk from the Airbnb apartment with the Gothic Palazzo Pubblico and Torre del Mangia forming one side of the piazza. Before heading there however, I went to check the bus station at via Tozzi for the bus to San Gimignano the following morning. I walked around the area before asking at a hotel about the buses and was told I could buy the ticket at the ticket office below the street level. So I returned to via Tozzi and searched for stairs to go down. I then bought a return ticket for the bus the next morning and a good thing too for I found from the timetable given to me that the first bus for San Gimignano would leave at 08:20 and not as indicated in the timetable. I then walked along the streets of Siena before heading for Piazza del Campo. I then had a quick visit to the Duomo, a mixed Gothic and Romanesque building, before returning to Piazza del Campo. Dusk was settling then.

After a while, I walked to Pizzeria San Martino at via del Porrione and bought a slice of pizza margherita for dinner. Eduard recommended this pizzeria. It was good but I think the pizza at Pizzeria Spontini in Milan was wayyy better. I then explored some alleys before taking a circuitous route back to the apartment. There was some noise again and when I looked down the kitchen window, I saw some people enacting a play in the square below. This at almost 11 in the evening!!! The Sienese are indeed fiercely proud of their culture and history and take them very seriously.

To be continued