Of trains and dogs and high dramas

I am going to jump out of order again tonight to tell you about my three successive train trips over two days to take me from the ship when it was docked in Naples in Southern Italy to Milan in Northern Italy, then from Milan to Paris, then from Paris to Amsterdam, so that I could join my riverboat cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest. We crossed over a couple of other countries along the way. 

What a journey that was! At the stations - milling crowds from everywhere, old and young, standing for ages in the hot waiting areas intently watching the boards of arrivals and departures for up to 24 platforms, whistles and toots and squealing brakes from fast-moving trains arriving then departing within 10 minutes in the vast station complexes, police everywhere (and no gypsies, no doubt thanks to the police, though there were a few people wandering around with their hands out for money, and I think the police were there - with their guns - more because of fears of terrorism), people touting for business - carrying your luggage or getting you a taxi, crying babies, couples passionately parting from one another, and barking dogs . . . !!

Yes, dogs, though they only barked when they saw each other in the stations.

The bullet train from Naples to Milan, with several stops along the way, took almost 5 hours. While I had seen some very small dogs in their owners' arms over my two hours wait at Naples Central Station station, the owners had pet carriers with them so I assumed that was the done thing. But when I turned around in my First Class (and very comfortable) carriage, I was most surprised to see a lady sitting behind me with a golden cocker spaniel sitting happily on her lap. I must confess it was well-behaved though.

What I found was extraordinary was that dogs were even allowed on the overnight train from Milan to Paris. I saw one couple get on board the train with a big golden labrador, and take it into their sleeping compartment!  I had a long five and a half hours wait for that train. As I waited, and waited, I even saw another couple with two big Alsatians and one Rottweiler boarding a train for Turano at 11 pm that night, which is a long journey too. How the dogs’ calls of nature were resolved I have no idea.

My excellent travel agent very wisely booked me into First Class carriages everywhere she could, primarily so I would be much safer and more comfortable given I am travelling on my own. Despite all the warnings I received and horror tales I heard, not only for Naples, where clearly there is dire poverty, but also for Rome and others major European cities, I only have had very civilised and pleasant experiences in terms of that kind of problem - so far at least. 

However, having now travelled in two very comfortable, modern bullet trains, I was shocked by the standard, or rather lack of it, of the train to Paris. It would have been at least 40 years old, I would think, and there were parts such as the two toilets at the end of the carriage that at least 60 people had to share, that looked like they have never been washed down. They and the floor of my tiny - really tiny - compartment were filthy. (Moreover, the toilets stank and it appeared that the sewage just went straight down onto the tracks. Little flushing occurred too.) And this was supposedly ‘First Class’! 

My compartment was only just over 1 metre wide and about 1.5 metre long, including the bed. A ladder to one of the upper bunks was balanced across the window. But then there was another door, so as I inspected my compartment I assumed that was the toilet. To my horror I found myself in the next tiny compartment with a man snoring away in his bed. He stirred in surprise. I apologised and beat a very hasty retreat, then barricaded the door with my heavy suitcase!  Goodness - how embarrassing! 

Not being able to board until 11.30 pm, after the long wait in the heat and all this drama, I was so exhausted I just flopped onto my bed, only to have the porter (whom I only saw once on the almost 11 hours on the train, and that was then) knock on my door offering for me to go down to the lounge for a welcome champagne - it was midnight and he could not understand why I declined his offer (with as much politeness I could muster at that ungodly hour) - and then he asked for my passport. 

At 5 am there was another knock on my door, this time a smiling policeman returning the passport . . .  What next?

I had to catch a taxi from the station that train arrived at, to Paris Nord, where I was to catch the train to Amsterdam. I had a 2-hour wait there, but near the end of that there was another drama, with many police swarming around the platform of our train, some from the security forces with bullet-proof vests, all with guns. We were forced to queue and go through X-ray machines with all our luggage. Luckily nothing eventuated and we all arrived safely in Amsterdam. Then, if it weren't for a lovely young taxi driver who went out of his way to help me, I would never have found the river boat. (Actually, I should call it a river ship.) I made it just half an hour before our first big meeting. 

And I must thank all the kind people who lifted my heavy luggage up or down the steep steps in the trains. Volunteered kindness from strangers is just so uplifting. It makes up for a lot, doesn't it? 

But here I am, about to go to bed. I now think back to that poor man who I surprised last night and am having a great giggle. And goodness knows what the policemen thought when he saw me at 5 am this morning, all dishevelled from tossing and turning all night on that uncomfortable little bed, and fairly scantily dressed as it was so hot. Those who know me well will remember the tale of my midnight encounter in similar hot conditions when my fire alarm went off at home and four burly firemen and two burly policemen pounded on my front door and insisted on being let in - NOW!!! And there was me startled out of my sleep by the alarm and running around with little on and trying to look for a thief and to answer the phone to the security company. And all caused by a tiny insect that had crept into the smoke detector .  . . 

Our first outing is at 8 am tomorrow morning!  Never a dull moment! 

In the large reception area at the Milan station. The tracks and trains are in the adjacent hall.

This was taken in the reception hall at 9 pm. The trains run in and out until about 1 am.

A bullet train like the one I was on, in the train area of the Milan station. 

To the right of my suitcase is THE door I mistook for a WC. To the left is my bed. See how wide the door was and how much floor space I had. 

Outside Paris Nord Station. A most unusual sculpture. 

Another view of outside Paris Nord Station. Beautiful architecture! 

The Cinque Terre

The day before our trip back to Rome with engine troubles, described some time ago in my ‘What a day!’ post, we set off from La Spezia very early to catch a launch to Porto Venere, on the way to the well-known Cinque Terre, a set of five coastal villages, each of which practically hangs from steep cliffs surrounded by hills and vineyards. The villages were built along this attractive coastline in such a way to defend themselves from pirates and for a long time were only accessible to the rest of Italy by steep pathways. Other produce was also grown up the steep hills using terraces to keep the plants well-watered and to prevent loss of soil.

After an hour’s exploration of Porto Venere, a picturesque village with its historic church and colourful buildings, we caught our next launch to Vernazza, one of the five villages then yet another launch to the last of the five picture postcard villages, Monterosso. We were now in the open sea, but luckily it was not rough. Here we had a superb fish lunch then were set free to explore this village and any other villages we chose, using the challenging walking track between them or the train that now runs along the coast (mainly through tunnels) back to La Spezia. The fittest of our group did the very long hike, others hopped on and off the train to the different villages, while I caught the train in the middle of the afternoon directly back to La Spezia after spending some time exploring Monterosso. It was very hot and had been quite a tiring journey.

I have already mentioned my hair cut in Rome on my one day off from travelling. In my next post I will start telling you about my cruise to Sicily, the Greek islands and Athens. But now I must rush as my WiFi access is about to be cut off as I am leaving the ship this morning and departing on a series of three trains to get me to Amsterdam. I will not be able to post any more stories until safely on board the river boat. (I assume it will have WiFi.)

At La Spezia, on the way to boarding our launch.

Along the coastline to Porto Venere.

An amazing historic castle-fortress right at the entrance to the bay in which La Spezia is located.

Coming into Porto Venere.

Porto Venere. The sea water was crystal clear.

View of part of Porto Venere, a very attractive village.

Part of the train line connecting the villages. Notice the terraces up on the hillside.

Many of the houses are precariously perched on the cliffs. The fence on the right marks the long walking track between the villages.  One of the five villages can only be reached by a very steep walking track.

A view of another village.

A view of Monterosso.

An intriguing villa in Monterosso.

Enjoying the beach at Monterosso .

Revisiting Siena and Pisa on my second Italian tour

Our final destination for our first day of the second tour I undertook of Italy was Siena, which township I had visited before on my Insight Tour. But this tour was little different, as it was market day, although the market was held outside the walls of the historic town. This time we had a local guide who took us on a very different and all-too brief tour through the old town.

Like Pienza, the Siena market featured a huge range of plants. But it was a bigger affair altogether, and was extremely busy. People were pouring in, even though by now it was late afternoon. On this tour we saw three of at least four old cathedrals, all within the town. The first was a plainer-looking structure, but this time we went inside and there we saw a dedication to St Catherine of Siena, who had been an ordinary nun who did something extraordinary. At that time the Pope chose to live in France, and had no plans to return to Italy. But Catherine had a vision, and believed that he should return to Rome. So she walked all the way to his palace in France, on her own I believe, to persuade him to come back. That she succeeded was amazing, and so she is revered across Italy as one of the patron saints of Italy, together with St Francis of of Assisi.The other two cathedrals we saw were very ornate, although one was never completed. 

On the day we went to Siena, there were banners everywhere celebrating the winning of its famous 600-year old horse race known as Il Palio. This takes place in the large town square, with the spectators in the middle and the race track laid around the perimeter. The track is covered in clay. The town is divided into 14 different districts, each with its own name and symbol. Which district you are assigned to depends on where you were born. Even if you move, you still belong to that district. The race takes place on the same two days of the year and only six districts can race at a time; the others have to wait for a turn at the next race. The horses and the professional jockeys are each assigned to one of the competing districts. 

We stayed overnight at a very nice hotel about 15 minutes drive from the old town, then on the next morning we first visited another place I had seen before, the lovely San Gimignano, where again I simply had to have one of their world-famous gelatos, and some lovely toasted bread covered with their delicious local extra virgin olive oil. 

After that we drove on to a farmhouse that had beautiful gardens and which offered various nibbles along with samples of their wines. They emphasised that Italians only ever drink wine with food.  

Finally we visited Pisa, only this time it was sunny, not raining, and our guide left us at the entrance to wander around as we please. The buildings looked all the more sparkling in the sunlight, but of course the many people wandering about selling umbrellas with photos of Pisa did not do such a roaring trade. It was interesting to note that most the traders wandering about or running stalls looked like they were African, but while they were enthusiastic about getting a sale, they did not make a nuisance of themselves. I thought that was much more constructive and commendable than all the gypsies I have seen in Italy, who simply beg or steal and do make nuisances of themselves.

That night we stayed in the port city of La Spezia, ready for our full day at the famous Cinque Terre coastline.

Inside St Catherine's Cathedral, Siena. 

The special altar dedicated to St Catherine, where many people pray to her.

At the farmhouse. some of their wine is aged in ceramic pots.

The wine-tasting room with a view. This would be a great wedding venue.

The swans were the recent winners of the horse race in Siena.

Another cathedral in Siena. This was not the only black and white cathedral I saw in Italy. Unfortunately I cannot remember what this symbolises.

A close-up of part of the facade of the cathedral.

Another cathedral in Siena, which I would imagine was built in the baroque period.

A close-up of the ornate work in the front of the cathedral. I think the art work would have been a mosaic. 

The winery at the farm we visited.

Part of the beautiful gardens at the farmhouse.

A view of some of the vineyards belonging to the farm. 

I don't remember whether I pointed out in my previous post about the 'Leaning Tower of Pisa' that strangely, the flagpole on top is vertical. Also this is not the only tower in Italy that is at an angle due to the movement of the earth.

The gate into the old township of Pisa, so lovely in the sunshine.

Italian villages, including Montepulciano and Pienza

On our Insight Tour, we had driven over 2,000 km across Italy. Sunday 14 May marked the start of my next tour of Italy with a different company, known as Gartour. I believe that we would have driven over 1000 km just on that tour. The tour was entitled ‘Flavours of Tuscany’. 

This was a four-day tour with much smaller group, and a very different style of tour leader.  Our coach was small, just an 18-seater. That would have been alright, even though the tour brochure said we would be travelling in a ‘luxury coach’, if it were not for the fact that there was so little room for our legs you could not stretch them out and so it was very hard to walk when you first got off the coach each time.  And I am vertically challenged. How the gentleman in our group who was well over six feet tall managed I have no idea. And this was the tour that ended with dramas with our motor, described in my post ‘What a day!’. Still, having some delightful companions made up for a lot.

On that Sunday after leaving Rome we first visited the hilltop town of Montepulciano, yet another ancient hilltop village full of medieval and Renaissance buildings, with great views of the surrounding countryside, surrounded by very high, thick walls, and full of very steep, winding, narrow streets with a small city square at the centre. On this occasion, street stalls were set up in the square - it was their market day. However, we had no opportunity to browse the stalls or the small number of shops. Instead we went to a wine-tasting, as this village apparently is famous for producing one of the oldest wines in Italy. At that event we also tasted some local produce - ham, salami and cheese.

I do apologise for jumping around like this, but now I am back to talking about my second tour of Italy.

What intrigues me is that we visited, or just saw in the distance, many hilltop villages across Italy, all of which were surrounded by very tall, very thick walls made of large stones or old bricks. Why so many (apart from the obvious fact that Italy is full of hills)? The answer lies in the fact that until just over a century ago, Italy was not a unified country. As a country, it is younger than both Australia and the US. Instead it consisted of many small, separate kingdoms, each of which was ruled by a powerful family. For example, Florence was ruled for a long period by the Medici family. And over the centuries these villages were often in conflict with one another, or with invading armies from such places as Austria, or if they were along the coast, with marauding pirates. Their safest place was to be up high, though not all the villages were up high. Being near a river was also a great advantage. In these cases the villages had two sets of thick walls with a dry moat between them. In addition to being protected by archers, the citizens would pour boiling water and boiling oil onto the heads of their enemies when they came close. The villages also had a maze of narrow winding streets to help confound their enemies should they breach the walls. It took some very powerful people from the northern parts and the southern parts to push for unification, despite very strong opposition, including from the Pope of that time. 

Back to our travels  . . . Our next village for the day was Pienza, a delightful Renaissance village built under Pope Pius II, which apparently is well known for its pecorino cheese. Again it was market day, and what astonished me was the main product being sold was plants that are so familiar to us in Australia - including hydrangeas, roses, geraniums and camellias. And unlike the other villages we visited, the main square was a garden with flowers and grass and footpaths, not just cobblestones. It was lovely to see. Unfortunately my photo of the square did not work out. And we were only allowed one hour inside the village, some of which time was spent getting a drink. It was quite a hot day. 

Where we tasted the wine. This is out of sequence because it was taken with my phone camera.

The view we saw from near the entrance to Montepulciano, including many vineyards .

Approaching the entrance to Montepulciano, which was a steep walk.

Approaching the town square with its market.

One of the many steep laneways in the town.

A view of some of the homes in the town.

Leaving Montepulciano.

A peak into the small palace inside Pienza. This palace made up one of the sides of the village square. It can be seen that the building and its design is younger than in the other walled villages we saw. A church made up another side.

Another view inside the palace. Green garlands were woven around some of the pillars.

Another important building at the town square.

Some of the plants being sold along one of the laneways.

A close-up of some of the flowers on sale.

Some of the homes outside the walls of Pienza.

The Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel

If driving along the Amalfi Coast was hair-raising, anyone with a great fear of heights should never visit the the Greek island of Santorini, which I did yesterday. Driving up the very high cliff face there from the little port to reach any of its towns, and then coming back down by cable car, required nerves of steel, I can tell you!

But I get ahead of myself. I am still trying to catch up on telling you about all my travels. I leave this ship on this coming Sunday, 28 May, which will mark three months of travel since I left home. Five months to go! On that day I will be setting off on a couple of days of train travel across several European countries, so it will mean another gap in my posts.

I meant to mention that the farewell dinner for our Insight group on the evening of 13 May was at the Vatican museum, a place with such wonderful works of art it was incredible. As you would expect, security there was very tight - tighter than anywhere else we visited. We walked through countless large galleries, each with beautiful frescoes on its ceilings and patterns on its marble floors and treasure upon treasure - paintings, tapestries, golden gifts from other countries . . .  And then we saw the stunning Sistine Chapel, which had been restored to its former glory. Here Michelangelo’s work showed the true genius of the man. We stood there in complete awe, only sorry that the size of the crowds, though it was nearly closing time, meant we were walked through all too quickly. 

Unfortunately my phone camera, which I have found best for indoor photography, started to play up, so most of my photos cannot be shown in this post. And photographs were not permitted in the Sistine Chapel. Unbelievably, some of the crowd could be seen sneaking shots anyway. So little respect! 

The buffet dinner itself was so-so, in my opinion, but the venue was beautiful - a large gallery full of works of art that were gifts from many countries, including Australia. Each country had its own set of showcases laid out in a small gallery off the main gallery. The Australian exhibition consisted entirely of works of art by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, although the museum's map of Australia showing the Kimberley region, where much of the work apparently came from, was incorrect. It showed, or appeared to show, that the entire north west of Australia is the Kimberley region. Interestingly, our tables were set amongst many beautiful life-like models of American Indians. 

This sculpture was just inside the museum entry. 

A typical ceiling in each of the galleries.

A pure gold model.

A very ornate work of art in pure silver - perhaps from the baroque period?

Another work of art - a glass window set in an ornate piece of furniture.

One of the works of art in the courtyard outside the museum entry.

A huge modern sculpture consisting of one sphere inside another, the whole sculpture slowly rotating.   

Both sculptures seen in the courtyard.