Yesterday I travelled by train from Rome to meet Alan in Amantea where he is attending a conference. It was a comfortable and uneventful trip, that is until the train stopped at Amantea. I was standing at the door of the carriage with a number of other passengers ready to disembark, but we couldn't open the door, no matter how many times we pressed the green button! I thought the driver would realise the problem and release the lock, but no. Pretty soon we were on our way to the next town, speeding through the night, and I felt sick with worry. My phone had no reception so I couldn't inform Alan. The hotel where he is staying is ten minutes out of town so he had arranged for one of their courtesy mini-buses to pick me up. I knew he would also be worried when I did not turn up. He had no way of knowing what had happened or where I was.
Well I managed to get off at the next station and caught a train back to Amantea. Fortunately it wasn't too late, close to 7 in the evening. I was relieved to be able to open the door this time once we arrived at Amantea. So I went to the carpark hoping that the bus had waited for me even though I was an hour late. Of course it wasn't there and, foolishly, I did not remember and had not recorded the name of the hotel where Alan was staying. I felt absolutely helpless and prepared myself for a night at the station. Maybe Alan would check back at the station in the morning(?) Just then a little mini-bus drove into the carpark and out jumped Alan. Such relief!
Anyway, basta con le chiacchiere!
Only a few photos this post. They were taken in and around Roma Termini, Rome's transport hub.
Actually, one thing I have learnt in Rome: if someone approaches me and asks kindly, 'Do you need help signora? - to buy a ticket, to find the right platform, the right carriage' I say 'No!' because this is kindness that comes with a price. Naive tourists are a great boon for the enterprising businessperson with no official position but the same need as anyone else to earn a living. It's not that I'm so concerned about paying the small amount of money that's expected, it's just the pretence of kindness and the feeling of being tricked that's unsettling. It's a bit of a game really, but I would rather be a canny tourist than a naive one.
I had a couple of hours to kill before I caught the train to Armantea, so I visited the Basilica di Maria degli Angeli close to the station. Built into the marble floor of the basilica was a beautiful sundial designed by the mathematician/ scientist/ philosopher Francesco Bianchini. It was completed in 1702.
One last thing: what I find fascinating about Rome is the broad spectrum of its inhabitants. There are visitors from all over the world enamoured by its history, there are recent immigrants doing their best to make a living, there are the wealthy and stylishly dressed, and those who rummage through cheap clothing in the trash and treasure markets. There are beggars at the door of every church, and others who don't seem to interact at all with the rest of society, who live alongside the mainstream in makeshift huts or abandoned buildings and make do with whatever they can find amongst the refuse. This might sound a bit romantic, but my impression of Rome, in the few days I have known it, is of a city with wide arms and a deep heart.
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