Ok. I am here, alive, sane, and with all my luggage.
The first part, the being here part, is a small miracle.
First, I completely missed my flight from Montreal to London, and all that AirCanada would tell me and the other 3 girls who were on that flight was that we had been placed on a later flight...but there was no help as to whether or not we had to go through customs or what. The four of us were running around the Montreal Airport trying to figure out where to go with very little luck...finally we found an Air Canada representative who gave us new boarding passes and told us, no, we do not have to go through Canadian customs, and we should proceed to our flight.
So.
This flight wound up getting into London at 11am London time. My next flight had a 12pm boarding time. I had originally been told that I had to go through customs in London--clearly, this was not going to work. So I asked an agent and he said, no, if my baggage was checked all the way through to Fiumicino, I would be fine. So I walked down the stairs to the runway (because for the first time in my life I got to walk down stairs to the runway, which, I'm not gonna lie, was very exciting) and ran like hell through security and got to my gate with five minutes to spare. Thank god.
Then I got to Rome, and that went amazingly easily. Passport control took all of 5 minutes, and customs were non-existent. Then began the real adventure.
So, I bought train tickets to Lucca. Except I failed to realize that the stop I was supposed to get off was on my SECOND ticket (of three), not my first, and so I was waiting for a train station that did not actually exist. So I missed the stop I was supposed to get off at. Umm...ok. I went to the client help center at the next station (as some kind Italians on the train station instructed me to do...I think...) and was able to get my tickets switched around--now I was to go back two stations, get off at the one I missed originally, and catch a train to Pisa and then to Lucca.
Ok.
Except I missed the train to Pisa--it literally chugged off as I came up the stairs, hefting my suitcase behind me. So, I did what any self-respecting, sleep-deprived drama queen would and started crying. But I pulled myself together and went down the ticket office, and was able to buy tickets first to the Roma Termini station, and then to Florence, and then to Lucca. Ok.
Except the train to Roma Termini wasn't on the track it was supposed to be on, and there was no information regarding where it was. And I HAD to make this train--if I didn't, I was not going to get to Lucca. So, I looked desperately for a train station worker, and THANK GOD, I found one. I started crying, and he told me to calm down, he'd find out where the train was--which he did, and then proceded to take me to the track, carry my suitcase up the stairs, put me on the train, and tell me to call him when I got to Lucca to tell him I was ok. Which reminds me, I should do that. God bless Fabio.
So I get to Roma Termini, and then got on the wrong train. Fortunately, I realized this just before the train left, and then ran off to my train. They don't use train numbers. Very confusing. Then then then, the train was delayed for an hour while they waited on another train from Naples...so I naturally missed the last train to Lucca. I asked the conductor what I could do, and he told me, 'Bus.' Ummm...ok. Then he pointed to another man and said, 'He go Lucca too, follow him.' Ok.
So Giovanni took me to the bus. (Which I never would have found.) He then let me use his cell phone to try to call the program (sadly I had the wrong number). He then took me to the Hotel that the program's main office is in. He should be sainted. I never never never would have gotten out of Florence last night were it not for him. Must email and thank him as well. People should be sainted for things like that.
So...I finally got to the hostel last night around 1am Italy time. And so far all the people I've met are unbelievably nice--and I have a bicycle now. With a basket. And a bell.
And I think that's all. I'm tired, friends. Tonight is a tour of Lucca. Tomorrow the program starts.
*ciao*
The first part, the being here part, is a small miracle.
First, I completely missed my flight from Montreal to London, and all that AirCanada would tell me and the other 3 girls who were on that flight was that we had been placed on a later flight...but there was no help as to whether or not we had to go through customs or what. The four of us were running around the Montreal Airport trying to figure out where to go with very little luck...finally we found an Air Canada representative who gave us new boarding passes and told us, no, we do not have to go through Canadian customs, and we should proceed to our flight.
So.
This flight wound up getting into London at 11am London time. My next flight had a 12pm boarding time. I had originally been told that I had to go through customs in London--clearly, this was not going to work. So I asked an agent and he said, no, if my baggage was checked all the way through to Fiumicino, I would be fine. So I walked down the stairs to the runway (because for the first time in my life I got to walk down stairs to the runway, which, I'm not gonna lie, was very exciting) and ran like hell through security and got to my gate with five minutes to spare. Thank god.
Then I got to Rome, and that went amazingly easily. Passport control took all of 5 minutes, and customs were non-existent. Then began the real adventure.
So, I bought train tickets to Lucca. Except I failed to realize that the stop I was supposed to get off was on my SECOND ticket (of three), not my first, and so I was waiting for a train station that did not actually exist. So I missed the stop I was supposed to get off at. Umm...ok. I went to the client help center at the next station (as some kind Italians on the train station instructed me to do...I think...) and was able to get my tickets switched around--now I was to go back two stations, get off at the one I missed originally, and catch a train to Pisa and then to Lucca.
Ok.
Except I missed the train to Pisa--it literally chugged off as I came up the stairs, hefting my suitcase behind me. So, I did what any self-respecting, sleep-deprived drama queen would and started crying. But I pulled myself together and went down the ticket office, and was able to buy tickets first to the Roma Termini station, and then to Florence, and then to Lucca. Ok.
Except the train to Roma Termini wasn't on the track it was supposed to be on, and there was no information regarding where it was. And I HAD to make this train--if I didn't, I was not going to get to Lucca. So, I looked desperately for a train station worker, and THANK GOD, I found one. I started crying, and he told me to calm down, he'd find out where the train was--which he did, and then proceded to take me to the track, carry my suitcase up the stairs, put me on the train, and tell me to call him when I got to Lucca to tell him I was ok. Which reminds me, I should do that. God bless Fabio.
So I get to Roma Termini, and then got on the wrong train. Fortunately, I realized this just before the train left, and then ran off to my train. They don't use train numbers. Very confusing. Then then then, the train was delayed for an hour while they waited on another train from Naples...so I naturally missed the last train to Lucca. I asked the conductor what I could do, and he told me, 'Bus.' Ummm...ok. Then he pointed to another man and said, 'He go Lucca too, follow him.' Ok.
So Giovanni took me to the bus. (Which I never would have found.) He then let me use his cell phone to try to call the program (sadly I had the wrong number). He then took me to the Hotel that the program's main office is in. He should be sainted. I never never never would have gotten out of Florence last night were it not for him. Must email and thank him as well. People should be sainted for things like that.
So...I finally got to the hostel last night around 1am Italy time. And so far all the people I've met are unbelievably nice--and I have a bicycle now. With a basket. And a bell.
And I think that's all. I'm tired, friends. Tonight is a tour of Lucca. Tomorrow the program starts.
*ciao*
3 Comments:
oh dear god. you are a champ, my friend. i have to tell you, all i could picture while reading that story was you all in a fluster, hair slightly askew, teetering ever so gracefully on the edge of full-out sobbing. you survived the worst -- it can only get better from here on out!! i'm so proud of you!
I cannot believe some of the crazy shit that happens to you. Oh wait, yes I can.
I'm glad you got there safe, I'm sorry I didn't get to talk to you before you left. I shall be doing the e-mail thing soon, whether you like it or not.
Or, I miss you, so come home tomorrow.
Love you!
it's an adventure already! i look forward to hearing so much more. :)
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