This will be a relatively short history of today’s activities since I have no pictures to share and really it was a day of travel. However, there were some events worth mentioning.
We awoke this morning knowing that we were to arrive in Ancona, Italy at 10:30 Italy time. We spend several minutes trying to figure out if that meant we moved the watched ahead one hour or back one hour. Finally after much discussion and puzzling we decided that since we were basically heading West we should be moving back one hour. So we decided to sleep another hour.
Breakfast on the ship is never to be taken cheaply, and it was not. The freshly squeezed orange juice cost 4.35 Euro per glass. Of course just a cheap out of the box glass of orange juice cost 3.50 Euro. Never mind, we have to eat for our next step of the journey, and we did not pay for a hotel room last night. Besides, the ship was only about 10% full and with a full crew on many were just waiting to do something, they looked so bored standing around.
So we arrive, the ship races into harbour, does a quick 180 degree turn and backs up to the pier. We are only 35 minutes late. This meant that we had thought we would catch the 11:15 train to Rome but that was not possible. So we got out the GPS to try to figure out where to go to find the train station. We have to switch gears and start thinking in Italian (not easy when you don’t speak it, but not as hard as we thought for understanding and we do have the dictionary). We learn that the station is about 2 km away which is an easy walk. We head out on foot in the very light sprinkling rain. Yes we have umbrellas so we have them at hand in case it really starts to rain.
We arrive at the train station to stand in a long line-up which takes about 30 minutes to get to the ticket agent’s wicket only to learn that with the Eurail pass we do not need a ticket for the 2 pm train and only need to show the ticket the train agent on board. This does not seem right to us so we think, ok, we can go with it and wait about 90 minutes for the train. If that is a problem then the next train is at 3 pm and we can get that one.
However, it is bothering me since in Athens we had to get the ticket before boarding the train. So I decided to ask a different ticket agent who was not busy (no line up at this time) and he sent us to the train information desk (which by the way for those not aware, seems to be found outside the train ticketing section and on the platform side of the station). There we talked to a lovely and knowledgeable young lady who explained the whole system. The train we were taking at 2 is the Regional Line (no 1st or 2nd class seating) and it stops at all the stations along the way. The train that is going at 3 is an high speed express train with 1st and 2nd class seating. To take that train we would need to make a reservation at a cost of $10 Euro and then we would be seated in first class which are more comfortable. However, both trains would arrive in Rome at the same time (the high speed train leaves 1 hour later but arrives at the same time). For any of the regional trains in Italy we only need to get on and show our pass, for the others we need to make a reservation and pay the reservation fee. Sure glad she explained all that.
Ok, the train is not busy at all and we have a really comfortable ride on the Regional (why pay the extra?). The countryside here is beautiful with landscapes that go from flat agriculture to steep mountainous terrain. I am amazed at how many tunnels we went through and how long they were. I think they could teach New Zealand a bit about making roads and railways.
We arrive in Rome and we had made a reservation with a hotel based on cost and location. We wanted something close to the metro station and railway station (Roma Termini) and found one. It was a bit of a fun time getting our GPS oriented and we did walk back and forth on one street a few times while we tried to figure out which direction she was trying to tell us to go. Eventually we found the right direction and headed right to the hotel.
I am afraid that nothing exciting happened to report other than it has been a long journey starting yesterday but we are looking forward to 3 or 4 days exploring here in Rome. Watch for the pictures.
In the meantime, I got a few more questions which I have added to the blog for historical references regarding our time in Greece.
When you hike to these sites is there an admission charge? In most cases there are admission fees from Monday to Saturday. Sunday’s all admission fees are exempt. The fees range from 2 euro to as much as 12 euro. However, in Athens we bought a package for 15 euro which gave us entry into 4 of the sites and/or museums.
Is there anyone around that is supervising the site? Or being the off season is there no one at present but there might be "curators" on site during the tourist season? In the museums there are watchers EVERYWHERE. On most of the archaeological sites there are a few but not very noticeable and usually not very communicative.
You've mention the renos happening at museums and tourist offices but did you see any work in progress restoring the ruins of fortresses etc? Lots of renovations are happening on all of the ancient ruins. In particular the acropolis is under going massive restoration. In other sites there are small areas fenced off where is work is happening and we just walk around those areas.
It seems that you can wander at will through the sites and trample trails and move rocks if you were inclined to. Is that the case? In most cases yes, but often there is a defined path you can follow which makes it easier. However if there is a no-no area it is roped off but we did see people ignore those ropes at times but not often. As Canadians we would not even consider violating the ropes.
Also there seems to be no concern for safety issues, no fences near drop-offs, no handrails. Is that the case too? We really noticed this as we stood on top of high walls. There are No concerns for safety issues and seldom any type of handrails/buffers or posts. The closest we saw was a sign indicating parents hold their child’s hand.
By the way the last shot of the two of you was taken by a German couple with a car. I was wondering if they had driven from Germany and if so did they say how long it took them to drive to Greece? No, they flew to Athens and rented a car there. However, we did talk to a couple of workers from Holland on the ferry today who drove down to Greece and were returning . From Ancona, Italy they said it would be a two day drive for them. I did not ask how long their driving days would be.
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