Monday morning I woke up and had breakfast with the girls one last time, then packed my things for check out. April and I ran some errands, then had a wonderful lunch at a lovely trattoria down the street from the hostel. I had lasagna and an orange-chocolate mousse. The waiter also brought out some amazing bruschetta, and at the end of the meal, some yummy limoncello shots. It was a wonderful end to my time in Rome.
Getting out of Rome was not so easy. I made the hike to the train station, bought my ticket to Florence, and then could not figure out what platform my train was leaving from. I literally ran from platform to platform, trying to find my train. The information screens said it was leaving from platform 2PE. I found platform 2 and 2 east. But never 2PE. There also didn't seem to be any officials I could ask, or any english speakers. I missed my train, and had to exchange my ticket for the next train, which wasn't for another hour. Needless to say, I was so relieved when I finally made it to my seat on the train.
This was my first 'real' train experience in Europe. I had taken the train from the airport to Rome, but that was more of a shuttle. This train was not at all what I expected, having taken Amtrak several times. This train was classy. This train was the caviar to Amtrak's sardines. Each seat had a molded head rest and an outlet with a little table to plug in your laptop and do work. They also had televisions that displayed where you were on the journey, weather information and news headlines. I fell asleep on the train and woke up about 20 minutes before we arrived in Florence.
Arriving in Florence was just the opposite of leaving Rome. I stepped off the train into the station, and instead of chaotic masses, there were people calmly milling around. I left the train station and followed the directions I had to the hostel, and pretty much went straight there. (fun fact: did you know that in Florence, there are two sets of street numbers, one red and one black? Because I did not, and this led to some confusion.) I was much more pleased with this leg of the journey.
I was also pleased because my walk from the station took me right past the duomo, giving me my first taste of Florence culture. The duomo is beautiful, especially at night. Plus, it was far less crowded at this hour.
I checked into my hostel, showered, and settled in for the evening in my second city of the trip.
Getting out of Rome was not so easy. I made the hike to the train station, bought my ticket to Florence, and then could not figure out what platform my train was leaving from. I literally ran from platform to platform, trying to find my train. The information screens said it was leaving from platform 2PE. I found platform 2 and 2 east. But never 2PE. There also didn't seem to be any officials I could ask, or any english speakers. I missed my train, and had to exchange my ticket for the next train, which wasn't for another hour. Needless to say, I was so relieved when I finally made it to my seat on the train.
This was my first 'real' train experience in Europe. I had taken the train from the airport to Rome, but that was more of a shuttle. This train was not at all what I expected, having taken Amtrak several times. This train was classy. This train was the caviar to Amtrak's sardines. Each seat had a molded head rest and an outlet with a little table to plug in your laptop and do work. They also had televisions that displayed where you were on the journey, weather information and news headlines. I fell asleep on the train and woke up about 20 minutes before we arrived in Florence.
Arriving in Florence was just the opposite of leaving Rome. I stepped off the train into the station, and instead of chaotic masses, there were people calmly milling around. I left the train station and followed the directions I had to the hostel, and pretty much went straight there. (fun fact: did you know that in Florence, there are two sets of street numbers, one red and one black? Because I did not, and this led to some confusion.) I was much more pleased with this leg of the journey.
I was also pleased because my walk from the station took me right past the duomo, giving me my first taste of Florence culture. The duomo is beautiful, especially at night. Plus, it was far less crowded at this hour.
I checked into my hostel, showered, and settled in for the evening in my second city of the trip.
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