STRIKE!

So we were out of the Shroud by 8:30am and still had till 2pm to catch our train to Cinque Terre (The Italian Riviera). But at 2:05pm our train arrived- and took us to Genova which is on the Mediterranean and should be about an our from where we are staying in Levanto, Italy. However, the train ride took forever. First, it was 20 minutes leaving the track- then our first stop was supposed to be at one of the other Torino train stations- a one minute stop, we were there 10 minutes- finally we crawled to the next stop- and all this time there was a rumbling on the train- and the Italian locals were getting irritated. SUDDENLY, another train pulled up next to ours and stopped- and we are out in the middle of nowhere along the Mediterranean ocean, with the doors of our train hanging open, and Italians out walking around when all of a sudden this cacophony of Italian words started and everyone on our train started to bolt out and run across the tracks to get on the OTHER train!! I said to Carol, grab your bag!! And we hoisted them off the racks and jumped down outside to the ground--- the Italians getting on the other train started to yell at the conductors from our train who were yelling at them to get back on our train! And there’s Carol and I going, huhhhhhhhhhhhhh????????????????

Well it turns out some people got back on our train, and most jumped on the other train- and took off! But the conductor told us to get on so we did- It isn’t hard to understand GET ON STUPIDO!

Finally we chugged off again- and after another ½ hour made it to two more stops- when suddenly some of the people who had jumped off our train were getting back ON it again at the new station!! I was like, “OH HI!- YOU’RE BACK!” but they were in FOUL moods and muttering and sputtering in Italian that I probably didn’t really want to translate.

After another 10 minuets or so of sitting- they collectively go “OH NO!” (Turns out that’s universal for not good news”) and they all start yelling and Carol says to a girl near us, “Do you speak English?- What’s happening??” She says, “STRIKE!- They are going on strike! And we all need to get on another train---- or stay on this train because only one of them is going to go further-----“ We look- and the train next to us pulls out and heads away, and she goes, “and there it goes”.

By this time, I admit, near panic attack- but fortunately after about 5 minutes a female conductor comes in our coach and bellows, “fala congala mano meia come senta bella me gusto, Le Speazia!” to a collective grown of Italians! Carol says, “Do you speak English?” She says, “YES-A” Then she asks where we are going and I, like a scared beaten dog hold up my itinerary and point to Levanto and she laughs and says, “YESA- WE ARE GOING TO LEVANTO SO STAY ON THE TRAINA”.

Don’t have to tell me twice! Eventually, we got here!! But not before I hauled out my Rick Steves Italy travel book and opened it to page 935 where Rick says that Italian rail strikes happen all the time and usually last a day. And this morning, we went into a travel agency and I asked an agent about the strike and he says, “NO- STRIKE” I said, “yes yesterday when we came in” and he says, “OH STRIKE-A--- ONE DAY A STRIKE AND THE NEXT- NO STRIKE--- YOU NO-A WORRY!—“ to which he waved his hands and blew out with his mouth convincing me I was probably ok.

But of course I made Carol walk to the train station to see trains coming in and out again on time- so I think we’re good to go !!