Transition day - trains and ferries

Transition days on vacation are never fun, but you can make the best of them by being patient. 

There has been a lot of goodbyes in the last couple of days and yesterday was the last of them as I am now on my own as Dillon and M had one day left in Taormina on their own, and DH is off to play golf with his buddies on their annual golf trip. He was going to Spain and well, his travel plans didn’t go as planned and I’m not going there. Some things are best left unsaid. 

I had a train to catch and rather than take a taxi, I decided to walk to the train station - it was only a 30-minute walk. OH MY —— the silly GPS takes me to the road which is OK, but I don’t really think I was supposed to be walking on that road. But no worries — there was a combination of road and path. And since I only have my small carryon suitcase and a small backpack, I was good. The joys of travelling light. I will NEVER, unless it’s for work, travel with a lot of luggage. And I brought many things that I won’t be using on this trip. That bugs me, but get over it!!

You can’t really appreciate the pitch of the ground in this photo, but let’s say it was steepish!!

The foot path down the hills in Taormina

Taormina is about 670 feet above sea level and I had to descend to sea level in a very short distance! This was one spot where I stopped and took a photo. Yep — I had to get to the sea!

High above the house tops

And the next thing you knew, there I was - at the train station. It was an super easy walk — OK — so it was an easy walk and then I had to wait a bit because I got there a bit earlier than I needed but I would rather be early (GASP!!) than running late. When I’m in my own environment I can cut corners on the time, but not in a strange city. 

Waiting for the train

The day before I purchased a first-class ticket for the train and it was all very civilized. The train ride would be 7 hours and it was worth it to have a bigger seat. Before I left home I had done some research on what to do after the wedding and how to get to where I wanted to be. I know — that is a bit shocking because I typically don’t do that - I just go. But when I discovered that there was a train on Sicily and that you could take the train to Italy main land via a ferry, I was in. 

When the train picked us up in Taormina, there were four cars in total and an engine on both ends. There were tons of tunnels along the train ride on Sicily. I took this photo for M as it was the last view of the Normand castle - right in the top left corner. You really have to zoom in to see it, but this was the kind of hill I had to walk down!

One last glimpse of Taormina

Our train was destined for the ferry docks. I know — a FERRY for the train, We were stopped and the train was separated. No idea that was happening. I mean I knew that was going to happen but we didn’t feel the train move at all. We were waiting for our turn to board the ferry. And then we were moving forward and onto the ferry. The other half was already loaded. It’s so absolutely cool. I can say I’ve been a walk on passenger on a ferry, by bicycle, and car. I don’t think I’ve ever been on a bus on the ferry. It appears that they could take more rail cars on the ferry but we were only four. 

The train is on the ferry in two parts

And then everyone shuffled up the stairs to the lounge, I think people mostly went there to buy food as the line was crazy. I had snacks with me but I should have bought a sandwich. No worries - I was fine. 

Going up to the lounge on the ferry

Gosh — it looks so much like the BC Ferries!!!

The lounge

It’s only a 35-minute crossing, but it takes at least one hour to disconnect the train and then reconnect it on the other side. I wasn’t in a hurry and it was so fascinating to be part of that that I didn’t care how long it took. 

The outer deck on the ferry

But I had a couple of chuckles when I initially got on the train in Taormina. A group of people were getting on the train - there were six of them and it’s not easy to get a large, heavy suitcase up the stairs and onto the train. This group sounded like they were so disorganized. Stuff was falling everywhere and they were making a lot of noise. 

The group beside me were into games! Two couples from Australia or Britain - I don’t get the accents and they were heavy into a trivia game when I arrived to my seat and they were collectively (at least the two men were) into a crossword puzzle when I got off the train. 

I had to laugh because the mannerisms of the gentleman “controlling” the puzzle made me think he was an accountant (very precise and meticulous) or he definitely had OCD problems The other gentleman across the table from him was leaning over the table and right into this guys space. I’m not sure he liked it, but they were definitely engaged in the puzzle. As they said the clues, I was trying to guess as well! But just to myself. 

Once we were on the mainland, we travelled along the coast. There were a lot of beaches, but they seem to very pebbly as they were in Taormina. The weather was glorious and you couldn’t ask for more! Again, many tunnels as we went under or through the mountains along the coast. 

The coast as we traveled on the train

Here’s one way to know if you are getting close to your destination. Use Google Maps to find your location. Thank goodness I got my phone issue resolved or I would have been dead in the water. How the heck did we ever travel without the internet? I would be totally lost without it. 

Where am I? 

It was interesting when we finally arrived in Naples, (the train was on its way to Rome - another two hours  away), I realized that the train now had more passenger cars than when we started. They must have added more cars when the train reconnected, which explains why we went back and forth a couple of times. 

The train got longer than when we started

And then there is the train station. Which is always bustling regardless of whatever train station in Europe you arrive at. They are all busy!

The train station in Napoli (Naples) 

OH — I need to be very explicit on the blog because I go back to reference it many times. DH was asking for the name of the hotel I stayed at when I was in Madrid. I had to check back because I didn’t remember the train station name (Chamartin) or the hotel (The One Hotel). But through the blog I was able to find the information, so I must be thorough for future reference since my memory doesn’t retain stuff like that. 

It was about 4:30 PM when I exited the train station. I had started my train ride at 9:35 - the train was five minutes late! Anyway, the first line of business is to find a hotel. I know —- what a risk taker to arrive in a foreign city and not have a room to stay. I’ve done it so many times that I never worry now. There is always a place to stay. Gosh — I think I started traveling like that when I turned 50!! You can teach an old dog new tricks! 

I think the most “exciting” experience was my first time walking the Camino and I arrived in a small town and there was a massive festival happening. The number of rooms was extremely limited but they found me a room and I was good. Except for the fireworks that went on and on that night. I barely slept! 

I did look at the map and then decided to just start walking and the first one I went to, it was full. The second one just across the street had rooms. OK — so I look like a tourist because the guy greeted me in English! Did I want a single room? Yes — I’m OK with that. Do you want a single bed? Yes — I’m OK with that. And so for 130 Euro a night I got a very nice room with a single bed. That is a very good price. 

My bed!!

The room is only as wide as the bed and the door, but it’s long and has a very nice, large bathroom. 

Huge bathroom

The only thing missing is plugs and a small light for reading. But no worries. Thank goodness for that long cord I brought for charging my phone. It’s a slow charge, but it allows me to charge while I’m fiddling with my phone. I also have a fast charge which thankfully I used on the train to keep me connected. 

There is ONE plug in the room

Once I got into my room and dumped my stuff, I headed out to find something to eat. I found it quite dirty around the train station with a lot of garbage hanging around. It was Saturday, but still early. I ended up going back to the food court at the train station to get a sandwich. I then had a look at the pastries, but ended up getting nothing. I just couldn’t be bothered to go through the motions of buying something. How silly is that and they didn’t seem to be super friendly either. 

But that’s OK because I have snacks with me so I had some chocolate. Bringing or having snacks with you always is so important when traveling. The same for water. 

I switched my pillows around to face the other way which was more comfortable with that long cable. It was long, but not quite long enough but after switching the pillow, all as good. I’m sure that would have drove DH up the wall. You have to sleep with your head at the head of the bed. Not so when you travel alone. You can do anything you want. I love it!!!

So the question is what to do with the two days I’m here. I booked two nights at this hotel and so I need to fill the days. While I was eating, I was scouring the internet to find a tour group. Not only does one need to book a tour, but you must be close to where the pick up is going to be. So back and forth with Google and maps and so on and I found something for today. 

I hear over and over that you must book things in advance or you will never get in. I have never not gotten into where I want. Wait —- maybe I shouldn’t say that but if you look and are not particular about the time (I had tons of options), I got a tour and the pickup is very near this hotel. A short walk. Plus it was on sale because it was last minute. 

I remember when M and I were in Paris and we wanted to go up the Eiffel Tower. Sorry — no tickets for today. However, you could walk up and there was zero waiting. Guess what we did? We walked!!! There is always an option. 

Being able to get around and have little luggage makes almost all options available to you for whatever you want to do. 

When I got back to the hotel, the Tour Company called me to ask if I wanted to extend the tour for free and I said,  sure - why not. So I’m supposed to be doing two things today. Let’s see how that goes!! I still need to get a geocache so I can get my Italy virtual badge and I’ve located one in the square outside the train station so I should be able to do that on my way to the tour pick up point. 

I know there are a lot of people who would never travel the way I do and that’s OK. I don’t mind the last minute decisions and the hassle of doing the homework. So much can change and if you preplan everything, what happens if you are sick or tired. This way, I can do what I want when I want. Perhaps if it were in the heat of the high season I might not be as lucky but I would never consider traveling somewhere at high tourist season unless I had no other choice. That would be just too stressful and too many people!!! And certainly, not as much flexibility. Besides the weather has been perfect and not hot. 

This hotel includes breakfast so that is good — no need to wander outside to find something to eat. it’s called Stelle Hotel and its slogan is The Businest Hotel. 

I could not find the wi-fi code, and I checked everywhere. AHA — I found it on the key card which I needed to insert in the slot to get power in my room. I had to enter the darn password multiple times and could not get my iPad to connect to it. I had to take a picture of the card with my phone to read it - very small print even with glasses. So my iPad is running off the phone. You have to love technology. While the iPad is heavier than the mini keyboard, I’m getting the hang of it and not having to email the pictures is great. I may consider the iPad for travel in the future. I wasn’t happy about it, but so far, so good. 

I hand washed a few things last night and they are dry this morning, so I’m all set for the next couple of days. 

And with that, I’m out of here to get ready for the day. Another town, another adventure. 

Have a  wonderful day. 

Ciao!!!!