Part of the stipulation of the pass is that you fill in your date of travel before you board the train. Until today, this has not been enforced and one ticket-checker even said to wait to write in the date until someone came to check it. So that is what we've done with no problem...until today.
I agreed with Tim, my host at my first WWOOF farm, to arrive in Asti at 4pm by taking the 930 train. All was well this morning as I found out our hotel actually provides free breakfast every morning (would've been good to know the last two mornings we woke up there and ate cereal from small cups) so the day started out great. After a little confusion at the Rome Termini I figured out what train to board and was on my way.
I did a bit of reading and decided to nap a while. Eventually I was woken when the man came by to check tickets. So I found my pass, wrote in the date, and then he told me I'd have to pay €50.
Ummm..."No" I explained. This pass gets me on for free. Then he went on to say its €50 because I didn't write in the date before I boarded. I explained my past experiences, pointed out how there are numerous dates on my ticket that I wrote in and no one checked, I had already written in todays date, on other trains I didn't have a problem...and he had none of it. He said "cash or credit card". Well, I am in no place to pay €50 for a ticket that should be free, I asked him what it would cost to just buy a ticket and he rolled his eyes and said €100. This is when the passengers nearby started getting involved and (seemingly) argued my case. Again, he had none of It and said to pay or get off. I was stunned. He showed absolutely no sympathy or sincerity. Just kept rolling his eyes and saying "are you going to pay?".
I told him I wouldn't and asked what my options are, and seriously won't he just give me a break. I had no bad intentions, just following the precedent his peers had set with me so far. He said I had to get off and catch the next train...in 3 hours.
Well this would all be fine and dandy except I have my next boss/host/food provider expecting to pick me up from that train. But what option did I have, this guy wouldn't budge and was getting more rude by the minute. I told him that fine, I would get off and then take another train and he rolled his eyes a few more times and left.
I picked up by stuff and with the sad faces of the people nearby giving me their support I sludged to wait by the doors of the train. The first stop was some town that I couldn't even bear to look at the name of and when I got off I found the mean conductor man again and asked if I could please re-board the train. I had shown my good intentions by getting off with al of my stuff right? Wouldn't he please just let me get back on? I'd stand if that made him happy.
But no, not even another train employee working on the platform could convince him to make a decision in my favor, so with him blatantly ignoring me and waving away his co-worker he hopped on the stairway and waved the man on.
So I sat and waited for another train. The lady inside the station said I may be able to get to Asti by 7, 4 hours later than I'm expected. No good.
What's amazing though is that even though this one guy was a total and complete jerk on a power trip (I understand now that I messed up but I did all that I could to show that I had no bad intentions) there were so many other nice people. The two couples around me who argued for me with the man. A nice guy in the line at the station who, without my asking allowed me to go ahead of him in line. Another guy on the train platform who carried my tent onto the train for me. And of course the 3 guys that jumped to help me when I struggled to lift my bag into the luggage rack on the train.
On the next train...
This train will arrive in Pisa in 2 hours where I will try to call Tim from the winery to let him know when I will actually be arriving in Asti. What a day.
2 hours later in Pisa...
And of course I cannot just catch a train straight there. I will now go to Genova at 3pm, and catch a train from there to Torino, arriving around 8pm. I also had to pay €10 for a reservation on this train :/ Loss of time and money-what a bummer!
I called Tim and left a message, hopefully he won't be waiting at a station somewhere expecting me!
On the train I sat with Michelo, a student of 'laboratory' who has traveled the world, know italian, English, Spanish, and is learning Portugese, and who lives in a beach town in northern Italy. He empathized with me about the mean train man and over some chips we talked philosophy.
By the way, the train ride I'm on now, from Pisa to Genova, is astoundingly beautiful. Ragged cliff-faced mountains. Brick castles perched atop mountain summits. Occassional views of the sea beating on the rocks below the train tracks. Vineyards stretching out across the valleys. Its gorgeous!
Later in Genoa...
I got off the train as quick as the long line would allow and headed to see when the next train to Torino would come to take me to Asti. As I expected, one hour. I went to look for a payphone to again call Tim and let him know the situation. Digging 30 cents out of my purse I used a pay phone and got a hold of him!! He answered in Italian and when I responded asking for Tim he laughingly switched to English and asked how I was doing. We chatted about my disaster of a day then, consulting schedules, agreed on the train I should take. He told me I should go wander around Genoa for my hour and enjoy the beautiful city and hed be there to get me at 8. What relief!
And so exploring Genoa I went (laden with backpack, tent, and groceries). First though I stopped in at a restaurant for a nice dark German beer (I felt I deserved one after all the stress!) and then I wandered the streets of the quaint city.
Back on the train to Asti now, I can't wait to get to my home for the week! And guess what, Every person who I mentioned my destination to has exclaimed how Asti is the center of wine-making in Italy! Particularly known for champagne! I think I chose a farm well!
What a(nother) disaster of a travel day!
did you go to cinque terre yet? do you plan to? if not, you should rearrange your entire trip to do it (it's that good). if i remember correctly, you can take a train to genoa ans use it as base camp, then i recommend walking the cities from north to south, as it puts the "hard" part 1st... you could probably day trip it from Asti or anywhere else reasonably close by. Like i said, if it's not already part of your travel plans, you should adjust--it's definitely well worth it.
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