When this trip was planned, I knew I was traveling by train mostly, but the details of how to do it were a bit lost on me. I had my Eurail pass, good for 5 countries I had selected, and I knew I had to 'activate' it somewhere at Rome's central station, but that was about it. I expected it to be a long and arduous process, but somehow in 5 minutes a man had activated/stamped my pass, pointed me to the ticket kiosk and I had a first class ticket to Milan.
I hugged my friends good-bye, kissed both cheeks for good luck, and boarded my train in the first class cabin. Nothing too exciting, just plenty of empty seats and the one's that were taken were filled with men in Italian business suits. I was definitely the only soul-searcher in this car.
Sitting back and relaxing, and watching the Tuscan country side pass by in my window was truly a moment I will never forget. The medieval towns tucked away on the hillside, the expansions of green grass between each town, the small town Italian life dashing past as the train rolled forward. I think traveling is one of the greatest gifts you can offer your soul, and I was so thankful that this is the gift I could offer mine today.
About this time, the beverage cart starts rolling down the aisle, and I asked for vino bianchi. "Oh, no, miss... no vino bianchi, solo presecco"... Really? Did that even need to be a question? Would I be okay drinking champagne instead of white wine? YES PLEASE! I was loving these Italians and their upgrades. And we were only on day 2 of our travels.
No comments:
Post a Comment