Another early morning, but this time we had gotten 8 hours of beauty sleep! We wanted to make it to the National Archaeological museum when it opened. And we did! We got there at 8:30 on the dot. (Thats an odd saying). Oh and this time I got in as a student! Yeah! The bottom floor is mostly marble, stone and bronze sculptures that follow the development of Greek art. It was quite a collection of work and we were allowed to photograph! We found two huge rooms that housed their Collection of Egyptian art which I went crazy for! Egyptian jewelry, sculptures and even some lovely mummies with infor about significance and history of each group of items on the wall (in English too)! We left the museum just in time to take the subway to the Parliment building and see the changing of the guards. Which is hilarious!! They wear these dresses (I'm sure they have a much more dignified and no doubt manly name) and these funny little shoes with black puff on the toe. Which could only remind me of the little yarn pom-poms my mom made and put on our shoes in 3rd and 4th grade cheerleading. And this made me think, do they know how ridiculous those look? Or perhaps they would agree with my momma and think they are the perfect shoe accessory. Oh! and the guards do this funny little walk, where they first lift their knee then extend their leg, flex and point their toes and then step. And they do this on each step! HAHA Don't fret. I have video! No on could miss out on that!
Right down the street from the Parliament was the War Museum, and we had read that the outside was "guarded" by tanks, cannons and fighter jets that would could actually look into and get right next to. So we went off in that direction, getting held up once by the parade of pom-pom wearing guards. Once at the War museum we did find that it was certainly guarded by it's own fleet of jets and tanks. I really wanted to sit in one but I don't think they would really be okay with that. So inside we went, as to not get in trouble twice while in Greece! The first display we come across is a bunch of guns and the little card description says Luxurious European Rifles. Haha we loved it already! Along with luxurious rifles the museum had other weapons, uniforms, and photos on display of the history of Greece's mighty military efforts over the years. So Nora and I are walking around minding our own business and enjoying the lovely museum when two of the security guards hit on us. (Greek men must love American Women or Nora and I are just THAT hot!) We spend the rest of the time avoiding them. And then left the museum but not before grabbing the museum info packet in Greek. Yes!
Now to find some food for Amanda, because I was about to start getting cranky. On the way back to the subway station we stumble across this little outdoor cafe which had the best yogurt, honey raisins and walnuts, apparently a local favorite that we were informed we must try. So we did and fell in love! Yogurt will just never be the same. :]
It was time to go. Sad.
We grab our bags from the hotel and jump on the train to the airport. As we sit on the train we admire our great understanding of Athens subway/train system and high five for not getting lost! That and being on time for everything! Too bad our plane decided not to be on time for us, but rather an hour late. Which is not good for catching our 8:00 train from Milan to Florence...
So we take the plane and try to not worry during the flight about our train in Milan and how we are possibly going to get there on time. But the second we land Nora and I try to be the first ones off the plane and out of the airport to catch the first possible shuttle bus to Stazione Centrale. It's at the very least a 40 minute bus ride to the train station, and we have about 45 minutes until our train leave. Once we finally arrive at the station, it is 10 after 8:00 and we are running like mad women. The humor in all this is...you see Amanda is wearing this little skirt all day. Quite comfortable even easy to run in, but at one point during our mad dash for the train we run over a huge series of grates in the ground that blow air up. Why they do this...I really have no idea other than for every one around to get a show while unsuspecting girls skirts go flying up to their chins. Oh yes. It happened. Right up! Everything shown. And yet I didn't care. I just kept running, and laughing which made the running more difficult.
Turns out our train to Florence did leave without us. Not like they knew or cared. So then we had to figure something out. We went to the ticket booth and asked the lady very nicely in Italian if she spoke English. And she did yay! We handed her our ticket and explained the situation and asked when the next train to Florence was that we could get onto. Domani! she says. Ummmm.....No! I think to myself....I don't think you understand. "We need to leave tonight." Domani she repeats seeming quite happy with herself. Oh and we had been having this conversation in English up until now...what happened lady? Now all the sudden all she would speak was Italian too us. So I ask her if we can get to Florence tonight by switching at another station, such as Bologna (we've done that before). She tells me that she can get us a ticket to Bologna (oh... ps I'm speaking in English, and she is responding to me in Italian. Why? Why?!) So I ask what time the train from Bologna to Florence leaves. Again she says Domani with a smile. And hands me my ticket and shoos me off. So we call Nikki. Really freaking out now, I just want to be home. I'm exhausted...and apparently they don't want to have a conversation in just one language. Nikki tells me what to say to the ticket lady but advices me to go to different one than I had before. We get back in line and end up at another window. Where again I nicely ask (in Italian) if the lady speaks English and she says 'yes only if you speak slowely"...and then starts rambling a thousand words a minute in Italian. In my head I'm screaming REALLY? REALLY? I hand her the ticket and slowly explain the situation. She also tells me the only train she has is at 8:00am the next morning. Wonderful. So I get Nikki back on the phone and ask the lady to talk to her on my cell phone, I was just like please please she speaks Italian! And the ticket lady finally agreed. I get the phone back and Nikki is still rambling Italian to Marco and then translates for me. Telling me, our only option is to get on a train from Milan to Bologna, Bologna to Arezzo and then Arezzo to Florence, finally arriving in Florence after 7am tomorrow morning or to stay the night in Milan. And as we look outside it's pouring...practically a monsoon hit Milan...where were we going to stay and how were going to find such a place. So we just decide that we'd rather be moving in the direction of home. And go with the tickets.
Milan (23:00) - Bologna (1:24)
Bologna (2:22) - Arezzo (4:56)
Arezzo (5:45) - Firenze (7:09)
Lovely...
Instead of being in my lovely bed at 11:00 tonight, I happen to find myself on the oldest train in the history of the world. At least Nora and I staked out our own compartment (so Harry Potter! I half expected to find some Bernie Bots Every Flavor Beans somewhere).
Ps. We left our hotel and headed for the train station around 1:30pm Athens time which is 12:30pm Florence time. So by the time we get off the train and I make it to my apartment, travel time = approximately 19 hours. Fun! Nora and I decided we should have just swam it. We probably would have made it home quicker. I'm a good swimmer! :]
Oh. Did I mention my phone died while I was talking to Nikki trying to figure everything out. So we get on the train and no outlets in the compartments. But! Alas I find one in the bathroom. Plug my phone in and called my parents and sista. Sometimes ya just gotta get creative.
This train is running about an hour late. Really? Are you kidding me? Our first train couldn't have been running 15 minutes late but this one is an hour! Oh and if this one is running an hour late then we might miss our next train. Grrreeeeaaatttt.
So in our little compartment, Nora and I shut the door and close the curtains we really aren't in the mood to be disturbed. And we turn her Ipod on really loud and just sit and do logic puzzles. Hehe.
So sure enough our train rolled into Bologna station at exactly 2:20. I about ran some people down getting off the train and running to our next train three lanes over. But we got on it in time. So as we walk down the halls of this train, we're looking for a compartment with some room in it and as our luck seems to be going, we find nothing! The train conductor or some man in a suit with a TrenItalia name badge comes up to us and looks at our tickets then walks off, and after he's a few feet away we realize he wants us to follow him. He wakes up these two men who are sprawled out all over an entire compartment and tells us to sit in there. Well the guy who i sat down next to asked me to turn off the light. I just shook my head. I don't think so buddy! They also wanted the door shut and the curtains closed. Already feeling tired, uncomfortable and very cranky we grab our bags turn off the light and shut the door as we walk out of the compartment. Now where to sit we think? Ummm...oh yeah. There isn't anywhere. We don't even technically have tickets for this train! So we pull down some jump seats and curl up next to the window. Fun thing was, every time someone decided to walk down the hallway we either had to contort our selfs or stand up so they could get by. It was the best two hours of my life! So we're ridding along. And all the sudden we see signs for FirenzeRifredi and we think, what the heck are we doing in FLORENCE!!! Yet the train speeds right on through that station. And right on through another very tiny Florence station. I decide I'm going to call my parents again, so I head off to find a bathroom (for a plug ya know). And just as I get my phone plugged in someone starts BANGING on the door. I grab all my stuff as the door opens and it's Nora with both our bags, our purses and our notebooks (how she grabbed all that stuff in like a split second I have no idea, she turned into Wonder Woman). All she says to me is, "WE'RE IN FLORENCE AND WE'RE GETTING OFF!" as she practically jumps off the train. So I follow suit. The train had stopped at Firenze Campo di Marte while I was plugging my phone in and I hadn't even noticed. Nora, knowing we were in Florence and dreading another 3 hours of travel made the executive decision that we were getting off! And thats exactly what we did. I think I did a little dance once we were off the train, because I was just so dang happy to be in Florence. But....where in Florence are we?? Because we were going to be in Greece all weekend and our train was coming into Firenze SMN, a train station we know REALLY well. Neither of us bothered to bring a Florence map. Wonderful. As we find our way out of the train station there are about 25 men getting onto a bus and we ask if they are going to Santa Maria Novella they nod and say yes really creepily like they just want us two young things on the bus with them. But we get on anyways. How else are we going to get to a place we actually recognize. The bus did eventually take us to the SMN station. And we got off in a flash! I was so happy!
I believe it was 5:30 by the time I walked in the door of my apartment..
*sigh*
Home at last!
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