[33] TRAINS ON STRIKE...updated

So I get to the station this morning all early like so I can reserve my ticket and be on my way to Ferrara before the day is half over (which is the usual style of travel in Italy, it seems) and the ticket line seems exceptionally long. This is because, as I find out when I try to buy my ticket, the trains are on strike. Now I am at an internet café across the street from the train station and I have theoretically reserved a ticket online for the 11h34 train to Ferrara and I have learned little more about the strike. So far there is nothing in the news about THIS train strike, but there are mentions about several others and serveral possible ones. Train strikes apparently only last about 24-48 hours (boo urns!) and there are often random and sporadic trains that persist despite the strike.

My plan: wait around at the train station and try to take a train to Ferrara. If no train arrives, go back to my hostel and ask for another night. Maybe I will go to the beach like all of the locals....
Another adventure of travelling in Italy (as if I have not had enough train adventures for this trip!!).

A dopo!



An updated:

I booked a ticket for 4€50 online and waited at the platform for the train and got on the train. So the stupid lady at the ticket booth who said there were no tickets was lying....and I understand why because they are on strike and they don't want people taking the train. The train was basically empty and no one even came around to check our tickets, so I arrived in Ferrara without a problem.


At the hostel in Ferrara, which is pretty amazing, by the way, I was told I was sharing my room with a French couple, so I walked into the room and basically said, 'I heard you were French, my name is Laura', in French of course. And then they introduced themselves as Tiphaine and Colas and we went for pizza together at Alice in Wonderland. And then we went to the godawful Garafolo exhibit for free on the last day and laughed at all the horrible paintings about Jesus (they were REALLY bad). And then we had gelati together and several granitas and it was all set.

I have spent the last two days with Tiphane and Colas and it has been very awesome. We rented bikes yesterday and biked along the old city walls (another UNESCO site for Laura!) and went for gelati together. Today we are taking the train to Venice together so they can fly back home to France, and I will stay in Venice one night before going to Bologna and then Milano and then Paris.



Ta ta for now!