Europe - Milan/Rome, Italy
Europe - Milan/Rome, Italy |
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Thursday, July 14
This is the first summer while being enrolled at the University and what better way to spend the holiday than with the 3/4 of the study group and go visit the 1/4 that is back home with his parents in Rhodes, Greece. We had bought our Train Pass (InterRail) that would last a month and eager to get going.
 Hamborg, looking for our train to Frankfurt |
To start out we had made reservations to Milan, this was our first InterRail trip and we wanted to be sure to get a good start. Afternoon train to Hamburg and further on to Frankfurt changing to a sleeping wagon and night train to Milan.
Friday, July 15
Early morning 7AM we were roused up by the train conductor that we were in Milan within 10 minutes. The train was just stopping before continuing for Rome. We got off the train but were a bit confused, the station was very small, provincial suburban station. We had expected to be at the Grand Central, this couldn't be it. We bought a map of the center of Milan outside the station and tried to get someone to point our location on the map but no one was able. We were not even in the center.
 The Dom, Milan cathedral |
We asked for direction to the Grand Central. If this was Milan we would go on for Rome immediately. Half an hour walk later we were at the Milano Centrale and a train for Rome was not to depart until noon. We had four hours in Milan and decided to see whet we were missing. We walked into the center and found the cathedral and La Scala opera. Then a quick lunch and off to Rome.
Late afternoon we arrived at Rome and had found a camping site a bit out of town. At that day in time ('88) Camping Seven Hills was 3 miles outside of Rome on Via. Cassia SS2 but now it is probbly absorbed by the suburbs of Rome. We planned on taking a cab but on the exit of the station we were approached by several persons that offered to take us to the Camp at a fixed price. We thought they were a bit high so we took a regular cab. We drove and drove and drove, the end result was that the price on the meter was the same as offered at the station.
It had been a long day when we finally got our tent up, we had already seen so much, impressions, atmosphere, people - it was hard to grasp all this and the thought that we had a month left on our train pass, our InterRail ticket. The camping site was located on a slope slightly modifid to form terraces, good for camping, surrounded by cultivated fields, the nearest with grazing horses. There was a market and a restaurent near the entrance so as soon as our tent was livable we headed in that direction.
There was several animals running free on the premises, normaly you see cats on Italian Camp sites but here it was small white fluffy creatures; rabbits. They were shy so they did just mind their own business and kept to themslves. At the market we bought a bottle of wine, most probably some Cianti and ordered some pasta at the restaurent. After dinner we asked the waiter if we could stay at the table and write some postcards and drink our cheap but excelent wine. It was okay so we opened our bottle and didn't start on the postcards until it was empty.
Now slightly drunk we started writing in a slurred hand, the folks back home sure knew we were having a good time. We also mailed one to our Greek friend, the final destination on this trip, to let him know we had a good start. Perhaps we did let the wine do the talking, we made some fine stains with the last drops from the bottle dripping on the card. It looked like shit, the impression that the author had passed out after the final pen-stroke was perfect and partly true. We posted the cards before reeled back to the tent, getting ready for our first full day in the Italian capital.
Saturday, July 16
Up sort of early, eager to explore more of the city that we only saw glimpses of in our Taxi-ride last night. We asked in the camp-supermarket which bus to take to get into the city center and got the number for one with terminus at the Vatican. To go back home it was the same in opposite dierection.
 Our Camp site outside Rome |
We bought some breakfast; bread-rolls and bottled chocolate, and went back to the tent to pack the most essential for a day walking in the city; camera, extra film and money. After consuming the high-energy breakfast we walked the short mile up to the busstop at the main road into Rome. A five minute wait and the bus was here. The price a fraction of the Taxi and equally fast. A small hour later we were there - the center of Rome, loud, noisy and fantastic.
At first we went through the gate and inside the Vatican
 Peters Church, the Vatican - Rome |
Rome
 The Colosseum, Rome |
Sunday, July 17
Rome
 The Spanish Stairs, Rome |