OH IT WAS A VERY LONG DAY

Today was everything I thought it would be for a nasty travel day.  It began with a 15 minute walk dragging luggage to the air coach bus stop to get back to the airport.  We were at the airport in plenty of time for our departure time of 11:05.  We landed in Nice around 2:30 – after losing another hour.  Then we had to find our way to the bus to take us to the train station – it was a bit of a hike dragging luggage again, to get to the street bus stop.  When our bus came, we thought we only had a short way to go.  However, time was passing and we were getting further and further along.  Fortunately, with some help from fellow riders, we were able to get off at the correct stop and dragging our luggage, made our way into the station.  Lots of machines, but not so many people.  Tried to print our prepaid ticket at the machine but no luck.  We found a lady to help us and then, tickets in hand we were ready to get aboard Train 3049 to Ventimiglia leaving at 5:15.  Look on the departure board – wtf there is no train 3049 only a train 3051 to Ventimiglia leaving at 5:52.  If that is the only train departing – we will surely miss our connection from Ventimiglia to Savona.  Back to the kiosk I go to speak to the agent.  Oh you should be fine she says.  It is 4:30 so Diana and I go and sit for a bit….but this is still bugging me.  I go back to the kiosk and fortunately there is another agent there.  So I explain the bothersome part of the different numbers and the possible time conflict.  Ahhhh he says, well, there is a train strike in France right now and there is no train #3049 – it has been cancelled.  So you have to take 3051… Yes – you may miss your train – but there is another train at 8:00 and you can take that one to Savona instead of the 7:00 one you will probably miss.  Back I go to relay the information to Diana and sit now to wait for the announcement of the platform number we should go to. 

There it is on the board Track #5.  So we have to go down to cross under the tracks and come up on the other side at Track #5 … dragging our luggage….wtf what do you mean there are no elevators.  STAIRS…you have to be kidding me.  So we bounce our luggage down the stairs and then bump it up the stairs on the other side – I have to admit we had a couple of kind young men that aided us half way up.  Thank goodness.  Then we had to manoeuver it up the couple of stairs and into the train car.  Finally we are boarded on of first train and thank goodness ... there are 2 empty seats – ohhhh - right across from the toilet.  The trains in Europe are not the wonderful trains we have grown up with in Canada.  You DO NOT want to be sitting anywhere near the toilet.  But it is long day and getting longer – just like this story – so we sit and are glad of it.

I was so glad when we were in Nice that the station attendant printed me out a copy of the stops that the two trains would make along the route to our destination.  Thank goodness for that also.  Otherwise we would have no knowledge of when to depart.  So as we passed each station, we crossed it off the list and that way we were prepared when we had to ready ourselves and our bags to disembark.  We met a nice young man at the Ventimiglia station who would be traveling on the same train.   He helped us with the stairs at this station and we had a nice visit with him up until he had to get off in San Remo.  Then finally Savona signs appeared and we were able to get off the train, get into a taxi and then to the hotel.  Now we are getting into bed.  Our dreadful travel day has ended at 11:00.

Tomorrow -  I can’t think – we will just wait and see.