"But that's the glory of foreign travel, as far as I am concerned. I don't want to know what people are talking about. I can't think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Suddenly you are five years old again. You can't read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can't even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses.”
― Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe
Nothing fits arriving in Rome for the first time like this quote!
Until We were on the ground I didn't realise they were landing aircraft on 2 runways and sending aircraft out on a third, situated at the bottom of the other 2. A particularly Italian design solution. I had seen an American Airlines 777 off in the distance that seemed to be following our trajectory only some distance away. I assumed everyone knew what they were doing but I have a particularly low opinion of Italian competence it would seem that I couldn't be sure. American pilots have previously landed at the wrong airport because Europe all looks the same to them.
Despite my fears surrounding Italian ATC we rolled up to our gate with no hitches. We never fight to get off a flight, something always seems to catch us on the way out so we just take a deep breath and gird our loins for the circus that is passport control/luggage reclaim.
First impressions of Rome Fiumicino (Leonardo Da Vinci - name droppers) were good. Modern airport etc. Passport control was automated and worked fine. So my preconceptions were just that. A tense wait for luggage - you never know if it has made! And then we moved into the throng. We were spotted immediately as travellers in need of transport. Taxi company reps hounded us all the way to the steps of the rail way station.
I watched a You tube just like this one below back in the UK. The train rolls up right into the middle of the airport and I would say it was pretty much the best way to get there so long as your start or destination are close to Termini Station. Which ours was because I booked it that way!
The Train was comfortable with plenty of space for luggage and was a smooth ride. So much so that after the excitement of the flights it was the first chance to unwind and sure enough we both dozed off and failed to see the outskirts of Rome pass by our window
Rome Termini is a pleasant enough experience, as far as mainline train stations go. The train stops quite a long distance from the exit for some reason. The mainline trains pull up to main gates just like you would see at Waterloo station. However the Rome airport express ends up on a platform a good trains length further back so you have a bit of a trek with your luggage just to join the main concourse.
The main concourse was busy but not over crowded. Lined with shops and coffee outlets
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| a picture paints a thousand words |
I think I mentioned I had booked a hotel as close (and possibly as cheap) as I could get to the station. It was situated pretty much at the exit you can see in the photo.
So we strolled through the terminus, recently voted top ten in Europe, until we hit the outside world, the heat and the crowds and worked out how to get across the road to our hotel. The hotel Siracusa. The website given will show you a picture of the entrance lobby. It was just as that when we arrived but with a fella at the desk.
We had braved the road outside, Italians DO rely on other peoples brakes! The heat was growing but we stepped into air conditioned comfort and, as the door swung shut behind us, surprising serenity from the noise outside. The concierge greeted us politely and dealt with our arrival swiftly and efficiently. A surprise to us was an 8 euro room tax applied every night spent in a hotel but seemingly only charged on or after the actual night. I wondered why it couldn't be charged up front but my Italian was not up to enquiring. Mind you my use of Italian barely stretched beyond "Hello" so I was doomed to stay in the dark on this score.
We were handed our keys and staggered to the lift. After calling the lift I was somewhat surprised when the doors opened and my wife frowned as if puzzled, upon which the doors closed. Quick as a flash I called the lift again and once again the doors opened. This time I discovered the reason for my wife's concern - someone (The same person my wife must have spyed) was in the lift and that person quickly tried to send the lift upwards. Again.
What was this? Did Romans not actually allow the use of the lift? The lift got away from us this time, so we called it again and decided on tactics. We would rush the doors! I was to throw my suitcase (the biggest) in and my wife was going to follow up by rushing into the lift and gain control of the lift buttons whilst the occupant was pinned to the opposite wall by my suitcase.
The doors opened but no SAS entry tactics were necessary as it was now empty. We progressed in mildly perplexed silence and then hunted down our room. The hotel appeared to stretch over the top of many business on the street and our room was over the furthest of them it seemed. On arrival of the specified door I placed the key in the keyhole and turned it. The piece of key I was holding turned pleasingly but the rest of the key did not and soon our key was in two pieces with one half resolutely stuck in the keyhole and the other in my hand.
This was definitely a first. At that precise moment I was wondering whether booking in haste whilst on a bus (and selecting cheapness) really had been a good idea. A jog down to the concierge (not risking a lift ride - Mk1 staircase) and back eventually delivered some sort of locksmith. Entry was gained and the errant key was extracted using a substantial pair of pliers.
The room was pleasant enough and with some relief we settled in for a couple of nights. The view from our window was adjacent to the flanks off the Termini station. It was also where the local homeless appeared to gather. One of whom appeared to own a large and friendly dog. This dog became the object of my Wife's attention and we were duty bound to go and say hello to it later in the evening.
It was late afternoon by this time so we decided to rest up before venturing out for dinner
This, for me was the start of the holiday. There are too many twists and turns involved in travel for me to properly enjoy journeys of this nature. When you are in charge of other peoples happiness there is a certain amount of strain involved. Now that the flying was over my wife could also relax and start to enjoy the scenery.
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