Day 4 - (Travelling to) Trieste [T]

My first touring day

I’m pretty nervous to get it done. I’m confident that everything is properly organised, but now I have to do the right thing at the right time. The self-imposed anguish of the anxious traveller.

I’d noticed that the rail pass app had a mysterious instruction for a transfer between stations in Milan. When I checked with the helpful staff at SML station, she said that I could use the subway to get between stations. It was well-signposted.

The transfer was a tight connection and the train to Milan Centrale was running behind (~5 minutes). I asked the ticket collector for assistance in making the transfer. She said that the train I was supposed to connect with actually left from Milan C.le, supposedly at the same time that the train we were on was scheduled to arrive! I said, “So, I’m supposed to race that train on the subway to get on at it’s first stop?!” She noted the absurdity, but couldn’t access the timetable system to see what alternatives I might have. She recommended that I consult the staff at Milan C.le when we arrived.

Anyway, I rushed off the train when it arrived at Milan C.le and discovered that the train that I was booked on departed just two platforms over. And it was delayed! So, even though we arrived ~5 minutes late I was able to rush around and get the train I was booked on, one station before I was supposed to join it! The anxious traveller was vindicated by this – I had every reason to be worried and only dumb luck got me through it.

I love very fast trains!

First class (actually, Business Class, it seems) train travel in Italy is very comfortable. I was able to prepare yesterday’s blog entry on the leg from SML to Milan. The leg from Milan to Bologna passed easily too. It was a very fast train and at one stage we touched 300km/h. I love this stuff!

As we were arriving in Bolonga C.le, there was a protest that had people on the railway lines and a police intervention, according to the information announcements (in Italian and English). We had to wait for at least 10 minutes before being allowed into the station to disembark. Fortunately for me, the protest apparently closed all the platforms, so my connecting leg was also delayed.

The leg from Bologna to Venice left late, of course, and ended up losing 20 minutes to its schedule. Consequently, I missed my connection from Venice to Trieste completely. However, I was able to jump on the next service going in the same direction without having to buy another ticket. I checked with a Trenitalia staff member on the platform before doing that. He said it was OK and as there was no seat reservation on that leg, I was no worse off. I did notice that the guy who said it was OK never checked my ticket, though he checked others. Maybe he was just cutting me some slack on a not-busy run.

The last leg into Trieste provided some interesting countryside views from the train. The photos I’ve taken will barely make clear what I was seeing. Inland more farmland (I’d been passing through flat farmland all day) but this time back-stopped on the horizon by sudden high ranges. Later, as the train literaly ran down the coast, the views across the peaceful Mediterranean included shipping laying off before moving in to port at Trieste (I believe).

You can see the moutains on the horizon; sometimes snow-capped

Ships waiting to dock at Trieste port

I arrived in Trieste about an hour after I had scheduled it, but that didn’t matter: I’d arrived in Trieste! Navigating by Google maps, I towed my bag across the ancient flagstone roads/pavement, up through winding narrow lanes, to my AirBNB residence. It’s a lovely apartment building quite near the old centre of Trieste (which is why I picked it) and I have a room (one of four – it’s a big apartment) rented out by the young people who live here.

Impressive architecture opposite the train station

The headquarters of the General Association (I think)

Fascinating historical dock buildings over-looking an unnavigable canal

As it happened, I arrived at the same time that one of the residents returned home. She welcomed me and, when asked, offered some ideas about where to get dinner. One comment she made during that discussion was “If you don’t want carbs, then [these places] offer fish and carne.” I’m firming in my belief that Italians are almost exclusively fueled by carbohydrates, mostly served as pizza, bread, and pasta. Yet I just don’t see overweight people anywhere. The vast majority of folks I am seeing day-to-day, men and women, young and old, are small statured, slender, and are good-looking (without being glamourous).

My room in Trieste

I hung out in my room reading for a few hours, waiting for the restaurants to open for dinner, then headed down the road and stopped at a place that offered trapizzini. I’d never had trapizzini, so I ventured in.

It turns out, trapizzini is almost like an Italian taco: a pocket of pizza dough, filled with a sauce. The sauce is similar to what you might find served on a pasta. I had two pieces with two of the daily special sauces and a glass of fiano. Then a piece of the house tiramisu (of course) and another glass of fiano. Perfetto!

 

Trapizzino Trieste

due trapizzini e una fiano

Home to read some more and got to sleep early. I’m still not really on the local clock yet. I’m exhausted by 8 pm and awake again at 4 am.

Daily facts: Location: SML-Milan-Bologna-Venice-Trieste [T]rieste Temp: 17-20C Weather: Clear and sunny; windy in Trieste