"Seaurchin and Seashells Mini Adventures in Italy"
Oct 31st, 2007, 03:15 PM
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"Seaurchin and Seashells Mini Adventures in Italy"
We arrived early at LAX for our Swiss flight to Zurich and then on to Roma. Check in was easy and we had a traditional turkey sandwich at the Daily Grill in the Bradley terminal before we went through final security. One lady with two kids pushed past us saying her flight was leaving and she wove all the way through the long line to the front, her kids looked mortified.
Swiss is an accommodating airline, we had nice seats and settled in. I had the idea of putting all of my nesting material: Airborne, No Jet Lag tablets, mints, menthol, Purell, almonds, water in a gallon plastic bag in the seat pocket so it would be consolidated. Great idea!
The lovely attendants brought around chocolates, water, ice cream, my special meal (Hindu vegetarian) and were pleasant all around for the long flight. I played Trivia on my personal screen, I played against other passengers and for a while it got quite competitive! I was in a close personal war with someone on the plane for most of the flight. Good way to pass the time.
I love this pillow fixer that I learned about here on Fodors: It works on the plane and
in the hotel rooms on the hard unforgiving pillows: http://tinyurl.com/2xk955
We had romeshuttlelimousine pick us up and drive us to Via Coronari just off of P. Navona for 35 euro. It is so nice to have someone there with your name on a sign!
At the apartment which we rented from realrome.com we pushed the call button and the owner came down to carry up our luggage. The site had said four flights but it was more like eight with the tall ceilings and stair landings. We had nice leg muscles after a week
of traipsing up and down a few times a day.
I won’t go into the sightseeing, we did the usual things, some that we had seen before and others which were new to us. I will just relate some good, some bad and some unusual experiences and some restaurants and shopping stores.
Swiss is an accommodating airline, we had nice seats and settled in. I had the idea of putting all of my nesting material: Airborne, No Jet Lag tablets, mints, menthol, Purell, almonds, water in a gallon plastic bag in the seat pocket so it would be consolidated. Great idea!
The lovely attendants brought around chocolates, water, ice cream, my special meal (Hindu vegetarian) and were pleasant all around for the long flight. I played Trivia on my personal screen, I played against other passengers and for a while it got quite competitive! I was in a close personal war with someone on the plane for most of the flight. Good way to pass the time.
I love this pillow fixer that I learned about here on Fodors: It works on the plane and
in the hotel rooms on the hard unforgiving pillows: http://tinyurl.com/2xk955
We had romeshuttlelimousine pick us up and drive us to Via Coronari just off of P. Navona for 35 euro. It is so nice to have someone there with your name on a sign!
At the apartment which we rented from realrome.com we pushed the call button and the owner came down to carry up our luggage. The site had said four flights but it was more like eight with the tall ceilings and stair landings. We had nice leg muscles after a week
of traipsing up and down a few times a day.
I won’t go into the sightseeing, we did the usual things, some that we had seen before and others which were new to us. I will just relate some good, some bad and some unusual experiences and some restaurants and shopping stores.
Oct 31st, 2007, 03:16 PM
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I activated my cell phone at the TIM store on the Corso, we made the usual trek over to St. Peters where my friend, Seashell, had to do some
religious shopping for friends. We went into the Mondo Cattolico on Via Pio XII
where, of course, I got carried away and while waiting for her to shop I bought
a beautiful necklace and chain.
Another day we shopped on Via Coronari, which had a cute bead and glass store, Via Condotti where we window shopped and then darted in and out, buying boots and shoes,
the street next to Condotti, via Frattina had some nice shops too, such as Danielle for boots and some excellent shoes called Wonders Shoes, I put them on, bought them and wore them the rest of the trip, right out of the store . We made a point to
stop for coffee and snacks mid afternoon twice at the outdoor café, Vitto, on the Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina. Very relaxing café and they serve really good pastry and caffe.
We went to Ottica Efrati by P. Spagna for designer sunglasses. The salesgirl goes out of her way to help the customer, giving truthful advice on which glasses look best, etc. She speaks excellent English and we loved her.
Some of the restaurants we enjoyed were
Le Streghe: I had discovered this place last year on my solo trip and love their food. This is the place where on a dark and stormy night I entered with tears from the cold wind in my eyes and wailed “I am a lone woman” in Italian to the perplexed owner. All I meant was I wanted a table for one. I guess that made me memorable because they remembered me on this trip and we became friendly with the family and we ate there often on this trip too. Artistic people are drawn there which makes it interesting. It is at Vicolo del Curate 13, closed on Sunday, tel: 066878182.
We ate at Orso 80 again, we took my friend, Sorrentino, there one day and he enjoyed the meat which we did not have. He didn’t complain but I think the appetizers were not as good as last March when we were there.
We went to a restaurant which seemed to be mentioned by Rick Steves in his book because every other diner, literally, had his book on the table in front of them. The owner
put us off a little by acting like a clown and overly friendly in a fake way, like it was what was expected of him. But, ignoring that bit, the soup was not very good but my pasta dish of cacao & pepe (pecorino cheese & black pepper over rigatoni) was excellent. It is called Osteria da Mario, with indoor and outdoor seating, a few blocks from the Pantheon on Piazza delle Coppelle 51. I could eat that pasta every day for the rest of my life, burrrp, excuse me.
Tre Scallini was nice, it wasn’t busy so the waiter sat with us for a while and chatted about Los Angeles and the USA in general.
Cantina del Vecchio on Via Coronari 31 was excellent. We had lunch there, not that expensive and the quality of food was so high and the service polite and constant. I could eat here every day too. Lots of locals.
A new gelateria opened on Via Coronari too, using all natural ingredients, at the corner of via Simone 70. I had the fresh fig gelato and it was excellent. It is open late at night and there is a cute area in a tiny garden outside.
We went to a concert of La Traviata at the Chiesa All Saints on via del Babuino 153 near the P. Spagna. It was really nice and we enjoyed the whole cast.
We used the map Streetwise Rome which is so good and such an improvement over the fold out paper ones. It is laminated and sturdier and compact enough so you can look at it
surreptitiously.
(to be continued)
religious shopping for friends. We went into the Mondo Cattolico on Via Pio XII
where, of course, I got carried away and while waiting for her to shop I bought
a beautiful necklace and chain.
Another day we shopped on Via Coronari, which had a cute bead and glass store, Via Condotti where we window shopped and then darted in and out, buying boots and shoes,
the street next to Condotti, via Frattina had some nice shops too, such as Danielle for boots and some excellent shoes called Wonders Shoes, I put them on, bought them and wore them the rest of the trip, right out of the store . We made a point to
stop for coffee and snacks mid afternoon twice at the outdoor café, Vitto, on the Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina. Very relaxing café and they serve really good pastry and caffe.
We went to Ottica Efrati by P. Spagna for designer sunglasses. The salesgirl goes out of her way to help the customer, giving truthful advice on which glasses look best, etc. She speaks excellent English and we loved her.
Some of the restaurants we enjoyed were
Le Streghe: I had discovered this place last year on my solo trip and love their food. This is the place where on a dark and stormy night I entered with tears from the cold wind in my eyes and wailed “I am a lone woman” in Italian to the perplexed owner. All I meant was I wanted a table for one. I guess that made me memorable because they remembered me on this trip and we became friendly with the family and we ate there often on this trip too. Artistic people are drawn there which makes it interesting. It is at Vicolo del Curate 13, closed on Sunday, tel: 066878182.
We ate at Orso 80 again, we took my friend, Sorrentino, there one day and he enjoyed the meat which we did not have. He didn’t complain but I think the appetizers were not as good as last March when we were there.
We went to a restaurant which seemed to be mentioned by Rick Steves in his book because every other diner, literally, had his book on the table in front of them. The owner
put us off a little by acting like a clown and overly friendly in a fake way, like it was what was expected of him. But, ignoring that bit, the soup was not very good but my pasta dish of cacao & pepe (pecorino cheese & black pepper over rigatoni) was excellent. It is called Osteria da Mario, with indoor and outdoor seating, a few blocks from the Pantheon on Piazza delle Coppelle 51. I could eat that pasta every day for the rest of my life, burrrp, excuse me.
Tre Scallini was nice, it wasn’t busy so the waiter sat with us for a while and chatted about Los Angeles and the USA in general.
Cantina del Vecchio on Via Coronari 31 was excellent. We had lunch there, not that expensive and the quality of food was so high and the service polite and constant. I could eat here every day too. Lots of locals.
A new gelateria opened on Via Coronari too, using all natural ingredients, at the corner of via Simone 70. I had the fresh fig gelato and it was excellent. It is open late at night and there is a cute area in a tiny garden outside.
We went to a concert of La Traviata at the Chiesa All Saints on via del Babuino 153 near the P. Spagna. It was really nice and we enjoyed the whole cast.
We used the map Streetwise Rome which is so good and such an improvement over the fold out paper ones. It is laminated and sturdier and compact enough so you can look at it
surreptitiously.
(to be continued)
Oct 31st, 2007, 03:44 PM
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I have to mention that an odd thing happened outside our apartment one night.
We were coming back about midnight and there was a woman standing on the side of the little street with a young child who was wearing a motorcycle helmet. All of a sudden the child started screaming, ran past Seashell, and started butting at me with her helmet. I mean that kid was strong. I held her at bay with my hand on her helmet and she was flailing about waving her arms like she was trying to hit me. The mother said a few words but didn’t do anything else to stop this. I maneuvered the child by its helmet over to the bicycle and let go, she came at me again, hitting my knee hard. This time I not so gently got the kid back over to the mother and left them. We went to our door with the kid still screaming at me. What an odd scene to say the least.
We were to leave our apartment for the next leg of our trip on a Sunday, but this day was also a day when a strike was promised. On Saturday, I called every train related place I could to get some information before we schlepped all the way from our apartment to the station. No answers, no one knew, some said maybe, some said no, some said nothing and hung up. I checked web sites to no avail. I called the owner of our rental agency, he said it was a shot in the dark, just to go to the station and if we could not leave town to come back to the apartment for another night. I called the apartment owner and he graciously said if we had to return he would meet me to let us back in (we were to leave the keys on the counter when we left). He said that one faction of train personnel may strike and that is why no one could tell me ahead of time. The strikers probably didn’t even know for sure, he said. He also said, “This is Italy, what can I say, I am sorry” And he was a Roman.
Come to find out there was no strike so we stood underneath the electric score board at Termini watching for our binario (track). Ten minutes to go and all the other trains were listed but not ours. Hmmm. Seven minutes…..I said I would run over to the Info Room and ask. Now days they only let one person in at a time so I waited my turn and then went in and stood in front of the clerk. The man kept writing. La di da, I waited ….then I said to the top of his head, do you speak English? He didn’t lift his eyes but said no this is Italy I speak Italian. I said, Oh, well, does this man speak English? He said no he is Italian too. He didn’t seem to care that this was a ridiculous conversation in English!! Still talking to the top of his head I asked in pidgin Italian if he knew the train’s track yet. He said a number and I left. Back underneath the board, I saw this same agent walk by us and I blew him some kisses, his shoulders hunched up and he gave me a hate look. Seashell said what are you doing? You didn’t used to be so cheeky. We saw our train come up on the board and the tracks kept changing! Right before our eyes, numbers rolling and intermitently stopping and starting. Seashell said, well I guess your Info Friend is manipulating the track information. Finally it settled on one and she said I bet he is watching us and as soon as we walk away he will switch it again. I hope not! We ran over to the track and I was pondering if I was becoming too cheeky.
Now the fun started. I put my ticket into the yello(or is it orange) machine to get stamped, it went berserk and stamped it about 10 times. The crowd waiting to stamp their own tickets backed away in horror and ran over to the other machine, en masse . Seashell ran over there too. I waited and an attendant in a perky orange vest came over to me and I asked him if the multi stamps were a problem, he said no problem it is ok, I will escort you to the proper place to stand for your car. He put us in one spot and then a few minutes later came back to maneuver us down a bit and told us to stay there. The train was late so he resituated us a few more times, like he was playing with paper dolls, it was nice of him.
We were coming back about midnight and there was a woman standing on the side of the little street with a young child who was wearing a motorcycle helmet. All of a sudden the child started screaming, ran past Seashell, and started butting at me with her helmet. I mean that kid was strong. I held her at bay with my hand on her helmet and she was flailing about waving her arms like she was trying to hit me. The mother said a few words but didn’t do anything else to stop this. I maneuvered the child by its helmet over to the bicycle and let go, she came at me again, hitting my knee hard. This time I not so gently got the kid back over to the mother and left them. We went to our door with the kid still screaming at me. What an odd scene to say the least.
We were to leave our apartment for the next leg of our trip on a Sunday, but this day was also a day when a strike was promised. On Saturday, I called every train related place I could to get some information before we schlepped all the way from our apartment to the station. No answers, no one knew, some said maybe, some said no, some said nothing and hung up. I checked web sites to no avail. I called the owner of our rental agency, he said it was a shot in the dark, just to go to the station and if we could not leave town to come back to the apartment for another night. I called the apartment owner and he graciously said if we had to return he would meet me to let us back in (we were to leave the keys on the counter when we left). He said that one faction of train personnel may strike and that is why no one could tell me ahead of time. The strikers probably didn’t even know for sure, he said. He also said, “This is Italy, what can I say, I am sorry” And he was a Roman.
Come to find out there was no strike so we stood underneath the electric score board at Termini watching for our binario (track). Ten minutes to go and all the other trains were listed but not ours. Hmmm. Seven minutes…..I said I would run over to the Info Room and ask. Now days they only let one person in at a time so I waited my turn and then went in and stood in front of the clerk. The man kept writing. La di da, I waited ….then I said to the top of his head, do you speak English? He didn’t lift his eyes but said no this is Italy I speak Italian. I said, Oh, well, does this man speak English? He said no he is Italian too. He didn’t seem to care that this was a ridiculous conversation in English!! Still talking to the top of his head I asked in pidgin Italian if he knew the train’s track yet. He said a number and I left. Back underneath the board, I saw this same agent walk by us and I blew him some kisses, his shoulders hunched up and he gave me a hate look. Seashell said what are you doing? You didn’t used to be so cheeky. We saw our train come up on the board and the tracks kept changing! Right before our eyes, numbers rolling and intermitently stopping and starting. Seashell said, well I guess your Info Friend is manipulating the track information. Finally it settled on one and she said I bet he is watching us and as soon as we walk away he will switch it again. I hope not! We ran over to the track and I was pondering if I was becoming too cheeky.
Now the fun started. I put my ticket into the yello(or is it orange) machine to get stamped, it went berserk and stamped it about 10 times. The crowd waiting to stamp their own tickets backed away in horror and ran over to the other machine, en masse . Seashell ran over there too. I waited and an attendant in a perky orange vest came over to me and I asked him if the multi stamps were a problem, he said no problem it is ok, I will escort you to the proper place to stand for your car. He put us in one spot and then a few minutes later came back to maneuver us down a bit and told us to stay there. The train was late so he resituated us a few more times, like he was playing with paper dolls, it was nice of him.
Oct 31st, 2007, 04:00 PM
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Hi there SeaUrchin 
Loving your report so far!
About that pillow.. the picture shows it being smaller than a regular pillow like you'd have in a hotel. Is that how it is? Looks comfy to put over the airline pillow, tho. I think I'll order one!
Unbelievable story about the kid with the helmet. Wonder what that was all about?
Cheeky SeaUrchin - love it!
Loving your report so far!
About that pillow.. the picture shows it being smaller than a regular pillow like you'd have in a hotel. Is that how it is? Looks comfy to put over the airline pillow, tho. I think I'll order one!
Unbelievable story about the kid with the helmet. Wonder what that was all about?
Cheeky SeaUrchin - love it!
Oct 31st, 2007, 04:23 PM
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Sounds like the kind of disturbed child who routinely tries to injure himself by banging his head, hence the helmet to protect him.
I'm guessing the mother, like many parents of disturbed children, didn't do more because the behaviour can be unremitting and go on all day long; they just get exhausted.
That said, I'm sorry about your knee. As a child, I spent a lot of time in the company of the disturbed son of family friends. Much of that time I spent terrified: the child was older and bigger than me and was in the habit of putting me in a choke hold. Only as an adult can I look back and sympathize.
Sounds like a great trip otherwise!
I'm guessing the mother, like many parents of disturbed children, didn't do more because the behaviour can be unremitting and go on all day long; they just get exhausted.
That said, I'm sorry about your knee. As a child, I spent a lot of time in the company of the disturbed son of family friends. Much of that time I spent terrified: the child was older and bigger than me and was in the habit of putting me in a choke hold. Only as an adult can I look back and sympathize.
Sounds like a great trip otherwise!
Oct 31st, 2007, 06:08 PM
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Hi, thanks for the encouragement.
I didn't mention the child had been standing by the mother's bike so that is why, I assume, she had on the helmet, I guess they had been riding home at midnight? Afterwards, I did feel sorry for the child but something was just not right with the whole scene.
We went in late September and early October of this year.
I didn't mention the child had been standing by the mother's bike so that is why, I assume, she had on the helmet, I guess they had been riding home at midnight? Afterwards, I did feel sorry for the child but something was just not right with the whole scene.
We went in late September and early October of this year.
Oct 31st, 2007, 06:13 PM
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SeaUrchin,
I always love your reports! I'm not up on all the Piazza names in Rome like you are, so it P. Spagna the one at the bottom of the steps? If so, I bought some sunglasses at that shop too. The owner is a Texas native who married a Roman and has lived there for about 25 years. (I'm jealous) Their children a boy and girl attended college in Texas. got some great sunglasses there - hate to say it but they were Tommy Bahamas! The only ones that fit...
I always love your reports! I'm not up on all the Piazza names in Rome like you are, so it P. Spagna the one at the bottom of the steps? If so, I bought some sunglasses at that shop too. The owner is a Texas native who married a Roman and has lived there for about 25 years. (I'm jealous) Their children a boy and girl attended college in Texas. got some great sunglasses there - hate to say it but they were Tommy Bahamas! The only ones that fit...
Oct 31st, 2007, 07:51 PM
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Hi SeaUrchin
I'm glad you decided to post a report.
I love Le Streghe, too. It is just around the corner from an apartment I rented on my first trip to Rome. My sister and I had dinner there one cold night in November, and it was so good.
Strange incident with the kid, though. Not sure what to make of that.
Johanna
I'm glad you decided to post a report.
I love Le Streghe, too. It is just around the corner from an apartment I rented on my first trip to Rome. My sister and I had dinner there one cold night in November, and it was so good.
Strange incident with the kid, though. Not sure what to make of that.
Johanna
Oct 31st, 2007, 10:25 PM
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SU, quite amusing! You seem to have similar experiences that I have had in Roma in years past-like the clownish restaurant owner-yeah, I recognize that! By the way, the Via Coronari is one of the best places to window shop, and to buy antiques and ceramics. I bought this lovely hand-painted ceramic jug back in the 80's on that street and I still have it and love it.
But that devil child scene! At midnight! Something was CLEARLY NOT RIGHT THERE! Not gypsies-or a scam in the making? Really, that's creepy, and I would have been quite a bit less forgiving of such behavior than you, I think! You know they have the "baby gangs" 5 year old urchin/devils who steal your wallet and then quickly flee going back to mama, who protects them and rewards them-these "baby borseggiatori" have been roaming around Rome and Venice for the past year or so, and the Carb are starting to go after them in a big way in the Veneto area.
Those shoes you bought-Wonders Shoes-were they Italian?
But that devil child scene! At midnight! Something was CLEARLY NOT RIGHT THERE! Not gypsies-or a scam in the making? Really, that's creepy, and I would have been quite a bit less forgiving of such behavior than you, I think! You know they have the "baby gangs" 5 year old urchin/devils who steal your wallet and then quickly flee going back to mama, who protects them and rewards them-these "baby borseggiatori" have been roaming around Rome and Venice for the past year or so, and the Carb are starting to go after them in a big way in the Veneto area.
Those shoes you bought-Wonders Shoes-were they Italian?
Oct 31st, 2007, 11:10 PM
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thanks!
Kopp I think the pillow would fit over a regular sized hotel pillow but I just put mine on top, it makes it doubly soft.
Dayle, don't feel bad, I ended up buying Ray Bans! They are cute with gold frames! LOL Yes, it is near the "Spanish Steps", I like that area from there on over to Popolo.
Gracie, isn't it great? Did you try the cod patties with pine nuts? OMG
Girlspy, I would have loved to have purchased some antiques on Coronari, one of these days. I bet you love that jug.
About that odd midnight incident, on afterthought I do think the kid was being trained and coached. I felt a little bad(ly?) that I was a little rough but how long is the accepted time to be butted and almost scratched by a little brat. If it was just a neighborhood child, I really wonder about the parenting in that family.
Glad you liked the report so far!
Kopp I think the pillow would fit over a regular sized hotel pillow but I just put mine on top, it makes it doubly soft.
Dayle, don't feel bad, I ended up buying Ray Bans! They are cute with gold frames! LOL Yes, it is near the "Spanish Steps", I like that area from there on over to Popolo.
Gracie, isn't it great? Did you try the cod patties with pine nuts? OMG
Girlspy, I would have loved to have purchased some antiques on Coronari, one of these days. I bet you love that jug.
About that odd midnight incident, on afterthought I do think the kid was being trained and coached. I felt a little bad(ly?) that I was a little rough but how long is the accepted time to be butted and almost scratched by a little brat. If it was just a neighborhood child, I really wonder about the parenting in that family.
Glad you liked the report so far!
Nov 1st, 2007, 04:22 AM
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Mornin' Cheeky
Were the "trash men" still in the P. Popolo? On first glance, I thought it was rather bizarre and trashy, lol, but seeing the photos of where it had traveled was interesting (Great Wall, Red Square, Zermatt, etc.) My fave was the Coke man (hubby is a Coke-a-holic).
Were the "trash men" still in the P. Popolo? On first glance, I thought it was rather bizarre and trashy, lol, but seeing the photos of where it had traveled was interesting (Great Wall, Red Square, Zermatt, etc.) My fave was the Coke man (hubby is a Coke-a-holic).
Nov 1st, 2007, 05:32 AM
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Hi SeaUrchin,
the shoes are spanish. I find them a bit hard, not such a soft leather as Hispanitas, but there are some cute ones.
www.wonders.com
Rgds, Cova
the shoes are spanish. I find them a bit hard, not such a soft leather as Hispanitas, but there are some cute ones.
www.wonders.com
Rgds, Cova
Nov 1st, 2007, 08:44 AM
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Mornin' all, since I love the Wonders I should try the Hispantas, thanks. I saw some exhibit in Popolo but we were busy eating some really good pizza and vino at Canova's before the Traviata.
Here's some more "adventures":
Now the confusion started. The train came in, we positioned ourselves near the doors while some of the people started to exit. Then I hear the beeps of some kind of machine, I looked up and here comes a fork lift aimed right at us and just a few feet away and he was not stopping! I jumped one way and Seashell jumped the other, the driver stopped in between. He had a man in the basket who looked very much like Phil Spector in his wild hair days, then I saw that he was on crutches.
Since I was nearest the train I tossed in my luggage and got on, my orange vested angel waved and left and I tended to my luggage which had tipped over. It was quite a scene when I looked back through the door way. The fork lift driver was trying to maneuver the basket near to the top of the steps so the man could enter, people were still trying to get to the next car and people were still trying to get on, they were coming in from the other car and under the forklift’s basket and luggage was everywhere. It was quite a mess. People were tripping over their luggage and kneeling on the floor, others were yelling. I could see Seashell on the other side of the fork lift.
I pulled my luggage into the aisle and I could see at the other end of the car that another mini scene was happening, women seemed to be fussing over something or someone in the corridor. (it was a compartment car).
In a bit, I saw two women coming down the aisle, young women and one had a baby on her hip. They were checking seat numbers on the walls. They came up to me and said madam, madam your luggage is in the way, we cant get past. I pulled my luggage closer to the side. One of the women started patting my luggage and saying we will help you move it. Hmmm, this isn’t normal, my Fodorite like brain kicked in. These women were trying to scam me. Lordy be, who needs this. I said no I don’t want help, get away from me. they kept nudging, I said get away and looked the older one in the eye. I have to say at this point I did notice she was wearing a beautiful 24k gold filigree necklace with matching earrings and bracelet. Under different circumstances I would have complimented her on her jewelry. She said something to the younger woman and they left me.
I looked back at the scene behind me and saw they were approaching Seashell, I yelled to her to watch out but she didn’t hear me. She was pinned against the wall in the vestibule. The handicapped man, who had no use of his legs, was toppling over and no one was helping him. People were lifting their suitcases over their heads and I could barely make Seashell out in the fray.
Finally she broke free and approached me, dragging her luggage. I asked why is your purse open! She looked and her purse was unzipped, her inside wallet was unzipped and her cash was missing!
She said the women approached her and one of them asked her to push the button so they could go into the other car, she did and within the second that it took, they had robbed her purse. If those women ever went legit they could be famous as a Las Vegas lounge act, they are very talented in what they do. I could be their manager….
We found our compartment and she told the people already seated and they just shook their heads in dismay. We wondered why people without tickets were even allowed on the train and mused that they should make some new rules, yeah right.
Our train took off, I hated to see Seashell’s unhappy face but she held up ok. The conductor looked at my multi stamped ticket and hesitated, then let it go. I was a bit surprised at this as we both have train issues where everything seems to go wrong.
Here's some more "adventures":
Now the confusion started. The train came in, we positioned ourselves near the doors while some of the people started to exit. Then I hear the beeps of some kind of machine, I looked up and here comes a fork lift aimed right at us and just a few feet away and he was not stopping! I jumped one way and Seashell jumped the other, the driver stopped in between. He had a man in the basket who looked very much like Phil Spector in his wild hair days, then I saw that he was on crutches.
Since I was nearest the train I tossed in my luggage and got on, my orange vested angel waved and left and I tended to my luggage which had tipped over. It was quite a scene when I looked back through the door way. The fork lift driver was trying to maneuver the basket near to the top of the steps so the man could enter, people were still trying to get to the next car and people were still trying to get on, they were coming in from the other car and under the forklift’s basket and luggage was everywhere. It was quite a mess. People were tripping over their luggage and kneeling on the floor, others were yelling. I could see Seashell on the other side of the fork lift.
I pulled my luggage into the aisle and I could see at the other end of the car that another mini scene was happening, women seemed to be fussing over something or someone in the corridor. (it was a compartment car).
In a bit, I saw two women coming down the aisle, young women and one had a baby on her hip. They were checking seat numbers on the walls. They came up to me and said madam, madam your luggage is in the way, we cant get past. I pulled my luggage closer to the side. One of the women started patting my luggage and saying we will help you move it. Hmmm, this isn’t normal, my Fodorite like brain kicked in. These women were trying to scam me. Lordy be, who needs this. I said no I don’t want help, get away from me. they kept nudging, I said get away and looked the older one in the eye. I have to say at this point I did notice she was wearing a beautiful 24k gold filigree necklace with matching earrings and bracelet. Under different circumstances I would have complimented her on her jewelry. She said something to the younger woman and they left me.
I looked back at the scene behind me and saw they were approaching Seashell, I yelled to her to watch out but she didn’t hear me. She was pinned against the wall in the vestibule. The handicapped man, who had no use of his legs, was toppling over and no one was helping him. People were lifting their suitcases over their heads and I could barely make Seashell out in the fray.
Finally she broke free and approached me, dragging her luggage. I asked why is your purse open! She looked and her purse was unzipped, her inside wallet was unzipped and her cash was missing!
She said the women approached her and one of them asked her to push the button so they could go into the other car, she did and within the second that it took, they had robbed her purse. If those women ever went legit they could be famous as a Las Vegas lounge act, they are very talented in what they do. I could be their manager….
We found our compartment and she told the people already seated and they just shook their heads in dismay. We wondered why people without tickets were even allowed on the train and mused that they should make some new rules, yeah right.
Our train took off, I hated to see Seashell’s unhappy face but she held up ok. The conductor looked at my multi stamped ticket and hesitated, then let it go. I was a bit surprised at this as we both have train issues where everything seems to go wrong.
