My Trial Run at Going to School at the Right Time of Day

This country has a great public transportation system!  They have planes, trains, subways (called Metro), trams, buses, and of course my feet.  Everything is in Italian, of course. However, if you know where you are going, can read a map and a transportation schedule, and have plenty of time, you'll do just fine.  Otherwise, you may have some interesting adventures!

To do it during rush hour is a different story.  (This will be my new normal as school begins.)

For my trial run to school I had planned on leaving home between 7 and 7:15.  I didn't get out the door until 7:30.  Good thing it was not really going to matter.  So I walked the 10-12 minutes to the train station and purchased my ticket at the newsstand.  That is funny to me.  You can buy tickets for public transportation at a variety of places.  At the train station by machine (but there you need the correct change since it doesn't give back change well.  (I've heard only up to 3 euro!)  So, people buy their tickets at the news stands, or in a bar (which is usually a coffee shop), or at a tabaccheria (tobacco shop).

Riding the train into town other times of day you can sit in a seat for the 17 minute or so ride.  However, in the early morning the train arrived in my town full, there are no seats available, it is standing room only, with one more stop to take on additional passengers!  I also learn, that riding the train that only take 14 minutes stops at platform 18.  Platform 18 is a good 3 minute walk down the tracks from Termini's other platforms!  (Termini is Rome's train station.  Using my brain, I now realize that I want to be closer to the front of the train so I will have a shorter walk once arriving at Termini.  Live and learn!

Piazza Bologna

After getting to Termini there is a five minute walk to the Metro.  (There are currently 2 Metro lines in Rome, the A line and the B line.  They are working on a third line and part of it are due to open in a few months.  It is to be fully functional by 2018.  I knew I needed the B line, but forgot I needed to get on the B line towards either Ribibbia or Conta d'Ore.)  I was kind of overwhelmed by the sheer number of people crowding on the subway.  So,  I squeezed on.  One word really describes this:  Sardines!  One stop.  Two stops.  I looked up at the chart and realized I was headed away from school!  I got off at Circo Massimo.  Yes, I'd like to come back here sometime to see it, but not right then!  This time I got on the right Metro and got off at Piazza Bologna and walked around the piazza to where the school is located.  Even with: leaving later than intended, riding at the rear of the train, arriving on platform 18, taking the wrong Metro, I made it with ten minutes to spare!

My school

Here is the building in which my school is located. 

Yes, my school is located in Piazza Bologna!  However here is is pronounced 'bō lō ña' not 'bō lō nē'!!

I decided it was now time to buy a decent map of Rome if I was going to actually see anything.  I found a news stand and for 3 euros bought a plastic map that included the Metro, bus, and tram routes.  It was a very wise purchase.

The hill in Villa Torlonia

Looking on the map I saw not too far from Piazza Bologna was Villa Torlonia.  It is a nice park area with a museum of modern art (not open at the time) and several other monuments.  I found a path up a hill and took some pictures from there.

After my exploration here, I decided to take the bus to city centre and see more of the sights.  I saw the Pantheon, then to Piazza Navona.  When I checked my time and my pedometer it was 12:15 and I'd walked 12,004 steps!  Needing to find a bathroom I asked a waiter who was trying to get people to come to their restaurant.  He told me I could go down stairs.  Since this was a pizzaria and it was noon, I thought I could sit down to a nice pizza and rest.  After I ordered a street accordion player came by playing for the patrons of the restaurant.

Continuing on my journey of the day I thought I would cross the river and go up to Piazzale Garibaldi.  I found a tram that took me across the Tiber River into the Trastevere area.  I thought it would be good for me to walk, so following my map I headed toward this piazza.  I came across a set of steps and thought it would be better than walking the long way up a hill.  It was called Scalea del Tamburino.  It was quite the climb!

Scalea del Tamburino

I continued along and trying to follow my map I realized that I was not where I needed to be.  There were a couple of men talking and I approached them asking in Italian where Piazzale Garibaldi was from there.  Needing to backtrack I finally got on the right street and saw a bus stop that had the piazza listed on it just a couple more stops.  While reading the bus stop sign a bus came by and stopped.  I got on and finished the last little bit by bus.  When I checked my pedometer:  19,000+ steps!

I enjoyed a bus ride down the hill, but now it was the beginning of rush hour.  Finally made it across the river and started walking.  I again read a bus stop sign and thought, I needed to get to Termini and go home.  I saw Termini listed.  A bus stopped.  I got on.  It WAS the right bus.  However, it was on the wrong side of the street.  So, I rode the bus all the way on the road that I had just walked!  Oh well, I'm headed to Termini, I thought.  As everyone got off the bus, I realized I was NOT at Termini.  I again looked at the sign and saw that Termini was the LAST stop and this place was the FIRST stop!  Back on the bus I went.  At least I had a seat at the very front of the bus!  I could see where we were this time!

Front of the bus

Ambulance, Paramedic (in orange) and my bus

This adventure was still not finished for the day.  More and more people got on the bus as we journeyed towards Termini.  I heard a thud.  Suddenly the crowd behind me started yelling at the driver to stop.  He pulls over about a half of a block from the next bus stop and opens the doors.  A great deal of people quickly dismount.  I was wondering if someone had gotten sick on the bus.  I looked back as the crowd thinned out to see a nun lying on the floor in the middle of the bus.  She had passed out cold.  There were some people who helped her as the the bus driver called for help.  He told everyone that they could go on up to the bus stop because he wasn't sure how long it would be.  However, every bus was so full I stood there until my bus was ready to go again!

When I finally made it home, it was just after 7 PM and my pedometer said over 23,500 steps!  What day of adventure!!