In the United States when there is a strike no one usually knows about it until it happens or maybe there is an information leak and there may be a bit of knowledge prior to that day. Here in Italy transportation strikes (scioperi) happen, and when they do people usually know about them. There is a website you can go see not only the date, but the hours the strike will occur.
The Friday before my language classes began there was a strike in the transportation system in Italy. I had heard about it and knew it didn't affect me, because I was not going anywhere, so I had not really paid a lot of attention to it. I figured it would be a while before there was another one and I was glad it was right before school started!
On a typical day I leave my apartment one hour and fifteen minutes before class is to begin. It takes me approximately ten minutes to walk to the train station, then figure out which train to take (and on which platform I need to quickly get to when it appears on the departure screen); then hop on board and stand for the 18 minute trip to Rome's main train station (Termini). The train I usually catch is the 8 or the 8:05 train. Then a quick, five minute walk to the Metro connection to wait (with a platform full of others) for the next underground train. I squeeze on board and ride to the Piazza where my school is located.
I plan the time for my commute so if a train is extremely full I have the time to wait for the next one. I have arrived as quickly as thirty five minutes after leaving home and as long as just over an hour. (For those who know me well, I have a new habit. Habits usually take three weeks, right? For the past three weeks I have arrived at least ten minutes before class, and usually before the school even opens! I have almost always been the first one in the classroom!!)
This past week I was informed of a sciopero that would happen on Friday, November 14th. I knew this would affect how I would travel to school and back again. Fortunately, strikes are announced ahead of time and most strikes happen during the time of the day most people are at work. This one was to stop the Trenitalia trains from 8 AM to 6 PM and the Metro trains and buses from 10 AM to 2 PM.
Since I typically ride the trains during the strike times, I decided to leave a little earlier to make sure I got to the city before they stopped running. I made it to the train station and even made it on the first train that arrived. Not only did I make the train, I even had a seat! First time to sit on the way to school! As I arrived in Termini it appeared that the station was nearly dead, since it was now after 8 and non of the trains would be moving for several hours. However, the Metro was just as crowded as normal! I made it to school about ten minutes before it opened!
My class is finished at 1 PM. Since I knew public transportation was not running, I started walking and found a wonderful pizzeria and chose a pizza to take with me. Before I finished that wonderful zucchini pizza (don't knock it until you try it!) I passed a gelateria that looked fantastic! I stopped and finished my pizza. I went in and bought a small cone for 2 euros. I love it that you get to choose three flavors! Lemon, vanilla with hazelnut, and vanilla with chocolate bits throughout were what I chose! I kept walking until I arrived at a Metro stop and checking the time (a little after two) I went down into catch a train. I probably should have waited a while longer since they just had started running again as there were many people squeezing on board.
At Termini I got off the B line and made my way to the A line. There were even more people and the doors were closing as I squeezed on board. This is the line I take home on Mondays with my friends after Bible study, so I knew I would ride to the end of the line. I believe nearly everyone on board rode to the end of the line that day!
On Monday's my friend's husband comes to pick us up, but I needed to learn how to get back home without a car. They had told me what the bus number was I needed to look for. However, in my typical fashion I thought I would remember the number ... how many different routes would be in the 500's, right? I knew there were two 5's in the number, but as I arrived I saw there was a 551, 505, and several others that were in the 500's! But, I could not find the name of the stop near my home on any of them. Oops! So, this required a quick call to my friend, "What was that number again? 'Oh, I need to take the 515! Oh, I'm looking in the wrong area for the bus?" Ah, finally I see where I could find the bus! I see the next one will be in about 20 minutes. So, there was time to walk around and 'windowshop' at the little open air shops which were set up nearby.
When the bus arrives I am one of the first on. Which meant I had my choice of seats! Wow! As the bus started off and I realised I wasn't sure what the stop looked like where I should disembark. I knew it was near the train station but on the other side of the tracks from the station, but I had not been there on foot. So, I watched while we went along, as people got off and others got on. I thought I started recognizing the area when the bus stopped and almost everyone that had got on at the Metro station got off. I thought, "I guess I need to get off!" As I looked at the sign I knew I was in the right place.
Now all I had to do was figure out how to find the subway (the underground passage below the train tracks). There were no obvious signs. However, I felt I needed to go to the right and low and behold there was the subway passage! As I came up on the other side I saw the monitors showing the train schedule and I could tell there were indeed no trains running.
After my walk home I checked my pedometer, I had walked 9,500+ steps (approx 4 miles) that day and it was a little after 4 PM. It took me over three hours after class to travel home, but I did it!
I checked the website for strikes ... I get to do this again on December 5th!
No comments:
Post a Comment