1979 Florence (8/31/1979)

Friday, August 31, 1979

We did wake up just in time to get off at Florence. It was 4:30 or 5:00, so we ate breakfast and more or less planned our day as we dodged the fellows sweeping sawdust across the floor. We checked our baggage and at 7:00 started exploring Florence. We had heard the open-air market opened at 7:00 so we went there first. The dry goods merchants were just beginning to set up their stalls. The meat and fish merchants were also setting up, and we saw an abundance of octopus (squid?), fresh fish of all sizes, etc. We saw whole skinned rabbits and pigs, and still-feathered chickens, and we were getting grossed out! Too much of everything! The fruit stalls were all open and doing business. We headed towards the cathedral which was extremely colorful. We had a stand-up breakfast of tea and grapefruit juice at a bar. We made our way back past the market, still under preparation. Headed towards the Accademia which also wasn't open yet. We wandered around the area and into a church where Mass was being held for six people. We stayed through that and then wandered into another church for rest and meditation until Florence woke up. Finally got into the Accademia, a small place with half the rooms closed up. But standing there was the original; statue of David by Michelangelo; what a hunk!

Accademia ticket

David by Michelangelo

We went to the open-air market where all sorts of stuff is sold, but mostly leather goods. Most of the stalls even took charge cards. We didn't find anything of interest although we were actively looking for souvenirs. There wasn't a great variety and prices weren't necessarily cheaper. We went window shopping on our way back to the cathedral. Kathy found a really nice black leather briefcase for her dad, in a little shop where the proprietor spoke little English and he made me translate his selling spiel. He also had trouble with the charge card machine which we also “translated” for him. We were concentrating on shopping that morning but stopped to look around inside the cathedral. There wasn't much to see because of restoration.

Il Duomo di Firenze/Florence Cathedral

We continued our window shopping and ended up on the bridge over the Arno River which is covered with jewelry shops, mostly gaudy and expensive stuff. I saw a beautiful tie in a shop window only to discover the folded-over part was ugly! We then backtracked to a fast-food place serving micro-waved spaghetti, lasagna, etc. After lunch we found a glove factory where they sold decent gloves. I bought a pair for my grandmother and Kathy bought a pair for her mother.  We seemed to have been charging away! We found ourselves at the Palace of the Uffizi where they have a huge art museum.

Uffizi ticket

We went in and looked and looked, seeing works of Michelangelo, da Vinci, Rembrandt, Rubens, Raphael, and especially Botticelli, just to name a few! The lighting in this museum was awful, and many paintings were protected by glass, resulting in a glare. There was a real artist at work doing a copy of a da Vinci portrait. The museum even had a bar and outdoor tables on a balcony; we were able to look down on the city with all its TV antennas! Later we went to the museum next door to see the anatomical sketches done by da Vinci during human dissections. There were several errors, but it was amazing what he was able to discern.

Ticket for da Vinci's anatomical drawings

We continued our window shopping, passing through the open market again. We stopped at an outdoor café where Kathy had a huge bowl of ice cream, and I had a fruit salad in an equally large bowl. After checking the train schedule at the station, we finished our shopping spree with a mad dash. I found a tie for my father and gloves for my mother. We returned to the train station to await our train which was late because of the just-ending strike. We wanted to take the first train out of Italy to get away from all the strikes, and we hoped to head for Switzerland where Kathy’s father recommended she buy a new camera. While at Gianni’s house, Kathy called her parents to learn she had another month’s wait before becoming an aunt. She also explained to her parents that her Minox camera had a shutter problem which would cost $50 to repair and would have to be sent to the factory for at least four weeks. Trade-in value was a measly $25. She was advised to go ahead and buy another camera. We got on a train headed for München, Germany and were joined by a Napoli family, the mom and two little girls stayed in our compartment. The girls were really cute and well-behaved, probably because they were sleepy. The 4-5-yr. old was given a train brochure to amuse herself, and she studied it carefully before falling asleep. Don’t blame her as it was probably boring!

Map of Florence

Next: Munich again.

1979 Rome (8/29-30/1979)

Wednesday, August 29, 1979

Upon arriving in Roma/Rome, we checked our baggage and walked to Borghese Villa Park. Along the way we found the American Embassy where we checked the office hours. We sat in Borghese Villa Park eating brunch, watching work men mostly lean on their rakes. We saw a verbal fight between two American and possibly New York City girls. The especially loud one of the two finally stomped off toward the museum. We passed a girl leading two kids in awful exercises (for pulling muscles and ruining knees!). We explored the museum which had a lot of neat Bernini statues and a supposedly famous statue by Canova of a lady reclining on a very real-looking mattress.

Borghese Gallery ticket

Apollo and Daphne by Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Rape of Proserpina by Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Pauline Bonaparte by Antonio Canova

We walked back along the Via Veneto, known for its exclusive sidewalk cafes which weren't open at the time. We found the Church of the Cappuchin monks where we had heard there was a cemetery of bones. Our “$10” book told us to take the stairs to the right after entering the church. So we entered the church and wandered back behind the altar, probably ending up where we didn't belong because a spooky monk who was washing floors directed us outside to where there was a separate entrance. The cemetery was a rather eerie place, but fascinating nevertheless. There were simple wood crosses to mark graves, but the bones of the monks had been used to decorate. Not only did they have robed full skeletons, but they had religious designs made up from the vertebrae. Every single bone of the body was used in some pattern!

From there we passed through the Bernini Square towards the Trevi Fountain.

Trevi Fountain

At the fountain we threw in two telephone tokens each, the first in hopes of returning to Rome and the second for luck in love. We explored some shops in the area, where I found a souvenir for one of my sisters, a disco purse as they are known as in the U.S. We ended up walking down the main shopping street of Rome to see the Mussolini balcony and the memorial to Vittorio Emanuele. We went behind the Vittoriana to the Capitoline building where we climbed all those stairs to get to the square designed by Michelangelo. The mis-proportioned statue was covered by scaffolding, but we think we saw where it was mis-proportioned! We went into an entrance of the museum and bought tickets for both Capitoline Museums.

Capitoline Museums ticket

The first museum was tiny and we didn't see any of the things promised by the “$10” book. We weren't sure where the other museum was located, so we decided to try the building next door to the right. It turned out that to enter that other building, you had to go all the way down the steps and back up a separate set. We walked down the steps under a cool arbor, then started the steep climb to the building next door. For some reason we weren't convinced that this was the other museum; it looked like a church (which it was) and there were too few people. So we went back down the many steps we had climbed, and dragged ourselves up the steps to Michelangelo’s square again. We tried the building to the left and it was the right place. However, once inside, we ended up climbing more and more steps! In this museum we found the boy picking the thorn out of his foot (must be stuck in pretty good, because we couldn't see the thorn and he’s still there trying to pull it out!), and the statue of the twin founders of Rome with the she-wolf. Going down stairs was definitely easier. We walked around the Vittoriana which was closed to the public and we didn't even see any guards at the tomb of the unknown soldier. The tourist season isn't over yet?

We passed by the ruins of the agoras and squares of ancient Rome and by the famous ruins of the Roman Forum which was an understatement after Athens. We walked to the Coliseum (where I managed to hear a special song on someone’s radio). Inside the Coliseum there was not the abundance of cats I had observed on my previous visit. From the Coliseum we took the Metro to the train station and started our search for a hotel in that area. We went to a pensione recommended by the “$10” book. It was run by a little old man and his wife who showed us the facilities and quoted a price much higher than the book said. We wanted to continue looking for places, but the old man rambled on that at his price we really couldn't do much better, and mentioned the money problems of the U.S. and Italy, and kept listing all that we could get for breakfast. We finally broke away and tried another pensione recommended by the “$10” book. They had a real nice room at a better rate, so we took it. We got ourselves some pizza slices for lunch and went to catch a bus to the Vatican City. As we hesitated about which bus to take, the one we wanted pulled away from the curb. But another immediately came up to the stop, so we hopped right on. It immediately pulled away as I was trying to pull out some change; I wasn't holding on and fell into Kathy’s arms. Finally balance and fare were settled and we were on our way. There was a woman on crutches who had a leg amputation who wanted absolutely no help when she needed to get off the bus. There was a priest who started talking to two girls because they spoke French. The two girls seemed in a hurry to get off the bus, and we hurried off also. We started the long trek around the walls of the Vatican to reach the entrance of the Vatican Museums. We arrived in time to have maybe three hours to explore the museums. We practically flew past the murals in the first section. Then in following the tour signs we somehow found ourselves outside the entrance again! The fastest Vatican museum tour ever, of only five minutes! We weren't the only ones to get misdirected immediately to the exit, so we all went back in the entrance to start over. We got on the right track and saw many sculptures, tapestries, paintings, ceramics, etc., etc. A complete tour takes 7-9 hours, but we managed to make almost a complete tour in our three hours. It was simply a matter of keeping the feet moving and the head swiveling.

Vatican Museums ticket

Tile mosaic in the Vatican Museums

We found the mummy room with real mummies in various states of decay; you could see hair and skin and fingernails! Then, of course, there were the sarcophagi, etc.; really neat! We saw ancient Egyptian relics, too. Then we entered the Raphael rooms with impressive ceilings and walls. Next we got headed into the modern art section which was terrible. Finally we arrived at the Sistine Chapel which is impressive mostly because of its size. Supposedly Michelangelo did it in only four years. We stood in awe for a while, and then took our time going through the rest of the museums. We saw some nice mosaics and saw the swan sculpture the U.S gave to Pope Paul VI when he had visited the States. We wandered out of the museum as they were closing up after going through a new section with ugly modern displays of old pieces of sculpture. We had the idea of taking a mimic photo, but decided to be respectful. Later we saw an old man stand behind a headless sculpture while a kid snapped his picture. An indignant guard wiped the man’s footprints from the pedestal. From the museums we made our way back around the walls to St Peter’s Square, where a huge crowd of people were already gathering for the Papal audience. We went back into Rome to find a series of Bernini statues and fountains in one square (nothing special) and especially to find Tartufi. To find Tartufi was relatively easy, but expensive. One sits at a table at a sidewalk café. After being ignored for a while by the waiters, you are suddenly attacked by two, one claiming you are American while the other tells you to get your feet off the chair. You counterattack by asking for a Tartufo and the request is fulfilled. A Tartufo is a delicious concoction of a liquored-up cherry surrounded by chocolate ice cream surrounded by flecks of chocolate chips and nuts. The frozen affair is doused by whipped cream with two rolled wafers stuck in it. We were also given glasses of water which we drank, but for all we knew they could have been to clean the ice cream spoons. At a nearby table we noticed the two girls who had been arguing in Borghese Villa Park that morning. The loud one was saying things like “What’s a doctor doing at this little café?” and “Why do you want to give a tour to a couple Americans like us?” to one of the two men at their table. We thought the last question was a really good one! The four of them left together and we hoped they all had fun. In the square a caricaturist was at work, and he totally ruined a really good-looking guy as we watched. After the Tartufi we made our way past the Vittoriana and the Coliseum to St John’s Cathedral. Near the cathedral we found the church with the Holy Steps where one does penance by ascending the stairs on their knees. We saw many people climbing the stairs this way, but we declined to join them. We went over to St John’s and started exploring inside when a guard suddenly ushered everyone out; it was closing time already. We headed to the train station passing St Mary Major Cathedral on the way; it was under scaffolding. We checked restaurants along the way, but either were not impressed by the menu or were too impressed by the prices. We also did a lot of window shopping. We picked up our bags from the station and settled into the hotel. We got their recommendation for a restaurant; the one down the on the corner. Kathy had a salad and agnolotti and I had tortellini and a beefsteak. We returned to the hotel where I went down the hall to take a shower. I forgot to bring my towel which Kathy was kind enough to bring to me. But at first she knocked at the wrong door, and realizing her mistake she ran back to the room to hide as the occupants answered the door! As we got into bed and turned out the lights, we discovered the plates around the light switches glowed in the dark which would distract me from falling asleep. So I switched beds with Kathy. We also discovered a switch which turned on music, so we were lullabyed to sleep.

Thursday, August 30, 1979

We were given a wake-up call the next morning and went down for the breakfast of tea and croissants. Not typically Italian, but the place was owned by an Austrian woman. We left our bags at the desk for the day and headed first for the American Embassy. Being a U.S. government employee, Kathy was able to cash her vacation checks there. I had to wait in the lobby to be the conversation piece for the receptionist and guard. Kathy was apparently stopped at every opportunity by the Marine on guard inside for some sort of chat. She said the place was really fortified, no door opened freely but had to be buzzed open. She left through another exit and had to come back in the entrance to retrieve me. We did a lot of window shopping on the way to the Vatican City. We found a store where Kathy tried on several pairs of jeans, and picked out the “Fruit of the Loom.” I found the “Capitan Harlock” 45rpm record there. In another department store we got much needed underwear. We found the Pantheon where we saw the huge minimally supported dome with the hole in it. Finally we arrived at St Peter’s Square to see the Swiss Guard guarding the gate and the Swiss Guard guarding the guard. We entered St Peter’s Basilica to marvel at the interior and to see the amazing Pietà by Michelangelo. There was also the statue of St Peter in bronze whose toes were being worn away by constant rubbing for luck. We joined the long lines of people going underneath the cathedral to see St Peter’s Crypt and the tombs of the popes. There were numerous chapels down there and several tombs including those of Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul I, but there was no way we saw all the popes’ tombs. We popped up in daylight in St Peter’s Square again. We mailed some postcards and letters at the Vatican post office.

We made our way to the American Express Tourist Office, passing down the street of very expensive boutiques and seeing the Spanish Steps. The American Express office wasn't selling tickets for their tours at that time, so we took their recommendation of a restaurant for lunch. We had cheese omelets and Kathy, like a proper Italian, had a pasta dish first (spaghetti). Then we ran to buy our tickets and hop on the bus for Tour D. There was a total of eight persons on the beautifully upholstered air-conditioned tour bus. The guide was a little dippy fellow with a strong accent and with all the knowledge and cutesy humor in the world; he was not appreciated. The bus took a route managing to pass all the major sights we had already seen. Then it passed the Palatine palace ruins and the Baths of Caracalla. It drove along the ancient Appian Way where we saw one culture built on top of another: a TV antenna on top of an old home built on top of a cemetery. We passed through the walls of ancient Rome before noting any cemeteries, because ancient law stated one could not be buried within the city. We stopped at one of the catacombs where we were given a tour by a priest who seemed to have a German accent. We went through only a small section of supposedly 10 miles of tunnels with little shelves along both sides which formerly held the corpses. It was stressed that there is no proof that persecuted Christians ever lived in the catacombs. And that the Christians continued the concept of catacombs from the Jews. And that all cemeteries were sacred according to ancient Roman law, even Christian cemeteries during Christian persecution. Our tour took us to St Paul’s Outside the Walls, a beautiful cathedral with a beautiful courtyard where supposedly one learned doctrines before being allowed in the church. The cloister of the adjoining monastery was also beautiful. Inside this church were portraits of all the popes since St Peter. It is said that when the thirteen remaining spaces are filled, the world will end. Next the tour took us to St Peter in Chains to see the Michelangelo statue of Moses, where he put horns on the head through a mis-translation of symbolism. We passed St Mary Major and the train station (an example of Fascist architecture) on our return to the American Express office. There we found the address of the TWA office where I wanted to exchange my plane ticket. On our way to the TWA office we found a sporting goods store where I bought windbreakers for all my brothers. The salesman wondered why I wanted to buy the too-large jacket I tried on! The TWA office was closed, so we went to the train station to see when the train for Milano left. We had enough time to go to the Wimpies on Via Veneto for dinner where we had hamburger steaks and French fries, and Kathy had her pasta dish, lasagna this time. We tried an ice cream soda for dessert, but it wasn't too good. We walked up to Borghese Villa Park to take a bus to the hotel to pick up our luggage. We missed the first bus as we studied the sign to figure out which bus to take. We missed the second bus because the doors closed in our faces. We did manage to catch the third bus going our way. We got off at the hotel, retrieved our suitcases, walked to the station and parked ourselves at our track waiting for the train to Milano. The time for the train to leave approached, but no sign of the train. We checked and rechecked the schedule until I overheard that there was a train strike and no trains were going to Milano that night! We sat around rather discouraged until I found out they were letting one train go through to Venice. So we hopped on it, hoping to get off in Florence. We got seats in a compartment with a black couple, and the man kindly offered us our own row of seats so that we could stretch out to sleep.

Map of Rome

Next: Florence.

1979 Turin (8/24-28/1979)

Friday, August 24, 1979

We arrived in Torino/Turin and first ran to the restrooms, not only for the call of nature but to change from our shorts to long pants. We were inviting too many stares. We also managed to slip out without paying, but perhaps one only pays if they were given toilet paper which we weren't. We went in search of something to eat, stopping for toasts (grilled sandwiches). I then tried calling Gianni several times, getting no answer. I finally got an answer from Pina, but could only let her know I was in Torino before our conversation was cut short. I tried again and again, getting either a dial tone or busy signal, and again had a token stolen. I changed telephones and got a hold of Pina long enough for her to give me instructions for getting to Nole. We attempted to follow her directions. First we took a taxi to the suburban station because time was short and a bus or tram weren't likely to arrive in time. When we arrived at the station, the taxi driver told us no more trains were running, but we were told to take the 22:00 bus. At 22:00 no bus arrived and we doubted if one would. So we bought tram tickets from a fellow in a “control booth” and took the tram to the edge of the city. There we started hitchhiking and almost immediately got a ride from an English-speaking Italian who had his newly adopted cocker spaniel, left by vacationers. This guy was going to the airport at Caselle and dropped us off there. It was getting cooler and it seemed another car would never stop. And then the cars zoomed around the curve in such a way that we wondered about our safety. Finally an older middle-aged man picked us up, explaining he picked us up because rides are scarce at that hour. He also had thought Kathy was a man because of her height. This guy rattled on about cities he had visited in the US and his relatives there. Then he gave a PR spiel on the Tuscany region of Italy. When we got to Nole he wanted to take us directly to our address, but I said he could just let us off in the square which I pointed out. But he insisted the square was elsewhere and ended up driving in a circle to let us out in the square I originally designated! We then walked the few blocks to the P family's home where there was only the worried Pina to greet us. Aldo was at the bar and Gianni wasn’t answering his phone. We had hot milk and coffee, and later Gianni called his mother to ask if she had been trying to call him. I was put on the phone and Gianni came running over. Aldo came home even later. Sleeping arrangements were made so that Kathy and I took over Gianni’s apartment, while Gianni stayed at his mother’s to be taken care of since he had a fever. Kathy and I stayed up talking until 4:00 the next morning!

Saturday, August 25, 1979

And of course we woke up really late, not being ready until lunchtime when we went down to the P’s. After a great lunch of spaghetti and stew, Gianni took us to Lanzo. We first walked through the park to the Bridge of the Devil.

Bridge of the Devil

Tamiko & Kathy

Above the Bridge of the Devil

Tamiko & Kathy

Then up and around the boy’s private school, winding back down into town using the brick path network among buildings and gardens. We went to a local bar for Cokes and relaxation, and talking. We returned to the car and zoomed off to the Superga Basilica. There is no direct route, and it seemed we weaved back and forth without ever heading straight towards Superga up on the hill. It is impressive from a distance, but close up it is not a beautiful cathedral. Especially now when surrounded by scaffolding for restoration. But the grounds were nicely kept and we walked all around.

Gianni & Tamiko

On our way down we saw the rack railroad which takes visitors up and down the hill. When we got back to Nole, Gianni walked to the film store to drop off his film while I drove Kathy to his parents. Then we all drove to the pizzeria in the middle of the boondocks! We waited outside while they made the pizzas, and we played hide ‘n’ seek with Gianni's wallet. Even Pina joined in and was not suspected at all when she was the real culprit. We took the pizzas home to eat, and afterwards we talked and made plans to go hiking the next day. Then to bed.

Sunday, August 26, 1979

We were awakened by the Pina telephone alarm system at 7:30, and Kathy went ahead and answered the phone and apparently had a “conversation” with Aldo. We quickly got ready and went down for breakfast. We got outfitted in ski jackets, hiking boots and canes, and got in the car for the two-hour ride to Gran Paradiso National Park. Gianni drove which left Kathy in the back seat with Aldo. She wanted to sleep in the car, but Aldo wouldn't let her at first. But she managed to get some rest as Aldo read the newspaper. On our way we made a couple stops to buy bread and heed the call of nature. As we approached the park, we could see that there was less snow on the mountains than in June. But as we drove up into the mountains, it began to snow, covering everything in white. We found a parking spot, put on our coats, and started our hike in the snow. It was easy going, since the deep patches of snow left from the previous winter were gone. We went on for quite a while, not seeing anything except a park ranger and his dog, and some ruins left from WWII.

Tamiko and Gianni

Tamiko and 'Charlie Chaplin'

Gran Paradiso National Park

Then Kathy spotted a grey marmot whom we watched for several minutes. At noon we stopped in a niche within some rocks that cut off the wind as we ate our picnic lunch. Gianni took a nap as the rest of us talked. Then Aldo napped as Gianni espied some stambecchi/ibex way up on a hill. When Aldo awoke, we went off in search of mountain animals. Aldo spotted a lone chamoscio/chamois down below us, and we got our first sight of this graceful animal. Gianni clambered down in hopes of getting a photo, but the chamoscio scampered away. Later Gianni spotted more chamoschi. We settled down behind a large rock to watch, and the small group of chamosci was more or less joined by a large (7 or so) herd of stambecchi that had picked its way across what seemed to be a sheer cliff! We spent a long time watching, then Gianni went off in hopes of getting a close-up photo. At the same time a herd of sheep came into the area with loudly clanging bells. The chamosci and stambecchi backed off, and most disappeared over the hilltop either because of the sheep or Gianni. The sheep came over to where we were standing and Aldo got out bread and crackers to feed them.

Aldo feeding the sheep

Gianni with the sheep

There was a goat with them, and Aldo milked it so we could get a taste of goat’s milk. It was okay-tasting, but really hot! Then Kathy took a turn milking, much to everyone’s admiration.

Kathy milking the goat

Aldo and Gianni milking the goat

Without any more food being offered, the sheep wandered away. We continued the search for more chamosci and stamnbecchi. A couple were spotted directly ahead and we all hit the ground commando-style, crawling after them trying to get up close for photographing. We lost them but almost immediately we saw a huge male stambecco and we were off again in pursuit. The male had huge long horns, and he was joined by several females and a couple young ones.

There's a stambecco/ibex between the grass and rocks,
about two fifths of the way from the left

You can see this stambecco/ibex

Stambecco/ibex family portrait by Gianni

It was truly a successful hunt, and I hope my shots were on target. We also saw a bird like a grouse or quail, and several large black birds “playing” with the wind. With the sun, the snow quickly melted, so that the going was very easy. One particular area had grass of the slippery variety and I slipped, of course. We then slowly made our way back to the car with me dragging my cane as usual, but Kathy swung hers most of the time Charlie Chaplin-style.

We also tried to find Alpine Star flowers, but were unsuccessful. On our drive down, we stopped at a bar where the men had coffee, and Kathy and I warmed up by the pot-bellied stove. Thanks to Gianni, we saw more of the mountain beasts up on the mountain behind the bar. We arrived home at 20:00 and had a quick supper. Aldo went out to buy all the available ice cream in Nole, which totaled six cups. Every one had one each and Kathy and I each had another, being the ice cream lovers. We spent the evening exchanging jokes, showing off magic tricks and card tricks. Kathy taught the Ps how to play the card game “Murder” and they really enjoyed it. We played until 1:00 the next morning even though Aldo had to go to work.

Monday, August 27, 1979

Got up at 8:00 to take a good bath, go to the post office, etc. When Kathy wakened, the two of us went shopping in Nole to buy the necessary goods to make a “typical” American meal that evening. We had difficulty deciding what to get, since we couldn't find the typical ingredients! We met Pina on our way home and informed her we were making dinner. We went to buy milk for her as she went to get bread. We went to the P’s for lunch of polenta. Afterwards Gianni took us to the Sanctuary of San Michele where we had to climb innumerable steps.

Tamiko at Sacra di San Michele

Kathy at Sacra di San Michele

Tamiko

Gianni at the "outhouse"

We also listened to a recording giving the history of the place and I was able to understand the Italian better than the English version. Kathy found the French version easier to understand. Supposedly the legend is that someone jumped from this place into one of the lakes below, but in reality the lakes are around a projection in the mountain and not even in sight of the sanctuary! From the tape I could only gather that someone was miraculously saved from a fire (by jumping into the lake?). We went down to a bar near one of these lakes of Avigliana for ice cream. We arrived home in time to prepare the typical American meal with Gianni helping by whipping cream that wouldn't whip. We made a tuna-helper type tuna casserole, a tossed salad, and for dessert there was chocolate pudding on lady finger cookies with vigorously stirred cream on top. We drank Coca-cola with the meal. It was a hit! The Ps loved it and took seconds and thirds, and asked if one could get this in any restaurant in the U.S.! Carlo and Uncle Clemente came over and they were taught to play “Murder” and we played until midnight.

Tuesday, August 28, 1979

I overslept terribly late, so we had to get Gianni to drive us into Torino where we went to the Super Mercato. Bought some food supplies for our trip that evening. We also got sandwiches which we ate along the banks of the stream outside Nole, since the park containing deer was not open. When we got back to the house, we waited for Aldo to return from playing cards at his bar. Then the whole “family” went for a drive in the mountains to Colle di Lys.

Aldo, Pina, Tamiko, Kathy

Pina, Aldo, Tamiko, Gianni

We started hiking around, found some raspberry bushes and the girls began picking and munching. The guys disappeared, but when we found them Gianni showed us some mushrooms he had gathered. So everyone started looking for mushrooms. Kathy and I got quite a collection, with lots of variety and good-looking mushrooms, but only a couple turned out to be edible! We trooped up to a cow herder’s cottage to try to get fresh milk. However, the timing was wrong: the morning’s squeezings were settling for cream and we’d have a few hours to wait for the evening milking. So the kids went off mushroom-hunting while Mama and Papa took the car down. It was the U.S. vs Italy in a mushroom-hunting marathon and Italy easily won. The U.S. simply got honorable mentions for the most beautiful specimens. Altogether we got a jacketful of mushrooms.

Una dei paparazzi

On our drive down we stopped at a store specializing in baking cookies with corn flour. We had a milk and cookie break. We then zoomed home so that Kathy and I could pack while Pina cooked supper. After supper and a sad good-bye to Aldo and Pina, Gianni accompanied Kathy and me to the Nole train station. Later Aldo drove up with Aunt Teresa who came to say goodbye. Kathy gave a hug and kiss to each P family member as she had promised in a postcard. The local train arrived and off we went. At the Ps we had picked up an extra suitcase, but even so in Torino we were able to walk to the main train station and arrive pooped but in time to catch the train to Rome. We found that one of our cheeses was moldy, so we ate all the good parts right away, then settled down to sleep.

Next: Rome.

1979 San Remo (8/23-24/1979)

Thursday, August 23, 1979

We awoke alone in our compartment, a few stops before San Remo. We ate a breakfast and decided since San Remo may not have the greatest beaches, that we would continue on to Nice, France. However, as we arrived in San Remo, we heard a loudspeaker announcement say there was a strike and no trains would go into France that day. We quickly hopped off the train there in San Remo. We started off in search of a room for the night. We even tried a convent-school situation, but it was full. Next door we got a decent place for a slightly more exclusive hotel. We were taken to our room in a nearby “cottage,” which had three beds and a sink, but we would have to share a common bathroom. We had a view of the sea across the railroad tracks. The lobby of the main part of the hotel was very ritzy and filled with elegantly dressed people so that we pretended to be rich kids ourselves. We got a ticket to use the swimming pool in the next-door physical therapy facilities.

Hotel brochure page 1

Hotel brochure page 2

Hotel brochure page 3

Hotel brochure page 4

Before lunch, we took the private under-the-railroad passage to the public beach where we sunned ourselves in the wooden and canvas beach chairs, and listened to Italian music from a jukebox. At lunchtime, we first took a walk around town, finding where the casino was located. We found a Parisienne café where we tried out Italian dishes like gnocchi and rabbit. We also stopped for great ice cream several times! We returned to the hotel, and this rock (myself) then tried to learn how to swim with little success in the salt-water chlorinated pool next door. It was real easy to float and I learned to float on my back and managed a few paddles, The only other occupants of the pool were two elderly women and one of their husbands, and later a family with two teen-aged boys. We can’t forget the live drain which attacked Kathy’s thigh trying to suck her in. It didn't succeed, but it did give her a huge bruise. Afterwards we showered. As we dried and cooled off, we were blowing bubbles out the hotel window with a soap solution we had bought that afternoon. We soon took this activity outdoors where we amused ourselves and the desk clerk who passed by on his bicycle. For dinner we went out for ice cream cones, and then we went to the casino. We made sure we were both properly dressed by wearing dresses. We got our entrance pass and climbed the stairs to the game rooms.

Casino entrance pass

Casino roulette guide page 1

Casino roulette guide page 2

The rooms were already full of people crowding around the tables. There were about eight officials per table, and smoke hung heavy in the air. We spent the first part of the evening trying to figure out how the games were played at roulette and some strange card game. We managed to figure out somewhat how bets were made at the roulette table. So after a break out on the balcony (to get away from the eye-stinging smoke, but only to smell urination!), we went to the cashier to change £10,000 into two £5,000 chips, £5,000 being the minimum bet. After wandering by a couple tables to study the situation, Kathy made a 50-50 (more or less) bet on red. And wouldn't you know it, the marble did not stop on black. Nor did it stop on red; it landed on the green zero! After a bit of hesitation, I bet on row containing my favorite number ’13.’ The marble landed on 16 which meant we won an extra two chips! The gambling bug bit us! We bet on rows and colors. Our best technique was to blindly toss the chip on the table (partly because it was so crowded we couldn't reach the table)! We even bet on a “pair” when we weren't even sure what it meant! We won, although we still aren't sure as to why! At one point we had an extra eight chips, 10 chips on hand. So we had won £40,000 or $50. We continued gambling and later left with £30,000 in winnings! It was enough to pay for our entire stay in San Remo! We stopped at a sidewalk café to celebrate with drinks; milk with crème de menthe.

Friday, August 24, 1979

The next morning we checked out even though the desk clerk asked us to stay because “it’s nice here.” We took our baggage to the station, then went in search of a beach. We didn't find one, but since swimming wasn't really a planned activity for the day, we decided to join others sitting on large rocks by the water. We spent the morning sunning ourselves, and later Kathy went for a walk. The sea was getting rougher and/or the tide was coming in, because as time wore on I was getting splashed more and more. We went to a nearby restaurant for the “tourist menu” lunch, getting spaghetti and veal steak. One of the waiters seemed pleased that “we” could understand Italian, and he babbled away, especially at Kathy. Afterwards we decided to take the train to Bordighera just in case Gianni was there. While waiting for the train to arrive, we were saluted as Americans by one of the station crew who kept singing English songs as he walked past. At Bordighera, there were no baggage-check facilities, so Kathy stayed with our luggage as I ran down the main street to Uncle Bepe's shoe store. Uncle Bepe was there with a customer, but he remembered me and took time out to chat. Gianni and his parents had been there to visit, but now they were all at home. Bepe invited us up to his house for the night, but I decided we should head straight to Torino. I ran back to the station and as we waited for the Torino train, we went to get ice cream. The shop did not have Kathy’s first, nor second choice of flavors. Fortunately they had the third! We got on the train which had velvety spacious seats in second class, and everyone at first thought it was first class. As we went along we were joined by an older man and two younger fellows who soon all joined together for the common sport of girl-watching and hassling… 
Next: Turin.

1979 Naples//Mt Vesuvius (8/21-22/1979)

Tuesday, August 21, 1979 continued

We got off at Foggia to change trains for Napoli/Naples. We had a lunch break at the station in misting rain. An American backpacker heard us talking about Napoli and he wanted to know what in the world there was to see in Naples. We had planned on seeing Mt Vesuvius, but wondered why he was going to Napoli, if he didn't know what to do there. On the train to Napoli we had a full compartment and every one of the others read [adult] comic books which they passed around. It was on this train that I managed to sneak in a snoring snort during a moment of silence. We reached Napoli early in the evening and set out to find a pensione. We couldn't immediately find one, although part of the reason was because we ignored the older fellows at the station who were “recommending” pensiones. We somehow ended up on a dark back street. We headed back to the station and passed a hotel whose clerk called us in. Because the rate was very good, we took the room. We settled in, then went out to a sidewalk café/pizzeria for the specialty of the house.

Wednesday, August 22, 1979

We woke up in time to eat the included breakfast. We checked out, went to the post office, then checked our bags at the train station. On information from the hotel clerk, we bought Metro tickets to Ercolano from where we hoped to go to Mount Vesuvius. Went downstairs and boarded a train going in the proper direction. The train sped off and we soon noticed that the stations were flying by. This was apparently an express train and it wasn't stopping as we saw Ercolano fly by also! At the very first stop the train made, we got off and went to the ticket window to explain our problem and to learn which train to take back. Another fellow with a backpack and a guitar had made the same mistake. He came to talk to us in mixed English-Italian. He was from Milano visiting friends near Napoli. We got on the next train which fortunately stopped in Ercolano. On this Metro train were a group of boys obviously without tickets, who kept moving ahead of the conductor. But the conductor caught them just as we reached a station. From the Ercolano station we walked towards some ruins following signs, hoping to find a Pugliano station per the directions given by our “$10” book. We didn't find it and stopped to get information from a policeman who directed us back to the station we had just come from! We were also searching for bottled water; one old man wanted to sell us some with “negligible” gas, and another wanted to sell us Coke. Found a supermarket to get the water, and even chocolate pudding which we ate with a plastic knife and a pen. At the Metro station we waited for the “blue bus” that was to take us to Vesuvius. Because the “$10” book directions had so far been misleading, we guessed the bus would be red instead, which it was! We joined the crowd getting on and managed to be the first standees. The seats by the back door were pushed forward, but at the last minute as they tried to fill the bus to the hilt, we finally managed to push the seats down to sit on. So Kathy and I got seats, but later we squeezed together to allow a third girl to sit. The bus wound up the mountain road where alongside we began seeing volcanic rock. The bus actually only went to the base of Mt Vesuvius. We joined a line at the counter to get waiting list numbers. Then we joined a line with our numbers to get tickets. Then we joined the line to get on the chairlift that takes you to the rim of the crater. As we waited, a group of guys were causing a bit of ruckus, and one ended up shoving Kathy forward a couple stairs. One lady apparently chickened out and fought against the line to get back down. The chairlift seats faced out sideways rather than straight forward, and seemed more like an amusement park ride than a ski lift. In fact, watching the expressions on people’s faces as they got on and started off were similar to those seen on roller coasters! Just before our turn they decided to create a gap, and took several chairs off the cable. But we soon had our turn to zip up the side of Mt Vesuvius. Had a hazy view below of metropolitan Napoli and we saw many old lava runs.

View from chairlift towards Napoli

View from chairlift towards a lava run

At the top, a man in a business suit helped us off the chairlift, and we joined yet another line to wait for a guide. Finally we got one who led us straight to the edge of the rim. You could see steam coming out of nearby rocks which were very hot to the touch.

Volcano steam (see the tiny people?)

View into the crater

View across the crater

From our group, we were able to hear the spiel of the elderly guide of the group ahead of us. He stuck his cigarette near a hole to create more steam, and then he had his group yell to elicit echoes from across the very wide crater. Kathy and I forged on leaving our group behind. You were supposed to stay with your guide, but few persons did. There was no fence or protection at the edge of the rim at all! We walked along a path following the rim expecting to be able to make a complete circuit, but were told the path only led to the parking lot. We looked down to what we thought might be Pompeii. On our way back to the chairlift, we collected little pieces of volcanic rock and our total collection didn't come even near the size of some of the huge stones other people were lugging away. We took the roller coaster ride down in time to get seats on the bus to Ercolano. Once there we took the Metro back to Napoli. At the train station in Napoli, we ran into an English-speaking person wanting to know about hotels; we think he wanted to know which hotel we were staying at specifically…

As we sat waiting for our train, two good-looking guys came up to us to sing the praises of Rome. That was just after our exclaiming we hadn't been hassled while in Napoli! We wanted to take a train to the Italian Riviera, and were waiting and waiting for it to arrive. It never did because we discovered it ran on only certain days of the week of which that day was not one of them! Fortunately on the next track was a train to Rome, which was already crowded, so we joined others sitting in the corridor. We were next to a couple compartments containing huge families. There were a couple guys and a kid who tried talking to Kathy but she didn't understand Italian. They pointed us out as English-speakers and sang snatches of English songs. They kept asking Kathy if she understood Italian but she ignored them. They were really persistent at trying to talk to her. Finally one guy gestured to offer Kathy his seat, and she politely said, “No, grazie.” Aha, they exclaimed, she must understand Italian. (We made an effort to learn how to say 'please' and 'thank you' in the language of each country we visited.) When we finally arrived in Rome, people leaped out of the train and literally grabbed porters with their pushcarts for luggage. It was an absolutely mad scramble with lots of loud bickering. Whew! We changed to a train for San Remo on the Riviera. The compartment started out full, but we zonked out…

Next: San Remo.

1979 Greece (8/16-21/1979)

Thursday, August 16, 1979

We managed to wake up in time for the Brindisi station. In the station, a dozen guys directed us to the ticket windows for the Eurailpass information. At the window we were told to go to a travel agency two blocks away for information on the boat to Greece. Once we arrived there, they told us we had to go to the waterfront travel agency to get our tickets. Once that was accomplished we were sent to customs farther along the waterfront to get our passports stamped. Then we found out that the boat left from a dock even farther along, but it wouldn't leave until 20:00, and boarding began at 18:00. We had the whole day to spend in “wonderful” Brindisi. We ate our 7-course meal (peanuts, chips, etc.!) at 11:00 (having had breakfast at 6:00 or so) in a nearby park, and did a lot of people- and dog-watching. We went off in search of food to take on the boat and ended back at the train station for a WC stop. On our way back to the dock, we stopped in a couple little stores for food, and had a soda at a sidewalk café to kill some time. That was all good to use up a couple hours of the long day!

We decided to wait at the dock, napping, catching up on correspondence and this journal. Finally we joined the big crowd piling onto the big boat, where one fellow took our embarkation stubs, another our tickets, another some customs forms, and yet another our passports (to be retrieved in the morning). We climbed to an upper deck (past the bar and swimming pool!) and found ourselves a spot near the warm-air blower and the restrooms (with showers!). We were joined by hundreds of others, including our immediate neighbors, the “three Musketeers,” who had nothing to do but watch us. We explored the boat a little, ate our “bag dinner,” and Kathy borrowed a guitar for a while. We slept using our bags as pillows, but others had sleeping bags, and one couple had cots with inflatable mattresses!

Friday, August 17, 1979

Our three dear neighbors decided to have a party or something at 5:00, so we were awakened early. We spent the morning in the sun on deck watching Greek islands and oil-spills go by. Arrived in Patras about 13:00 local time, an hour ahead of Italian time, after a 16-hour boat trip. In Patras we marched down to the railroad station and made reservations on the 14:00 train. We ate our lunch, and noticed at nearly 14:00 that there was still no train. A fellow Eurail-Passer then informed us that the trains were on strike and the reservations were for the bus! So we hurried out the other entrance to board the bus. It was a three-hour trip to Athens, and we passed some great blue-colored waters, olive groves, and numerous ports. We crossed over the extremely deep Grand or Corinth Canal cutting across the isthmus of Corinth. The bus driver turned on the radio that played old English songs (circa The Beatles era). The boat from Italy also played music over loudspeakers; Italian in the evening and Greek in the morning.

We arrived in Athens at 17:00 to go hotel hunting. The first hotel had a room but no breakfast or bath. Other hotels were full, finally found one offering a bath, so we took it. We could have paid extra for breakfast, but the proprietor himself said we would be better off getting breakfast on our own! After cleaning off a week’s worth of grime, we set off towards the Acropolis to see the “Sound and Light” show. We received a few comments along the way which we are assuming is typical of Mediterranean men. In the open theater we figured nearly everyone had to be English-speaking because of the spaces left between groups of people.

Sound and Light ticket

The show was a historical narration while the appropriate buildings on the Acropolis were lighted up. Lots of people were taking flash photos of the Acropolis that was across the valley! Afterwards we made our way to the Plaka, the exciting part of town, full of restaurants, roof gardens, and cafes featuring live authentic Greek entertainment, and also a lot of discos. Public-relations type men were trying to herd people into their own particular nightspots. One fellow told us he had a table reserved especially for girls. We ran into a couple wanting us to take their photo. They were Italian and we had a short conversation, and it turned out we both used to work just outside Torino, and now they live in Brazil. Probably works for the B family! We found an out-of-the-way outdoor restaurant under an arbor of grapevines and decided to try moussaka as we watched Greek dancing and heard Greek singing (including Greek renditions of English songs?) along with a band that did a fantastic “Zorba the Greek.” One dance involved the patrons and snaked through the tables. When we were ready to leave, one of the waiters wanted us to order more Cokes “just for him.” We made our way to the hotel. Earlier that afternoon after checking in at the hotel, the phone in our room rang. Kathy picked it up and a voice in English asked, “What is your name?” Kathy repeated her answer twice before the voice thanked her and hung up. We hoped it was the absent-minded clerk who probably forgot what room he had put us in.

Saturday, August 18, 1979

We woke up late at 10:30 and quickly got ready for the day’s exploration. We set off towards the Acropolis, but got sidetracked at a “flea” market in permanent buildings where we also bought cheese pies for breakfast. We ended up at the entrance to the  Agora, so went ahead and entered.

Agora ticket

Temple of Hephaestus at the Agora

View of the Acropolis from the above temple

Agora Museum in the restores Stoa of Attalos

Saw a little old Byzantine church with original paintings and neat little windows.

View of the Church of the Holy Apostles, the Stoa and the city of Athens

We started hiking up towards a prominence from where we wanted to photograph the Acropolis, but our way was impeded by a flasher. We went in the other direction and ended up at the prominence anyway. The stairs to the top of this mass of rock had been polished until slippery by constant foot traffic. It was safer to go up barefoot rather than to fall down the steep unprotected (no handrails) stairs. We arrived at the Acropolis after purchasing a tiny 75-cent Coke (which was worth it because it was so hot and humid).

Acropolis ticket

The Acropolis

We had heard the Greeks consider this spot sacred, so we understood the Greek’s side when a woman tourist put up a great fuss because they wouldn't let her dog enter. At the main temple, the Parthenon, there were guards to whistle people off.

Kathy in front of the Parthenon

We also went to an outlook to see Hadrian’s Arch, the ruins of Zeus’s temple, and the Theater of Dionysus.

Hadrian's Arch at the front of the open area of the ruins of the Temple of Zeus

Kathy and the Theater of Dionysus

Temple of Athena Nike

Hadrian's Arch

Kathy saw a fellow Peace Corps volunteer there for the second time, the first time being at the post office at the foot of the Acropolis where they were impressed by the number of postcards we had. Kathy and I went into the museum to see pieces of sculpture (including many with faces with broken noses), frescoes, vases, etc.

Acropolis Museum ticket

After taking a look over the side into one of the theaters, we returned to the hotel. Along the way we stopped to buy candy bars at one of the many little candy/newsstands that also had public telephones. Back at the hotel we took a siesta.

View from the hotel balcony towards Omonia Square

Every time we picked up or left off our key at the hotel, there was a different clerk, a total of seven different guys so far. Anyway, when we awoke, it was time for dinner. We went back to the Plaka being invited into various night spots. We found another out-of-the-way place with a harried old fat waiter looking ready to have a heart attack. We tried souvlaki and stuffed grape leaves, neither tasting as we expected. There was the usual entertainment like the previous night. But tonight we had the added entertainment of impromptu dancing on stage by various patrons. They took the stage one by one during breaks by the “professionals,” but later the stage looked like a dance floor. The restaurants always had fine cloth napkins given to you in plastic wrapping. They came in handy for Greek folk dancing! We like to believe you were supposed to have a cigarette dangling between your lips if you danced. Again there was a labyrinthine dance which snaked between the tables. We were invited to join, but were too shy! Some of the impromptu dancers looked like zombies, as if they would fall over if someone sneezed. Their shuffling gave us the impression that Greek dancing would be easy to learn! On our return to the hotel, we received the usual stares and comments, plus one guy washing his car asked where we were going and told us we weren't nice not to answer. At the hotel we dropped into bed. Suddenly we heard a couple loud bangs or thuds, and moaning. Then there was screaming and crying, all coming from the room next door. It went on for quite a while and the yelling was joined by another voice. Later there was more door banging, yelling and crying, but it finally quieted down.

Sunday, August 19, 1979

Woke up a little earlier this morning, at 9:30 and we set off for a Greek island of which we vaguely had heard many great things. We first went to some stores to get supplies for lunch. One English-speaking proprietor was very friendly, putting an arm around Kathy’s shoulder and patting my face. We got an ear of roasted corn for breakfast. We took the Metro to the port of Piraeus where we travel-agency hopped until we found the floating tub that would take us to Salamis.

View of a Greek island

The boat rocked rather violently at times in the waves. We passed by the huge port seeing ships from many different countries including the USSR. Most were Greek shipping magnates we assumed, but generally many were old and rusting, and listing. One old ship looked half-sunk. Our boat pulled up to one island dock then immediately pulled away. When it stopped at another dock, we got off with everyone else. We found a sign proclaiming the existence of a beach and went off in search. Our main problem was that we thought the boat was taking us to the town of Salamis, but it took us to the town of Selinia on the island of Salamis! In our search, we ended up walking more than the 7 km distance between Selinia and Salamis. All the way we were getting more than warning honks, mostly from motorcyclists and mopedists. Once in Salamis, a van pulled up with three guys talking away at us. The continued ahead as we suddenly crossed the road, but then they made a u-turn. They passed again in the other direction, asking if we spoke French, German or Italian. We didn't tell them we could speak all three!

We walked out on a fishing pier and saw people at a beach across the cove. We hiked around to this pebble beach and found the water wasn't very clean. We were a bit disenchanted with this supposedly “Zorba-like” island, so went back to the main road to hitchhike back to Selinia. Three men in a car picked us up and took us right to the boat dock, where we got an even worse tub to return to Piraeus. This one bobbed so much, a wave came over the front to soak some middle-aged ladies. From Piraeus we Metro’ed back to the hotel. After cleaning up, we wandered back near the Acropolis to a special theater featuring Greek folk dancing. 

Greek Folk Dance ticket

Each dance seemed to be better than the last. Saw many different types of dancing with many, many dancers, perhaps a total of 36. Then we headed toward the Plaka and were persistently followed by two guys who wanted to know where we were going and didn't respond to being ignored. So Kathy and I neatly about-faced to go in the opposite direction, only to find the two had turned to keep after us. After some corners, we tried another quick u-turn which didn't work. Kathy and I then sat down next to a little old lady sitting in her doorway, and the two continued on, finally leaving us. We went to a roof garden to hear Greek folk music which included a “Japanese” song and Italian communist songs! When we returned to the hotel, we went out on our balcony for people-watching! What a night! We are sure we saw two ladies of the night at work, which means one scored four times averaging nine minutes per trick, while her out-of-it sister took only two, one for 1-3/4 hours! We finally lost our patience in awaiting new tricks and went to bed.

Monday, August 20, 1979

Woke up even earlier, packed, and checked out with yet another clerk who wanted to know if we were having breakfast, in contrast to his “uncle.” We walked to one railroad station, then were directed to another before catching the bus to Patras. The bus stopped in one town along the way where buses were not meant to pass in the streets. Somehow impossible corners were negotiated. Once in Patras we were told the boat to Italy was full and we were put on a waiting list. Being numbers 99 and 100, we didn't know about our chances. We stopped at a sidewalk café for a cheap lunch of moussaka, shish kebob, and a Greek salad. After a long wait and big crowds, it turned out they had enough room for us after all on the 17:00 boat. We had to rush through all the formalities and when we boarded there were no good spots left. We found a corner on the top deck and it’s great for people-watching!

View from the boat

Sunset as seen from the boat

Later went exploring on the boat by myself, in search of a restroom. Managed to find a couple lounges, disco, boutique, and a smoking lounge, but no restrooms! At one point I tried to open a stuck door and was kindly helped by a boat employee. He followed me around a while, and when I was forced to make a u-turn, I ran into him. With a heavy accent he asked, “Do you speek Eenglish?” I said that I did but was looking for a friend, allora, ciao. Later Kathy went off and found the restrooms for us. There was a problem of sex identity as many men came into the women’s restroom. Kathy borrowed a guitar and practiced under a deck light after her pen flashlight started giving out while I was holding it. I was the first to settle down to sleep, and noting that the deck was strangely wet, I laid out my poncho. The sky was perfectly clear, sleeping under the stars! A while later Kathy returned and laid out her poncho. But she felt a cold coming on and wanted to find a place indoors if possible. On her search she ran into the same “Do you speek Eenglish?” boat employee and she couldn't help laughing at him. We did move indoors to sleep out the rest of the night.

Tuesday, August 21, 1979

Early the next morning there was a sudden influx of people indoors. We at first thought the boat had landed and people were readying to disembark, but they were escaping the sudden fierce rainstorm with spectacular lightning and thunder. Our little space was invaded by a group of French kids led by the big brother who seemed to do all the work such as finding everyone a spot to sit, and then he was the one left without a spot. The rain let up and later we glided into port. After getting off the boat we headed directly to the train station in Brindisi, stopping only at a supermarket (U.S. style) for supplies. We caught a train headed to Paris, and were joined by the French group; big brother had found the compartment and brought in the bulk of their backpacks, but he ended up sitting elsewhere. We were later offered orange gin by this big brother when he returned to his flock to eat, and he laughed when we refused thinking we thought it was too early for drinking. We just don’t drink, period! The French group was very exacting in dividing up a wedge of cheese. Big brother told us that we couldn't get to France today because of a train strike, but that didn't bother us, as we were not headed there.

Map of Athens

Next: Naples.