Still Chasing the Winter Sun

I had to leave all too soon. It’s been a long night. I always get a bit antsy before a trip of some sort particularly one to unknown places amongst unknown people. Broken sleep, twisted dreams of lost passports, timetables and wrong trains going to the strangest places involving people who are definitely misplaced in my dreams. I desperately need to sleep and start to imagine shadows on the walls, “not those as well!”

I packed most of my goods and chattels last night. I’m carrying too much as I knew I would and as I always do, I’m trying to work out what I can leave behind or off load along the way. I just wish I could just go trekking with a pole in my hand and nothing more. Free, totally free of all encumbrances, to roam and pick and choose the path so randomly, one footstep at a time. But not today. Today I’m squeezing another item into my backpack that I will probably not use but must ensure I have with me…. “just in case”.

It was an emotional departure today. I’m on my way back to Rome where I’ll spend 24 hours before training it to Assisi where I’ll begin my pilgrimage. As arranged P….. my cousin, took me to the train station. I farewelled my neighbouring Aunt I…. and cousin C…… last night, they literally live across the entrance at the top of the stairs. My Aunt I…. is becoming very forgetful and farewells are not straightforward, you can’t just knock on the door and say, “hi, it was nice seeing you, goodbye”! No! It involves being asked if you’ve eaten multiple times, and stories of a situation that occurred 60 or 70 years ago, repeated over and over while my another cousin sits by patiently having heard that same story at least a million times, and I sit and smile with so much interest pretending to be hearing it for the first time.

She’s a happy character, very short in stature, speaking with so much excitement and emotion and repeating herself over and over and offering hospitality just as many times. A simple farewell turns into quite possibly an hour and it’s the easiest of the farewells. It is absolutely wrong to have favourites amongst relatives and yet we all do. We are compelled to love all equally, in many cases we do although in most we don’t. Aunt T……. insisted on rising early to say our goodbyes, she really shouldn’t have, she doesn’t sleep well, often sleeping until late morning catching up on what is lost through the night. There were no tears but heartfelt sentiment, the promise of prayers for a safe onward journey and though she longs to see me and others of the family again she is realistic clearly stating that it is unlikely that she will live another year. I live with great hope of seeing her again in this life and so I bury my emotions deep.

I’m ever surprised by hospitality here. On the way to the train station P….. announced we would be making an extra stop along the way, he promised to drop off an item for another cousin in the town of Gioia Tauro where the train station is located.  P… knew I wanted to be at the station a bit earlier and he is about to realise my sleepless night and twisted dreams. A phone call from his cousin at a crucial moment means that at 9:22am and having a train to catch at 9:43 we are meeting his cousin, stopping at the local cafe for a coffee before dropping of said item and making the train. 

I’m on the train. As I put my backpack in the luggage rack and sat down the train moved out of the station. I looked for P……. he was already gone. I’ll miss him.

Just 4 days were not enough!

I’ve been travelling on this train now for 3 hours, it’s always comfortable ride until others sit opposite then it’s going to be really good or maybe not. After each stop the mandatory recorded announcement advises the approaching stop, that the train is on time in Italian AND English, 5 minutes later a random announcement advises passengers if they have any complaints they can do so online or in writing. How very interesting?!

The quizzical thought that has come to me in that when booking train or plane fares and choosing seats, cute little images of seats are depicted for passengers to make their selection. They look so comfortable don’t they? Quite spacious, very armchair-ish. The cabin is light, appearing very spacious, almost giving the passenger a first class feel. Hmmmm!  

Let’s catch up in Rome!

A presto.