@least100+

Lisbon-Lagos= 4 hrs bus

Lagos- Sevilla= 5 hrs bus

Sevilla- Granada= 4 hrs train

Granada- Nerja= 2 ½ hrs bus

Nerja- Madrid= 8 ½ hrs bus                        

Madrid- Barcelona= 11 hrs bus

Pisa-Florence= 1 hr train

Florence-Split= 12 hrs bus

Split- Florence= 12 hrs bus

Florence- Chianti= 1 ½ hrs bus

Chianti- Florence =1 ½ hrs bus

Florence-Sienna= 2 hrs bus

San Gimingiano- Florence= 2 hrs bus

Florence- Venice= 3 ½ hrs bus

Venice- Florence 3 ½ hrs bus

Florence- Arezzo= 1 ½ train

Arezzo- Florence= 1 ½ train

Florence- Rome= 3 ½ hrs bus

Rome- Florence= 3 ½ hrs bus

Florence- Pisa = 1 hr train

Brussels- Maastricht= 3 hrs train

Maastricht- Brussels= 3 hrs train

Brussels- Prague= 15 hrs train

Prague- Florence= 11 hrs bus

Florence- Sorrento= 6 hrs bus

Pompeii- Florence= 6 hrs bus

Florence- Pisa= 1 hr train

Lucca-Florence= 1 ½ hr train

Florence- Interlaken= 12 hrs bus

Interlaken- Florence= 12 hrs bus

Florence-Milan = 5 hrs train

Running Total of 112 hours of bus travel

And 37 ½ hours of train… a whole lot of seated motion

Needless to say I no longer get carsick! 

Frikadeller

Note: This happened over Thanksgiving break so a tad bit out of order.. oops! 

I have to admit, I was a bit nervous to meet my Danish family I was not aware existed. I knew I had met some of them when I was all of four-years old, but I was not under the impression that I had so many relatives over there. I went over there with no expectations and no plans except wanting to see Tivoli. Good thing, because they sure did have the schedule for me! That’s probably where I get my passion for planning. The first night I was to stay with Bente and her family, where she had prepared me a Danish feast since it was American Thanksgiving. Traditional cuisine from Copenhagen that consisted of frigadella, wine, potato salad, wine, shrimp cocktail, more wine, and chocolate! I was so full- which apparently you can’t say in that context because in Danish it refers to your level of sobriety. Yeah, I probably wouldn’t be telling my family I have met for the first time that I was really drunk, even if I was a little tipsy at the time. I slept in the next morning (did I mention in the most comfortable bed I have laid my head in-probably the best night sleep I have to have while abroad) and we then headed up the coast to the Louisiana Museum.  Modern art looks like a completely different species after living in Florence with art from the Renaissance. After an afternoon nap in the bed of my dreams, Nickolas was to pick me up for dinner at his family’s home. Nickolas is one of my cousins. Just turned 21 so we are very close in age. After another traditional Danish meal and mingling with foreign family, Nickolas and I headed out to his apartment downtown. He was going to show me how the Danish do it.  We ended up taking a tour of the city so he and his friend could show me where the real nightlife took place. Below freezing later, I had surrendered to the cold and went back to Nickolas’ apartment. Brunch was at 11 and then his dad, Kim, was to pick me up so we could go to Tivoli. Brunch is really big in Copenhagen. I really am Danish since breakfast food is my absolute favorite- not to forget those delish pastries that melt in your mouth. It was at that moment that I decided it was going to be a day of sweets. Kim and I had stopped in Tivoli for some Danish pastries (apple balls?) where Lis and Maria met up with us. Lis is Kim’s sister, who is also Bente’s sister. I was able to get my own time with all 3 of the families! Maria and Christopher were great. After more candy and hot chocolate, we finished our afternoon with cappuccino and yet more Danish cakes! I was in heaven. But my stomach was not too keen on all the sugar. I hate when my eyes and stomach don’t agree. But I continued since I knew Bente’s husband, Pier, was preparing plates of steak for us to devour when we returned. Little did I know that Bente had picked up possibly the richest cake I have ever tasted for dessert. Oh well, gotta live it up while in Denmark!  

Lucia

Toady is my final day in Italy. And for how much I have grown to dislike the Italians attitude towards Americans, it would be my last day that completely changes that perspective. I won’t go into the gory, horrid details of my worst traveling disaster yet to come on my travels (obviously had to go out with a bang) but am going to focus on my guardian angel named Lucia. 2 taxis and 2 trains later I had jumped a train headed for Milan.. I knew I didn’t have a ticket, I knew I could get fined. But my credit card was reading in any of the machines and I was desperate. I figured I would hide in the bathroom for as long as possible to avoid the conductor checking tickets- but that was not long enough “This ticket is no good for me. You get out at next stop”. Alrighty, Bologna it is. I am now real worried about catching my flight that leaves from Milan at 5:45 as it is already 1:30. I try yet again to buy a ticket, niente. And then I try a Bancomat convinced that it is only the train ticket automatic machines that won’t take my foreign card, still nothing. At this point I am in tears realizing I have all of 7 euros to my name and no phone to call the parents with. I gloomily walk into Customer Service where she immediately takes me under her wing and assures me everything will be alright. She walks me over to the track my train is on and personally talks to the conductor. I’m not sure how the conversation went as it was all in Italian but it was a great result of me getting on the train. The girl behind me must have recognized I was American (who could miss my two oversized bags of luggage, my purse and my 100% desperateness oozing out of my pores for all to sense). She asked me if I was going to Milan and then I asked her. Thank god! Someone going to the same place as me I can follow like the foreign shadow I am. I told her my predicament of my trains and how my flight was early this evening so it was crucial I make it to the airport.

“Wait! Did you say you’r flight is at 5:45?” 

“Yeah, do you know the best way to the airport from Milano Centrale?”

“No, I’ll call my friend and ask. But we don’t get to Milano until 4:45.”

Sobs come back…

“Well don’t cry, we’ll figure this out!”

So it was shortly after I had to come to terms that I was not going to make my flight. The airport was an hour-train ride away from the city, and a 90 euro taxi ride (90 euros of which I didn’t have).  It was a rough half an hour of a breakdown, which managed to entertain the entire train. One gentleman even came over from his seat a couple rows back to give me some tissues. Lucia was on the phone with her mom who was online looking up flights and trains to Madrid. Lucia kept telling me to eat something so I don’t pass out (Italians solution for absolutely everything- food). The lady across from me than said something to Lucia (in Italian of course), which translated to: My brother is a travel agent let me call him to see what he can do. So as of now, there were 2 people on the train with my flight itinerary back to Boston.  Her brother had concluded that the cheapest flight he could find was Ryanair (which I can’t fly since I have too much luggage) and then EasyJet, (my original airline) but they wouldn’t be able to refund me.  I was in a seriously dark place with no idea what to do. I had 7 euros. 7 euros! That was not going to buy me another flight. Lucia told me that the woman had offered her home for me to stay in that night and that she would drive me to the airport in the morning. Lucia also offered her friends home. SO I had plenty of homes to go to, just no flights to get on. Lucia’s mom called back and had found a flight for 77 euros that left the next morning and would get me into Madrid on time. Lucia asked if she could have my card information so that her mom could rebook it for my online. I was a little nerve pants about getting declined again, which is when I miraculously remembered I had saved my Nani’s information in an email. Thanks Nani!! Not only did Lucia’s mom rebook my flight but she had gotten on the phone with EasyJet with enough time to change my flight rather than rebook an entire new one! I was dozing in and out of this conversation between Lucia and her mom since I was emotionally exhausted from my panic attack earlier. I was hoping I would wake up and be sitting in the Starbucks at Logan Airport with Nani, Connor and Daddy. No such luck. But, on the bright side I now had a flight to Madrid!! When our train finally arrived in Milano Centrale she carefully walked me to the ticket station where I bought a train ticket to the airport for…. you bet ya! 7 euros exactly!!  Wow my luck really was turning around. Not quite yet. The handle of my carry on ripped off when it fell off of my big bag. Guess I won’t be bringing that bag now, have to figure out where I’m going to fit all of that shit… but I’ll focus on that later. One task at a time. Now to the train station. Lucia literally walked me onto the train in fear I would get lost again as the fragile little foreigner I was. I gave her a massive hug and thanked her profusely. She than reached into my pocket and gave me 25 euros. I began to throw it back in her face and she said “NO! It’s not much but please take it just in case anything else happens, you won’t be completely broke.“ She asked me to email her when I finally made it home to my final destination: Maine.

It is now 2 hours later and I am sitting in the Milano Malpensa International Airport. I am dreading what is going to happen next, because with my luck something is bound to happen. Four months ago, I had an especially hard time getting to Italy from Madrid, and now I am again having a particularly hard time via my exit route. I suppose Italy and Madrid airport don’t mesh very well. Or maybe Italy was a little hesitant to let me in, but now they are having a hard time letting me go? Let me go Italy! I want to be home with my family! You gave me my Italian angel, which magically transformed my perspectives of Italians! It was yet another awful learning lesson, but this one gave me the best results.  Imagine how lost I would have been without you Lucia. Thank you!

The process of traveling is completely torturous, and in this case even worse, but this just makes the destination that much more exciting right?!