Act 3

[whole diary]

[grahame]

The lights are dimmed, the curtain rises, and where do I find myself tonight?

[Bmblbzzz]

I, of course, have no idea, so I'm going to have a wild guess but deduced from clues. The signs look like Italian and you've made a theatrical reference. So: Venice (The Merchant of) suggests itself, but it somehow looks too clean. I'm going for Verona (though you make an unlikely Romeo – could you be Mercutio?)

Failing that, it has to "Tauntonio".

[grahame]

I, of course, have no idea, so I'm going to have a wild guess but deduced from clues. The signs look like Italian and you've made a theatrical reference. So: Venice (The Merchant of) suggests itself, but it somehow looks too clean. I'm going for Verona (though you make an unlikely Romeo – could you be Mercutio?)

Failing that, it has to "Tauntonio".

The theatric reference was, alas, to Ireland being Act 2 recently, and Act 1 being Faro.  A third journey starts. You are correct in Italy.  NOT all that clean - in fact I found myself half an hour later in what I suspect was the red light district and it was so dishevelled and litter strewn it was untrue.  With a car, the will, and some money I'm totally sure I could have ... never mind, the first two were lacking and the third stayed in my pocket.   Now in a B&B which was pre-booked, harder find than any accommodation I have ever stayed in before and overlooks a typical Italian Courtyard.  Big tall shuttered windows just like we used to have at home at "404" for anyone who visited us there (1999 to around 2018).

[JayMac]

Failing that, it has to "Tauntonio".

Nah. It's Melkshamo

[stuving]

So it must the shiny new fermata Catania Aeroporto-Fontanarossa.

[grahame]

So it must the shiny new fermata Catania Aeroporto-Fontanarossa.

Yes, it is - so new that no-one is using it yet!   Like Cardiff Airport Station (Rhoose) it's not at the airport, and indeed it's not even signposted at the airport as to how to get to it.  Airport information desk closed, staff at a cafe concorse tell me "go out this door" without adding at "wait beside the building works at the temporary bus stop sign for the long term parking shuttle which will take you there". 

Anyway - I go out the door, walk around and find no station.  I ask people who are local and they direct me to a bus at the far end of the terminal building which I had already concluded was probably the city centre bus.  Anyway - walked up there to ask. "No - other end of building" say driver, and as I walk back I see a bus at the stop I am headed back for, which pulls away as I get there - fortunately sees me and stops, lets me on, and confirms he's going to Fontatarossa Station.  The couple who had sent me up to the other end of the terminal were there too - very apologetic and embarrassed!

After driving out of the airport with the other passengers still on board, the bus turns into an obscure side road and there is this magnificent station - just people and signs of life missing, and I am the only one dropped off.   In fact, I thought I was the only one at the station until I spotted a lady up the other platform.  Very modern, very new - but no staff and, err, almost no trains.  Fortunately I had checked my timetable ahead of the journey, knew there was a 19:53.   Also this was confirmed by a next trains display showing the one or two services calling per hour ... and after a 20 minute wait both my 19:53 and a 19:53 headed out of town for the other lady pulled up.  I was still the only one waiting; there was a handful of passengers already on for the 10 minute run into Catania Central.

[stuving]

Should we expect "shehe'll be cominggoing round the mountainvolcano when she comes because it's there"?

[grahame]

Should we expect "shehe'll be cominggoing round the mountainvolcano when she comes because it's there"?

Yes, that will be the answer to tomorrow evening's "guess where I have been".  Services in Sicily are dire-ly infrequent on a Sunday and non-existent on some lines.  Which means that was running was stuffed to the gunwales with people.  Station departure posters list all seven days on one list, and little footnotes in Italian are there for things like "does not run on a Sunday".  I took a day trip on the only practical train to Syracuse and watched the huddle of people who arrived there and who were doing the same trip separately trying to work out their return.   16:01 (an unusual routing and you had to see "Catania" in the small print) or 18:20, of course ;-) ...

[grahame]

So it must the shiny new fermata Catania Aeroporto-Fontanarossa.

Yes, it is - so new that no-one is using it yet!   ....

I was relieved to see today when we called at the airport station on our way back from Siracuse that about a dozen people got off ... I suspect it may not be much used for the 10 minute hop into Catania, but is starting to build users from and to other cities.

[grahame]

Should we expect "shehe'll be cominggoing round the mountainvolcano when she comes because it's there"?

Yes, that will be the answer to tomorrow evening's "guess where I have been".  ...

Earlier this morning:

[chuffed]

On the Circumetnal as we Brizzleonians sez...

[stuving]

At least there's a reassuring lack of emanations!

[grahame]

And a taste of today ...

[grahame]

Have you ever had one of those weeks where the experiences of each day are so many that you don't have time to digest them before the next experience starts?

[grahame]

Too many experiences this week to share them all ... seeing how things are done elsewhere in Europe.  Modern trains have sealed double glazing and it's wonderful to travel in comfort and see so much - less easy (you will be thankful) to capture it in a shareable form without reflections from inside the train.