My train for Rome was leaving around 5:45pm. I would be arriving at 10:35pm and then jump on another train that would take me to Fiumicino airport at 10:45pm. Not much of a window for time, but it had to happen. Last year I got stuck at the train station overnight before they resumed service in the morning. This year it was going to be different. I had to be on it.
Me and my friend enjoyed our late breakfast. I started to get emotional again, like I always do right before I leave any vacation. One of the reasons was I felt I didn't have enough time with my friend. We were having fun night before we left Lecce despite our lock out situation. I really wished she had met me in Greece.
For lunch we decided to go big since I was going to be on a 5 hour train ride. We were going to meet up another friend who also lives in her town, and who happens to have lived in New York for some time. It was nice meeting her and we all had some good laughs. We headed to Teanum Wine Bar in Foggia and I can definitely say we were pretty loud at the table. At this point, who cares? We wanted to be ourselves for once, and yes, we were in another country, but it didn't stop us from making memories that day. I'm glad my friend found someone who she could relate to.
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| Seafood pasta! I cleaned off my plate! SO GOOD!!!! |
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| Octopus |
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| Rich chocolate cake |
I ordered a pasta dish and devoured every last bite of it! I knew I wouldn't taste food like this again for quite sometime. For dessert we had a chocolate cake that was rich and delicious! We had wine and ate like kings. My friends decided we should go to the train station early just in case. And sure enough, my world came crashing down. In one instant.
The lady behind the ticket booth gave us the hardest time. I had my receipt of my train ticket transaction, but not an actual ticket. That is why we went up to her in the first place. Right before you board your train, you have to stamp your boarding ticket in a machine. Once you're on the train, the train conductor will come by and ask for your stamped ticket.
According to the lady behind the counter, she did not know what we were showing her, and insisted I must have gotten something else for a confirmation. She did not recognize any information on my receipt (which was in English). Mind you, we were in Southern Italy where they do not speak English at all (along with other languages like Spanish). Only Italian. Even though my friends spoke Italian to her, the lady claims she did not "see" a confirmation number, therefore, she was not able to print a ticket out for me. I even pulled up my transaction off my email from my iphone, but she still didn't recognize anything. We tried to persuade her to type in whatever numbers were displayed off my receipt, but she kept repeating over and over again that she did not see a confirmation. I started to panic.
My nerves were getting to me and I had to rush to the bathroom. I was in there a while and my friends went in to check up on me. I was nervous about getting on the train, mostly because I knew I wouldn't be able to speak to the conductor in Italian. I didn't want to cause a scene. My friend asked if I had enough cash on me to purchase a ticket en route. "They will not kick you off the train if you do not have a ticket. You can buy one right there." That made me feel a little bit better, but I was so nervous. I wish I wouldn't overreact like this. I wanted them desperately to come with me, but I knew I had to face this hurdle on my own.
My friends waited until the train arrived. There was some confusion at first because they made an announcement prior to its arrival that the train leaving for Rome would be coming in from another platform. These are the things that can happen at a moment's notice. It's all a part of traveling and I am grateful my friends waited with me to help me out.
I said my good byes and got on board. I waited for the conductor to come around to me. Once he got to my turn I tried to explain to him with my little Italian that I purchased my ticket on-line. I showed him my printed receipt and my transaction off my iphone. He kept looking over the information and then tried entering whatever numbers were displayed. Sure enough, my name came up. He said, "Ok" and off he went. I was relieved but sad that I had to leave Foggia having a panic attack. I wish I left in better terms with my friends instead of having them try to calm me down. My anxieties were all over the place on this trip. I hate getting like this.
I caught my train and got to the airport in no time. The reason I like to break night at the airport instead of getting a hotel room is because I want to be able to sleep on flight. I absolutely hate flying and because of all the flights I took on this vacation in particular, I didn't mind staying up. It is what it is. I know I can't let my anxiety run my life, so I make the necessary adjustments I can to do what I want to do. It's frustrating sometimes but if I didn't figure out other ways to live with anxiety, what else could I do? You manage what you can and move on to the next challenge...
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| Bff |
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