Another time, however, a mere 20-minute delay in one train caused me to miss my next train, and thus I literally had to spend the night in a tiny office of an Italian train station. Something that most tourists probably don’t get to do, and most likely, aren’t really allowed to do.

Here are my journal entries as I stayed up one night in the tiny train office…

Tuesday July 27, 2004 – 11:00pm:
I’m sitting here in a Trenitalia office in Falconara at 11pm. I missed my train connection because my previous train was 20 minutes late. Only 20 minutes, but that was all it took!

I was originally coming from Padova, had a connecting train in Bologna, and then I was supposed to have another connecting train here in Falconara. From here, I am supposed to be on my way to Fabriano, and my ultimate destination, Genga.

An Italian Train

The mishap began in Bologna, where the train left 15 minutes late. I was expecting that the train would make up time somehow, but alas it lost five more minutes while en route. I read a bit on the train, looked out the window, and saw a couple of gorgeous sunflower fields, still hoping that somehow I would make my connection in Falconara.

But the train did arrive 20 minutes late, and I knew that I had missed my next train. I looked at the train schedules on the wall, and it looked like the next train to Fabriano would not be till 3:46am! Was I reading that right? What would I do? At first, I really did not know what to do. It was after 10pm. This was the first time that something like this happened to me.

I actually stood around for a while thinking, or not thinking, or trying to think. I guess I was a bit shaken up, but not too bad. I felt like it was too dark and too late for me to wander around trying to find a hostel or some place to stay. I suppose I could just stay right where I was in the train station for several hours, but it was a bit cool outside, and I would have preferred to stay warm.

I finally asked a train station attendant about the train schedules to confirm what I saw on the wall. He agreed that my next train to Fabriano would not be till 3:46am.

Italian Train Tickets

After a bit of pondering again, I noticed that there was a train station office, thinking that would be a nice option to stay in. I actually got up the nerve to ask the attendant if I could please wait in the office. He spoke English well enough that I could explain to him my dilemma and he understood…and so here I am!

Wednesday July 28, 2004 – 12:45am:
It is now12:45am on Wednesday, and I am still in the Falconara train station office waiting for my train, in three more hours and one minute. I feel like I’m in a zone of some sort. I haven’t slept yet, and I don’t feel like sleeping, but I’m not quite sure that I am actually here, writing in my journal to pass the time. Seems very strange. I mean, I know I’m here, but I guess when you don’t sleep much, and feel a bit out of sorts, then it feels surreal.

The gentleman who allowed me to stay in the train station office went home a while ago, so two other kind gentlemen who work in this office are keeping me company. Or am I keeping them company? They are working, as I am writing in my journal, catching up on a few days’ events. These two men even set up a little bed for me to sleep on.

Wednesday July 28, 2004 – 1:40am:
The two gentlemen have been very nice. In between my journal writing, with their little English, and my little Italian, we actually have communicated some. We have shared about each others jobs; they have been interested in my journal writing; I told them I took an Italian language class before I began my Europe travels; we talked a bit about the U.S. and a little about politics; and I told them of some the places I’ve been during my travels thus far in Europe. They asked if I had any children, etc.

An Important Italian Train Sign

Wednesday July 28, 2004 – 3:26am:
In 20 minutes my train from Falconara will take me to Fabriano. I did finally lie down on the bed that the gentlemen made for me in their office and slept for just over an hour. Better than nothing. The bed was really a cushioned board that they had hidden behind some cabinets, which they put across the seats of two chairs. There was some cushioned thing for a pillow. And they gave me some paper towels to put on top of this pillow for protection. Pretty funny actually. But thoughtful. They must sleep here when it gets late for them. So can you say that you slept in a Trenitalia office? I can.

Wednesday July 28, 2004 – 4:45am:
Ok – It is now 4:45am, I made it to Fabriano, and in 20 minutes the next train will take me to Genga.

Another Italian Train

Wednesday July 28, 2004 – Later That Evening:
I got to Genga at about 5:30 this morning. I took a really nice crisp, brisk walk from the train station to Kelly’s house, with the sun starting to brighten the day, and the birds chirping. It was a good way to start the morning. Well, continue my morning, really.

But being awake didn’t last long. Shortly after I arrived at Kelly’s, I fell asleep. I slept till about 9:30am.

I am grateful for the gentlemen in the Falconara train station. Their hospitality made my 20-minute late-train mishap not so bad at all!

Sweet Travels!

In fact, cities in Sweden have dedicated bike lanes on the streets, the bicycles have their own traffic lights, and pedestrians even yield to bicyclists. There are many well-marked paths for cycle touring as well. The Swedes do their best to make cycling safe and easy.

Of course, it goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway, that cycling, even though quite functional for the Swedes, is also good for the environment. And healthy, too!

When I was in Malmö, Sweden, which is a convenient train stop between Copenhagen and Stockholm, on my 15-day circumnaviation of the Batlic Sea, I had a few hours to go do some sightseeing in Malmö.

However, before I even left the train station to go wander the streets of Malmö, the first thing I noticed was this “parking lot” for biycles. I definitiely did a double-take and had to stop and look when I saw it. It didn’t have just a few bike racks with a few dozen bikes that I was used to seeing. Instead this area must have had hundreds, no probably thousands, of bicycles!

Well, for some reason this sight just amazed me, so of course I had to take pictures. And not just a picture or two of the general overview of the parking lot, but also some “artsy” photos as well.

I found out that Malmö has 410 km (about 255 miles) of bike paths, and approximately 40% of all commuting in Malmö is done by bicycle.

I also found out that most people don’t lock their bikes in Malmö, as there are so many bikes and that most people have one, that theft is not an issue.

Now what I really want to know is…how would you ever find your bicycle in a place like this?

Sweet Travels!

All photos Copyright Debby Lee 2010

And we thought driving and the traffic in Seattle was an experience…Well, let me tell you of my adventures within my first hour of arriving in Hanoi, Vietnam. First of all, before I describe this, I should clarify that this was actually a grand adventure, in spite of what it may sound like. I actually found myself rather enjoying what could be perceived as chaos, but what I decided was actually cooperation…

Traffic in Hanoi

After my nearly 24-hour journey to get to Hanoi, I started my almost hour-long taxi ride from the airport to my hotel in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. This ride is where I began to experience the cooperation of traffic!! (Yes, it is possible.) But not just normal everyday traffic that we experience in Seattle, or most other US cities. Traffic of hundreds upon hundreds (if not thousands) of various types of transportation: cars, trucks, buses, motorbikes, scooters, bicycles, cyclos, even pedestrians, hundreds, all sharing the same road. What really caught my attention was that all of these various vehicles were not following each other in straight lines as we are used to; they were not necessarily following traffic rules (if there were any); they were passing and weaving in and out of each other, in between vehicles, around and through vehicles, side by side, making for no real lanes, sometimes going down the dashed line of the road, or on any arbitrary lane that one wanted to go, with very few stop signs or stop lights.

Woman on Motorbike

I found that I became immediately enthralled with looking around, observing, and listening to what was going on outside of the automobile that I was in. It seemed like a random movement, perhaps some would think chaotic, yet it worked; people got around and through and in between other vehicles in what seemed smooth, effortless, cooperative.

Interestingly, most people, especially on the motorbikes, scooters, and bicycles were not even wearing helmets. Many were however, wearing masks over their face, to protect from pollution and sun. And in all of this, I felt completely safe. Of course, I would not want to drive in this myself; I was perfectly content letting my taxi driver do the driving.

Traffic in Tam Duong Town

And then there was the noise…honking horns, lot of honking horns. Sometimes the honk was out of courtesy to let someone know that you were passing; other times it was to tell someone to get out of the way, please. Seattle seems so much quieter. But for me, even with the noise, I was not overwhelmed, and I rather liked listening to the symphony of horns.

Carrying Goods (from postcard)

And then there was what was being carried on many of these moving vehicles, especially on the motorbikes, scooters, and bicycles, themselves. Not just people; but things, too – goods that were either just bought or wanted to be sold. A dozen huge watermelon-sized fruit; 50 crates of eggs (what a mess that would be if the driver lost balance); long slats of wood or steel beams sticking out of a basket; a dozen breakable stone carvings; food, fruit, live animals and birds, not-alive animals and birds, house-hold items, building materials, anything, you name it, they were carrying it! No, they were balancing it, weaving in and out of the traffic, smoothly, effortlessly, confidently, cooperatively.

Oh, and then there was the person talking on a cell phone (a sight commonly seen in Seattle), but while on their scooter, and carrying some goods. And then there were the people who decided to just stop in the middle of the road to say hello to each other, in the middle of all this traffic, without even flinching. And, I even witnessed on one scooter, an entire family (five people) – dad, mom, and three kids.

And, I will bet that in all of this, that I was the only one wearing my seat belt!

And, what I loved the best was the conical hats that the women were wearing!

Women on Bicycles (from artwork)

That was just my hour long ride into Hanoi. What is amazing though, is like I said – it all just works – the amount of vehicles, the various type of vehicles, the passing and weaving, the honking, the goods being carried….the cooperation of this perceived chaos…

Note that after spending two weeks in Vietnam, and getting very used to the traffic and the noise, getting back to Seattle almost seemed too calm and quiet…

Sweet Travels!