So, it is time to head to our next city to visit, Vicenza…the only problem is that we have no way to get there! Due to a little snafu, we end up taking the train! Another 2-hour adventure for the D5150 GSE Team! Here we are, with 10, yes TEN pieces of luggage plus your assortment of carry-on bags, various sacks with dirty clothes and numerous Rotary banners and gifts at the Trieste train station! “Picollo” George, assisted us in getting ALL the luggage on the train and finding our seats. We had luggage under and between every seat! I warned the team that when they called our stop we had very little time to get all of our luggage off the train, so we staged it near the exit door. When the conductor called our stop, I yelled “ready?!” and as soon as the train stopped we started literally throwing the luggage off the train! I asked the nice conductor-lady who was saying “forza ragazie!” not to leave since Tim was still aboard the train. In the end we made it off the train with ALL of our luggage!
We were met by Rotarians Bruno (DGN of D2060) and Ida from RC near Vicenza. They told us that our hotel was very close to the train station, but when they saw our luggage they hesitated and called for a taxi! We arrived at the Hotel Christina outside the walls of Vicenza…I will allow my team to describe to each of you the Hotel Christina…In any event we had made it! We took a brief tour of the City (where Tim found a small portion of Roman road he wanted to take a walk on!) and went to lunch with Ida and Bruno. Ida spoke English very well and was actually one of the GSE board members who quizzed the outgoing Italian GSE team in the language. Ida told us that she had a connection to get us into the Teatro Olympico to watch the symphony rehearsal (Bach). She went on to tell us that this was the most beautiful theater in the world…well we just nodded and said “of course it is.” Well, she was right! The theater was AWESOME! We were not able to take photos, but I was able to sneak a few photos I have added! (I hope my colleagues at the Questura are not reading this!)
Ida then told us she was taking us to a restaurant with the best pizza in Italy…by now we should have believed her because she was right again! A small pizzeria in the mountains above Vicenza, and boy was it good! They even had a dessert pizza made with Nutela!
A good start to Vicenza!
You guys are making District 5150 so proud! These last few days can start to feel funny...getting anxious to come home but wanting it all to slow down and not believing that it's almost over!!
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing what you've accomplished, isn't it? We are all very proud of you and can't wait to hear more!
--Christine