According to My Precise Calculations

We were scheduled to arrive in Rome a bit after 4:00 PM. It is an hour and half train ride from Rome to Spoleto. Allowing for baggage claim, clearing customs and the train ride, we should have arrived in Spoleto no later than 7:30 PM, according to my precise calculations.

But there were a few things my precise calculations didn't account for:
1. The flight from London to Rome was delayed by 40 minutes. Only 10 minutes were made up in the air. We were 30 minutes later than planned.

2. Because Mark has a British passport and mine is American and we are travelling together, we typically just choose the shortest line. This time, the young lady told me I would have to get in the other line because my passport had to be stamped and Mark's didn't. I was instructed to jump the line but I still had to wait. The young man did NOT stamp my passport. But okay, 10 minutes wasted.

3.We bought tickets from the airport to the Termini and on to Spoleto. But on the platform while our tickets were being validated, two young men, one severely handicapped, jumped the line and got in front of us, causing us to miss the train. (They missed it, too. - But unfortunately the next train was 30 minutes away.) We could have made it, but not without knocking them down. (Bad idea.)

4. We arrived in the Termini around 6 pm. We had been instructed to look for the train to Perugia, but coulfdn't find one. After numerous text messages between Mike and Mark, and a conversation between me and a railway employee, we discovered that the last train to Spoleto had left 30 minutes earlier and the next one was more than an hour away.

5. We decided to sit down and have a coffee or a vino rosso while waiting for the board to show the train to Perugia. During this time, Mike sent Mark a message that we needed to change the ticket because it was a different type of train. My inclination was to keep the same ticket and play dumb tourist if questioned. (Believe me, it's not that much of a stretch.) But Mark set off to change the ticket. This is when he found out you had to get a ticket to buy a ticket. Really? You have to get a ticket to buy a ticket? Is it any wonder the Italians are on the verge of economic collapse?

6. Mark still wasn't back but it was time to head to the platform. What should I do? First thing was to drink his vino rosso. Then I headed for the platform. I thought I'd see him on my way, but I didn't. Uh-oh. Where is he? Decided to go back to the cafe and saw him arrive there and the look of panic on his face when he didn't see me waiting where he'd left me. Even with all the bags in tow, I was able to close the gap between us and we made our way to platform 2.

7. The train left the Termini at 7:55 headed for Spoleto.

8. Despite all odds, we stayed awake and got off the train at Spoleto. Mike met us at the station with a cab and we arrived at Casa Feeney two hours PAST my precisely calculated arrival time.

We were shown to our room and treated to a wonderful homemade meal featuring veal scallopine! Mike and Ros have an absolutely beautiful place here. You can see the Ponti del Torre from the window! We are going to have such a good time...