Wrapping up Italy posts with some random pics & musings! That’s the wing of the flight and view of the earth from Milan to London and the next is Florence Duomo from the terrace of Uffizi Gallery!!!
As weird as it may sound, Italy totally reminded me of my own country, Incredible India and I felt home!!! Especially if you’ve been to Delhi or Mumbai or Chennai in India, you’ll relate to this post very well. Making peace with inherent chaos and humidity and a slight off-timekeeping and graffiti - again very, very similar to India!
As weird as it may sound, Italy totally reminded me of my own country, Incredible India and I felt home!!! Especially if you’ve been to Delhi or Mumbai or Chennai in India, you’ll relate to this post very well. Making peace with inherent chaos and humidity and a slight off-timekeeping and graffiti - again very, very similar to India!
To begin with, the pic below was clicked very close to Rome Tiburtina bus station… The scene with street side vendors and hawkers - that’s so similar to Mumbai, Delhi or Chennai!!! It was after roaming about all over Rome, and reaching the bus station and settling in the bus, did I feel my face, which was covered in a layer of dust stuck on my sweat!!!! If you’re from Chennai or Mumbai, and has taken the local train or auto, you know what I’m talking about!!! This was in the month of August.
In the outskirts of Rome – those posters stuck everywhere, a bit broken pavements, written graffiti everywhere including walls & shutters!!! When I returned back home and showed my guy these pics and asked him to guess to location, he looked at me totally weirded out! But once I revealed that it is NOT India, but Italy, his expression - priceless!!! If you don’t understand this scenario, it's time to book your flight tickets to India, if you’ve been to Italy and to Italy if you’ve been to India.
In the outskirts of Rome – those posters stuck everywhere, a bit broken pavements, written graffiti everywhere including walls & shutters!!! When I returned back home and showed my guy these pics and asked him to guess to location, he looked at me totally weird! But once I revealed that it's NOT India, but Italy, his expression - priceless!!!
The railway route from Pisa to Milan was just incredible. Especially from Pisa to Genoa, the route was just along the sea and the views were incredible. A platform of a railway station enroute - the grass grown railway tracks, the multi storied buildings beside them very similar to several regions in the extensive railway network of India.
More from that train journey from Pisa to Milan – several fields including one with a scare crow, those trucks and hay stacks in one of those fields, stunning greenery of countryside. How unbelievably similar is it to India???!!!!! Been to Italy already? Book your flight to India with the Indian national airline, AirIndia online booking and experience what I experienced!!!
More from that train journey from Pisa to Milan – several fields including one with a scare crow, those trucks and hay stacks in one of those fields, stunning greenery of countryside. How unbelievably similar is it to India???!!!!! Been to Italy already? Book your flight to India with the Indian national airline, AirIndia online booking and experience what I experienced!!!
Here are some of my observations about Italy for a short visit!
Locals prefer the Italian names and not anglicized names and also get a bit offended – Roma, not Rome; Firenze, not Florence.
Always reach a bit early to bus stations. Exact spot where your bus will board is not fixed and last minute can make you frenzy!!!
Time keeping is not hard and fast like UK or Germany! It’s a bit more relaxed like India! It’s sometimes a blessing. It was for me at Vatican Museums entrance.
Vegetarian food is not a problem at all!!! I’m not sure of Vegan though. Felt that both in Firenze and Milan!
Tap water is NOT drinkable! Certain fountains are and they’re mentioned so….
General public in tourist spots and hotels and eateries manage a decent English, but bus drivers don’t! Google Translate to rescue!!!
Have some cash and change. See those hawkers and street side shops? They don’t accept card! Many a times also those small kiosks that sell water and snacks too don’t accept cards.
Most cities including Rome, Florence, Milan etc have 2 airports - main airport for major airlines within the city and one out of the city with about an hour travel for the budget airlines. When planning be careful to check which airport you’re dealing with, and include the time taken in travel to/fro city centre!