Day 0: Assisi

I spent most of yesterday traveling to Rome. Cliff and I took a taxi to the closest railway station, Gagliano Leuca, and then a bus (train replacement) to Lecce, where Cliff and I parted ways. He was taking the train to Brindisi airport and then onto Sicily and I got a train to Bari and then a second one to Rome. It's a little disheartening to realise that it took me fifty days to walk from Rome to Santa Maria di Leuca and only one day to return by more conventional means! I just made my train to Assisi this morning because I could not find the platform at Rome Termini! I keep ending up on platform 2 (three times), when I needed to be on platform 2EST (east) - I was running at the end and I'd arrived there 45 minutes before it left. Then I traveled by train (Terni) > bus (Foligno) > train (Assisi station) > bus (3km) to Assisi. It only took three and a half hours and I took fourteen days to get here last time! I can totally relate to a snail right now. As soon as I arrived, I dropped into the post office (yes, I can send a parcel internationally), got into my accommodation and washed my clothes (I have a washing machine) and then got my stamp at the pilgrim office, went into the Basilica, visited the tomb of Saint Francis and was lucky enough to receive a blessing (I got holy water and everything) for my pilgrimage.
P.S. I loved my hotel in Rome. It had one of those old fashioned lifts where you have to close the inner and outer doors yourself.Read more