Good Morning from ICN 1963

Did we sleep? Yes, we did. Were we aware that we were speeding along the tracks on a train? Yes, we were.

Nonetheless, we woke up surprisingly well rested.

We are currently somewhere far south, heading toward the toe of ‘Italy’s Boot’. When not blocked by trees and tall bushes, the scenery on the cabin side alternates between seascapes and beaches … we are following the Tyrrhenian coast; seaside towns; olive and fruit groves, and pitch dark tunnels … a lot of them. Our ears alert us that we’re inside a tunnel even if we don’t otherwise notice it … air pressure as we move at speed through the narrow gateways carved into cliffs and mountains will do that. We have the cabin door open, so we can see the view on the corridor side as well.

A bit about the TrenItalia-operated ICN (InterCity Notte [night]) train. It is a sleeper service offered by IC trains, which are generally ranked below the high-speed trains. They are slower, but less expensive. So they are quite popular. They are also the only mainland Italy trains that operate in Sicily. Hence, to do this train trip, we really had no other choices, unless we wanted to book a ticket with changes … which we did not. Originating in Milano, the service we are taking is the longest sleeper train journey in Italy.

While there might be newer IC trains, the ICN on which we are traveling is not one of them. The carriage itself is showing the ravages of time and service. The same with the cabins. While we found the beds made up with ironed linens — pristine white — the cabin needs a lot of TLC … refurbishment would do wonders for it.

It goes without saying that the cabin is ‘compact’. It can actually accommodate three passengers, but we booked it as a ‘doppio’ … so the top-most bunk is closed. After waking up this morning, we left Mui’s bunk as a bed, so that he can nap if he so wishes until it is time to detrain in Cefalù around 4:00p … assuming we are on schedule.

When we boarded last night in Bologna, the car attendant scanned our tickets and confirmed our IDs against our passports. He then showed us how to lock the door, bid us buonanotte, and left us to get settled.

On the counter, which hides a sink (otherwise shared facilities), we found bottles of sparkling and still water, and two packs of rice snacks. Also amenity kits … toothbrush, toothpaste, wet wipe, soap bar, and eye mask. What was missing was a towel to dry our hands. I have a couple of washcloths in my bag that will do the trick, but didn’t dig one out last night … I’ll make sure one is handy for the return trip in a couple of weeks.

The IC trains in general don’t have food service. There are some vending machines, but we have our snacks, so we won’t need to rely on them. On the ICN, those traveling in the sleeper cabins get breakfast … brought by the carriage attendant … nothing elaborate, but it did include good espresso, for which Mui was grateful.

On that note, time to put the iPad away and prepare for the ferry ride. More later.Read more