Never take a train in Italy hoping to buy a ticket in the train.You might be able to do that in other European countries, but not Italy, dear. Even when you use your broken Italian asking the conductor whether you can buy in the train and he says that you can but you have to pay extra. Do assume "extra" means 4x face value of your ticket price.
I know... some of you non-khunnais might be saying that this would never happen to you. Of course, it would not happen to ppl who arrive early to buy tickets properly, and have time to stamp the tickets (which is another important thing for you, khunnai!), buy water & snack, and magazine, and even extra time to shoot photos of the train station.
A real khunnai needs to wash & blowdry her hair and pick the right dress and match the bag with the dress and the accessories. So of course, she's gonna be late. Plus she cannot run so much because it is absolutely an unposh thing to do.
It's OK, khunnai, we understand you. Heard of 'rather be later than never'? Now it's about 'rather be later than being fined in the train in front of a lot of people'. This is especially more embarrassing and frustrating when the train is really packed and you have to pay so much to stand in the train that smells ... like anything (more on that later).
So sit back & relax. And wait for the next train. Do not run after the train. It won't stop for you. Or if it does, don't get in without a stamped ticket. The world is cruel, and even a khunnai like you cannot get away this time.
You forgot to mention that the train stopped for you. So khunnai, when you're late and even when the train stops for you, be extra suspicious. Look around you. Approach the conductor with extra caution and put your best Italian foot out and probe him. But EUR 50 is only change for you - it is your contribution to making the world a better place, right?
ReplyDelete@Jerome. It's more like a contribution to make Italian conductors feel more like they're doing their job! It sounded too much like a movie if Khunnai mentioned that the train stopped for her (which it did). So she really meant to pay that EUR50 to earn another lesson for the fellow Khunnai-to-be's.
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