I went to Italy. I say that lightly because I went to Ventimiglia, which is a city near the France-Italy border. But it WAS Italy.

The train ride from Antibes was only about an hour and my friends and I all caught to 8:30 train that left that morning.  I was anxious to go to Italy though; I kept asking my friend who has already been there, “Are we in Italy yet?” As we were having a conversation about our weekend plans, mid-sentence, she looked at me and said we’re in Italy.  No countdown or warning, and just like that, I’m in an entire different country. I looked around and everybody was doing their same train-like duties, reading the newspaper, listening to their music. I don’t know what I was expecting I guess, maybe a welcome to Italy billboard or announcement from the conductor, but no, no warning. I just listened to Nothing Was The Same for the rest of the ride.

It is amazing to see how just a few miles can separate two entire different cultures and languages. Everybody spoke Italian, yes, another language that I do not speak but it is cool how everybody knows a little bit of English though. That’s how I’m getting by. The first stop that my friends and I made was to a huge marketplace that is held every Friday Morning. People come out and set up tents and stands with everything from clothes, to bags to bracelets and shoes, all authentic Italian goods. I picked up a few things then went on with my day.

The next stop was the beach. To my surprise it was a rock beach! I’ve never seen a rock beach before so I was ecstatic. Coming from the sandy beaches of Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and now Juan, Les Pins, this rock beach in Ventimiglia was so different.

After skipping a few rocks into the ocean, we ate at a nearby restaurant on the beach. The ravioli was scrumptious.

My friends wanted to get rid of some change that they had so they paid a part of the bill in coins.

We wandered around a little bit in the city before our train arrived. Then we went home.

I had a great time in Ventimiglia. The next time I go to Italy, I hope to go to Venice or Rome.