Journey to IKEA

Sunday my plan was to go to IKEA in the morning to get a few things I needed for the flat, hangers, towels, etc. I had written down the directions that I had printed off the GTT website. It looked pretty easy. Take the bus to the metro and it was a short walk after that. I grabbed my umbrella and set out around eleven. The GTT website said the time to my destination would be about a half an hour. I walked out and the bus was right there. I hopped on the metro and got off at the stop I had written down. I walked to where 10 via Crea would be and there was nothing but an abandoned lot. I was confused so I looked up IKEA on my blackberry and I was pretty much in the wrong place. I had neglected to change the commune on the GTT website so I was on the wrong via Crea. I looked at the transit map in the metro and found I could go back one stop take a couple buses and get to my destination…easy enough. I got off the metro and got on the bus I thought I needed. I had not understood the signs so I didn’t know which direction I was heading in so I realized at the first stop I was going in the wrong direction so I got off at the first stop and then got back on across the street. I caught the bus going in the right direction and then had to walk a bit to the next stop. I walked through a park and finally saw a bus stop…of course it wasn’t the right one but heck it had the bus that I needed. I waited for about twenty minutes and saw all the buses come and go a couple times and realized that the bus I needed didn’t run on weekends. The sign actually indicated that but I didn’t pay attention. I will say that the bus signs in Italy are better than the ones in Chicago. They list the stop you are at, all the busses/trams that stop at the stop, all the stops each bus/tram makes and the direction the bus/tram is going on. That is a lot more than the bus stops in Chicago. I mean it just says the route!
Anyway, I decide I can take a bus that stops at my current stop, get off and walk a short distance to IKEA. I got on the next bus and like a lemming followed a few people who I assumed were going to IKEA (as the stop I needed was the last stop). I turned the corner and was so happy to see the giant blue and yellow building! Total travel time there…over two and a half hours. I fought through the throngs of people to find what I needed. Two huge bags later I headed back out.
I had punched in the directions from IKEA back home and only had to take two busses. I leave IKEA and am walking down the sidewalk to where I think the bus stop should be but there are cars parked on the sidewalk (this shopping center is open on Sunday so it is really busy) so I am walking close to the edge with two huge bags and get completely splashed by a car. As I was approaching the bus stop (keep in mind I am blindly walking in a direction hoping it is the right way as my map in my book doesn’t go out this far) I see the bus I need and I start running which had to be a funny sight. The ride home went smoother as I was able to find the second bus stop I needed pretty easily. I will say that the GTT website is great if you know what you are doing! Oh the one bad thing about the day was that I left my umbrella on the second to last bus I took today! Drats! It is supposed to rain all week!