THE WAITING GAME AND GETTING READY FOR WINTER

Still no buses in Genoa. The strike has been on since Tuesday this week and today is the fifth day with "no service available" signs on the bus stops. All mediation efforts have failed so far and the newspaper headlines are declaring that this is now a war on privatisation. I know too little about the politics behind this issue to comment - all we can do is to minimise the need to go to town, use local services as much as possible and wait. 

In the meanwhile, life goes on: This week we put the heating on for the first time in ages.The temperature has dropped considerably and it has rained heavily almost every day. It is pretty dark already at six o'clock in the evening. Out came the hotwater bottles (they really work) and woollen socks (equally effective), candles in the evening too. Christmas lights have gone up at least here on Nervi high street, a sure sign that winter is not far away now.
  Tonight some friends are coming for an aperitivo and no doubt the ongoing bus crisis will feature in our discussions, but it has been a busy week and it is great to have a quiet time at home.
(Just now  my phone said "ping" with a message:"I am so sooorrry, cannot come tonight because of the strike..." Aaaaargghh!!!!) 

AMT BUS STRIKE HITS GENOA TWO DAYS RUNNING

There has been no buses for two full days now. It is still possible to get to town by local train, so it is not a total disaster, but the strikes are affecting everyone who relies on public transport. Usually, a strike is announed in advance and it starts conveniently after 9 am when everyone has been transported to work. The traffic starts flowing again later in the afternoon, so that people can get back home. Not this time. 

The bus strike has not affected local trains, operated by Trenitalia, so it is possible to get to the city center.  But trains do not go as frequently as buses so for many people  that means leaving home earlier and coming back later than usual. 

 The buses have not moved from the depos at all. Yesterday I watched a very noisy and loud demonstration in the city centre of Genoa. Hundreds of people marched towards the offices of the municipality, where the decision to privatise  the public transport provider AMT was being discussed. There were loud bangs and singing, especially when the march reached a tunnel, were the sound was amplified many times over. It sounded like a gun battle - which is wasn't, of course. There is a real fear that jobs will be lost and in this time of very high unemployment, it is a depressing prospect. Hopefully, a solution will be found soon - but in the meanwhile, no bus service in the city.