Tom was awake much of the night, then slept till 11:20. I felt like I was getting a cold, and luckily had brought several cold pills, or it would have cost us $45 to take the taxi into town, because the mini mart doesn't have any. We relaxed the rest of the day in the sun on the patio and inside. All our clothes, books, papers feel so damp. We wish we could leave here, but have reservations Saturday for the train to Rome and don't want to spend many hundreds more for hotels, even if we could change them. Zero steps today since we didn't leave!
Thursday 6/5:
Sat around apartment all day after sleeping until 9:30-good grief! Walked down to mini mart for some groceries. I think I'm recovering from my cold. Nice pool, but it isn't heated and it is only about 68 degrees this week-quite different from the 100 the day before we left home. I asked a woman in it if they use cholorine in it and she said yes and Tom said they also use ice cubes in it. TV has only 5 Italian stations. Last year we were able to pick up BBC in several cities. Several times a day they have aerobics, etc., classes down by the pool and other areas and they blast loud music for over an hour. It is ridiculous-maybe 1-3 people attending, yet the whole resort has to listen to it.
Friday 6/6:
We're having a terrible time sleeping. Time change and too inactive. Everything is so damp that I hate to think about packing. New sponges in pkg feel like I used them. Relaxed at apt. all day and by pool. Took short walk-some bushes are so fragrant. Dinner at restaurant for our last night. Wonderful 30 yr old Peter is the head waiter, with 2 assistants. He is so nice. Speaks 5 languages and some Greek. In the winter he paints houses and plays guitar in a band. Thought it was very interesting that Tom has played so long and said "You're my hero." He is half Dutch and half Italian, but was born in Belgium and lived there many years and had all his language classes there. 214 steps
Saturday 6/7:
Train back to Rome-212 miles. Taxi driver and other guy carried our suitcases across the tracks, saving Tom so much energy and 104 stairs. We had over 2 hr wait, so he decided to go after coffee and a croissant and they only had the very gross espresso, so I wish he would have saved the 104 steps!
Changed trains at Sapri this time. Visited with several young teachers who had been at a math conference in that big hotel above our resort. They were all from Italy, except one woman from Austin, TX. She said most people think math is boring, but it really isnìt, especially when you get to travel!
Trains have Wifi and many people are using it. We read right before we left that a bus company on our East Coast will provide it in the hopes of attracting more riders-even business people who will find it cheaper than planes and not have to drive. Visited with a young man next to us who said his wife rides this train 5 days a week for 1-3/4 hours each way, then catches a bus to her office for 25 minutes. Awful.
Arrived at Rome central train station and our hotel is only a block away, so we will pull luggage. As with all the stations we saw last year, it is a 2 story mall. Walked around just a bit and saw a McDonalds, Adidas store and Foot Locker. As we walked outside we could see and hear a huge crowd up the street. Doorman said it was a Gay Pride demonstration. Took stuff to room and then up to 10th floor rooftop restaurant for free spumante and snacks.
We could see the crowd a couple of blocks below. Went downstairs to go out and walk around, but saw that the demonstration had now become a parade-right in front of our hotel. No way were we going out there. The noise was deafening-loudspeakers, drums, chanting.
The street was filled with hundreds of small flyers people had handed out, and water and beer bottles. Carts went alongside the parade with drinks for sale. It was 96 degrees and very humid. Immediately, several street cleaning machines went to work. Some men shot streams of water from hoses, pushing the trash off the sidewalks and out from the curbs. The next machines sucked everything up through their brushes. Within a few minutes the streets were spotless!
So we walked around a few blocks. As usual in Europe, we saw so many races of people everywhere. Ate a sandwich at a chicken place. Pizza places everywhere-sometimes 2 or 3 on one block. It is the fast food choice of Italians. They serve catsup and mayo for fries here. I bought a Rome t-shirt. Tom didn't want one. Me 278 steps. Tom an extra 208 from having to carry bags at second station and for going for the coffee. What a sweetheart. He was trying to save my hip, which so far is doing very well, even after all these hundreds of steps and steep hill climbing. I was in pain for 2 wks before we left and then found a new chiropractor, who I think will be my hip and back savior!
Since our clothes were damp when we packed, they are quite wrinkled. They won't loan irons here-want you to use their extremely expensive laundry service-same all over Europe. Like $12 to have a pair of slacks washed. What a beautiful room we have. This is a 5-star hotel. Thank-you Globus!
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