Musings

It is clearly not right to sit in an restaurant in Rome, Italy and listen to a troubador singing "Guantanamera" and "LaBamba".  So I gave him some money and asked him to sing "Volare", he rolled his eyes sang the song and moved on.

Quintescential Italian- while riding the bus to the Vatican, our bus had an accident with a car.  We all had to get off and walk to the next bus stop a few blocks down. While doing so, the women from the car were yelling at the bus driver although they appeared to be in the wrong. We also saw a nice looking business man in a suit in the middle of the street yelling at a police officer that the vehicle he was standing next to had done something wrong. By the time we walked to the bus stop, the man, the car and the police man had moved up to that spot. Some woman had also joined the argument; they were all yelling at each other while the police officer tried to calm them. Finally with much hand waving and screaming, the man and woman moved on, but then two other men walked up from out of nowhere and apparently decided to give their opinion of the situation! I loved it.

Barbara learned that one does not just walk into a bank in Rome. While I stayed with the luggage, she went to change the rest of our U.S. dollars into Euro.  When she entered, she went into an "airlock" room, a recorded voice told her to place all metal objects in a storage locker before entering the bank. So she had to shove her camera, phone anything metal into the locker...AFTER the guard came into the room to help her because she could not figure out how to use the key. Clearly, they don't have many robberies! And by the way despite what they tell you, banks do change money for much less than the money changers.

First class Eurail between Milan and Rome is not the same as first class betrween Rome and Reggio Calabria. More on that later. I am using the hotel computer and need to move. Pictures soon.

Yes, we are in Spadula at the Duca di Calabria, and amazingly nice hotel, a short walk to Simbario. Ciao for now!