Bits & Bobs

It's probably too early to use that as a subject line. It's the British way of saying "odds and ends." (Thanks, S. Karen, for this bit of knowledge.)  But it's fitting for this collection of random thoughts and observations.

Ellen is tired of the "squatter" toilets. So many here have only the bowl but no seat. We definitely have some toilette stories, but don't want to gross anyone out here. We have a very loose competition / reporting system about the best and worst restrooms we each come across. There have been some real doozies.

But Ellen has fallen in love with the chocolate-for-breakfast norm around here. Let's just hope that the customs dogs don't sniff out the little packets of hazelnut chocolate spread she will likely have stuffed into her suitcase.

Speaking of suitcases, Ellen's still comes in a few kilos heavier than Steph's, but they're both beasts. And we're only at the midway point. Everyone else gets a packet of hazelnut chocolate spread as a souvenir!

Recommendation for other travelers to the European Union: take great care not to rip any paper money. We spent 3 days alternately trying to find a vendor who would accept a 20 euro bill that was missing a little piece and looking for a bank that would give her a fresh bill in exchange for the apparently worthless one. With help we finally found a Banca di Italia that gave her a new one with no questions asked, a surprise after all the vendors who insisted the bank wouldn't accept it from them in turn. At an exchange rate of approximately 1 euro to $1.35, Ellen is happy to have 20 spendable euros back in her pocket.

Ellen is convinced that she keeps seeing members of the mafia. All over the place. A man who gives off a sense of authority and has a certain look is definitely a member of the mafia in her mind. Definitely.

These are the three most important Italian words in our vocabulary these days:
Toilette (it's not even Italian, but they all know it)
Gelato (a trillion times better than ice cream)
Scusi (excuse me)

And here is the fabulous view from the window of our room at the guest house. Yes, that's the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, which is really lovely when lit up in the evening and early morning.