Ok, maybe it’s the 6th day. Still a little confused exactly what day it is today. I forgot to set the alarm last night; we didn’t wake up until 8:45 AM. Thank goodness there wasn’t a bus to catch! Mom had meant to get up early to see about walking/hiking with other members of our group. Lucky for me…it was raining and she’s a fair weather hiker.
We cleaned up and went down to breakfast. Apparently we were the last ones there. Oops! It was continental breakfast with all sorts of breads, fresh fruit, yogurt and cereal. They would also fix you eggs and bacon if you wished. Which I did. It’s so hard to believe you can eat anything the next morning after the dinners we are having. But yes, we were hungry. This morning I had coffee with my breakfast, and Mom had her tea. The coffee was excellent, not bitter at all. I still had to put a little milk in it, but probably could have drank it black.
After breakfast we came back to the room to gather our laundry. There is one washer and one dryer here that we could use for no charge. When I inquired at the front desk, Rosie the young lady there says to me: TELL ME! I laughed because I was startled and she was grinning as well. Her English was excellent, and I’m pretty sure she speaks both German and Italian as well.
We washed two loads of clothes and I became aquatinted with European washer and dryer equipment. Of course, there is no English on the machine at all only German and Italian. There are digital readouts, but not helpful when you don’t speak the language. The washer was easy. Load, soap, push start. The dryer? That’s a whole story unto itself. One of the maids got it started for us. You have to turn it on first. Ok. Then select your mode of drying. “Cotton” was what we chose. This was just for the clothes we washed last night that weren’t dry yet (just to get something done while one load was washing). Ran the dryer for about 30 minutes and everything was dry. Great!
Now we put our freshly washed clothes in the dryer. We run it for an hour. I opened it to check. Everything is still wet and HOT! Steam hot enough to burn you rolls out of the machine. So we set it for another hour. I was able to upload some photos to the blog but not sure if they can be viewed. The strength of the internet here is dependent on how many people are NOT using it. Was able to get some uploaded since everyone was out and about.
While our clothes are ”drying” we walked to the supermarket only to find they close from noon to 3PM. Okay then. There is another grocery store but I wasn’t sure where it was. Saw it on the way into town but it seems it was further away. Google Maps to the rescue! Four minute walk. Perfect. It’s all uphill, but hey, we need to get a little exercise today.
We pick up a few items; toothpaste, bottled water, cheese/salami, crackers (mid-day snack) and some cookies. We leave to go back to the hotel and discover it’s just around the corner from the hotel. Oh brother! Everything here is a maze of roads. And the building are all at least 2-3 stories tall and kind of look the same (meaning the wall texture is the same, colors are similar). And the street names are in German.
I sent Mom to the room to prep the snacks. Checked on the laundry…still the same condition as when we left. Only one thing left to do. Google the owner’s manual to see what could be wrong. Of course, it didn’t really give helpful options. This particular machine, a Miele 5135C is a Condenser Tumble Dryer. There is no external vent to the outside of the building. In my mind I’m thinkI got this is one big veggie steamer! Anyway, I opted for a different setting than the maid recommended and let it go another 15 minutes. During that time I came back to the room and let Mom know. She was just puttering around, searching for a necklace she hadn’t seen since we got to Italy.
Who knew laundry was so exciting? It’s really not. I decided to bag up all our clothes, hot and damp and brought them back to the room. We hung up everything, and had our afternoon snack. Best little break ever.
I checked the clothes and they seem much drier than when we hung them up about 45 minutes prior. Not dry, but close. Since we are leaving tomorrow, I was taking no chances. I grabbed the hair dryer and proceeded to dry every piece of clothing we had washed. Took about 1 1/2 hours, which was still faster than the machine. I am now very proficient at drying and shirts quickly. And I must say…very disappointed in my microfiber underwear. It did not dry quickly as I expected. Should have stuck with cotton.
At 6:15 we met our group in the bar of the hotel; which really is more like someone’s formal living room with a large wet bar in it. Tonight’s discussion was to share something you learned about your buddy. I think I might have left this out previously. We all chose a buddy who was not our traveling companion. That way when we are ready to get on the bus, or walk to our next destination, there is someone to check to see if you are missing. Theory is great and it has proved successful multiple times already. Our guide doesn’t do a roll call, she just says “buddy check” and we look around for our buddies.
Anyway, I don’t know my buddy very well; I actually spent more time talking to his wife. And because of that, we agreed to embellish what we knew about each other. His name is Norm, so I introduced him as being from Boston, and his best friend is named Cliff. They hang out at a bar where Norm hides from his wife Vera. Not true of course, but that was the first thing to come to mind. He introduced me as a “cat woman in training” and that I had come up with the idea of the Cheesecake Factory first, but since I didn’t have the financial resources the idea was stolen from me. Very clever and funny. We learned a bit about everyone so now we have more to talk about as we move thru our days. I have to say I was concerned about the social aspect of this tour, but they’ve got it figured out.
We finished our drinks and left for dinner. The restaurant was around the corner from out hotel. We ate dinner with Shirley and Margaret (they are both from Canada and were traveling together). Shirley speaks fluent German so it was nice to have her help interpret the waiter’s questions. I opted for the spinach ravioli and Mom had a Breaded Pork Cutlet with French Fries and Cranberry sauce. Her cutlet was huge! She ended up sharing it with me as my ravioli was from the starter menu so the portion was smaller.
For dessert she had a raspberry compote and I had Chocolate Ball with chestnut ganache inside, served with warm vanilla sauce. When our server brought it to the table, he set the plate in front of me. The chocolate ball was about the size of a baseball. There were cut figs and strawberries on the plate as well. Before I knew what he was doing, he slowly poured the vanilla sauce over the ball, melting the top of it. Needless to say…amazing! I tried one of the fig slices. Not exactly to my liking. It did NOT taste like a Fig Newton!
After enjoying our 2 1/2 hour meal, we settled the bill. Tipping here is appreciated but not necessary. It feels odd to leave one euro for a 30 euro bill. On the way out, I spotted some baby booties in a display case. Shirley asked one of the staff to open the case. We learned they were knitted by the chef’s mother! 10 euro and Shirley had a pair of booties to take home to her soon to be arriving grandchild.
A short walk and we were back at the hotel. Final check on our clothes; all dry. We sorted and packed for tomorrow. Since we are going to Venice, we are to pack “light”. I pulled out my extra bag and filled it with items not needed for a couple days. We will use my carry on and my backpack only. Everything else will stay in “deep storage” on the bus while we are in Venice.
Getting excited to see Venice. Ciao!
