We have had several epiphanies about Italy:
1) If there is a fire, you need to remember that you pull the door to
get out instead of pushing like a normal place. It gets me every time. I
can’t get in the buildings either.
2) If you try to walk through a family, they will decide to hold hands
so that you get clotheslined and can’t get across the street
3) It is never too late or too cold or too anything to eat gelato. If
you are Japanese, you can buy your second ice cream cone before you have
even finished the first one.
4) it is late, i am tired, i have forgotten my epiphanies, but don’t
worry, they are definately profound
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So, we went to a real restaurant for dinner. We had gnocchi and wine and
cannoli. It was real authentic Italian food and a branch out from our
typical choice of pizza. The restaurant has a wide pizza menu, so we may go
back tomorrow. The waiters won’t let you put your coat on by yourself, if
they see you puttng your coat on by yourself, they make you stop until they
can help you with the other arm. It is great, i was trying to race the
waiter, to see if i could get my coat on before he noticed, but a different
one came running. there is no fooling them; i think they could get the gold
medal for coat-dressing.
We saw one of the greatest things ever today; it was fabulous and we have
the pictures to prove it. Even more exciting is where we were when we saw
it- the train station. What could so captivate our vivid imaginations and
love of the quirky? THE BATHROOM!!! It should have been on the world’s
best toilets on the travel chanel. It was space age- it looked like an
elevator. You had to push the button and and then the door slid open like
an elevator and you stepped in and then it closed. It was an enclosed area.
You had to push a button for the toilet paper- ten pushes maximum. The
soap and sink were in the toilet stall, too, and they were both automatic.
Never have i had automatic soap before. (Cheri says that is because i
didn’t go to Avila.) Oh well, it was new to me today. You have to be quick
about doing your business, though, because after 5 minutes the door will
open automatically. When you are ready to leave, you have to push a button
to get out. Then the door closes and locks so you can’t get back in because
it is self-cleaning and sanitizing. Of course, it got water everywhere and
there was no coat hook, so it has a few kinks to work out, but it was neat.
I think it needs a rapid dryer, though, because it still left the toilet
wet. Maybe even better was once we had figured all of this out and the
Italian ladies came in and asked what it was, what if you are
claustrophibic, how do you get in, and once you are in, how do you get out?
Have no fear- with our flawless italian (ha, ha) we explained it all to
them.
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What does any of that have to do with Penguins, that is the question of the
moment, hmm?
Well, after we had shopped at 2 different olympic stores only to find that
they were both out of what we wanted but somehow still managing to spend 140
euros, we were walking back to the hotel, when people asked if we spoke
english. I usually ignore them and walk real fast, after shaking my head
that no i don’t speak english (but how could i answer if i didn’t know what
they said?) Well, Cheri stopped because the people were cute- they were
wearing Penguin Costumes!!! They were from the Society for the Conservation
of Penguins. Last time i checked, penguins were not native to italy; they
said it is a real organiziation and charity; they help with the rehabilition
of penguins injured in fishing nets, i think, and orphan penguins. Very
Worthwhile, but i am not sure where the penguins are. WE have seen a lot of
things in italy, but no penguins. They were selling penguins made out of
nutshells. i am a sucker for things made out of nutshells (just one of my
many collections). This penguin had the olympic rings painted on his belly
and on the bottom of his feet, it says Torino 2006. They are hand-made,
unique, one of a kind knick-knack treasures. Cheri said to them that we
would only buy them if we could take a picture of the 2 supporters from the
Society for the Conservation of Penguins. We feel that this is probably a
worthy cause that everyone should support, but even if it is not, it is a
great gimmick.
Time is running out, so we gotta go bye, bye.
can you believe the shoe store is open until midnight, so we stopped in and
bought shoes before coming here? They are cute- special shoes for the
olympics- of course, they are spanish shoes, but that is okay. now i have
olympic socks and olympic shoes, but i don’t think they match each other
well enought to go together….. what a pity
gotta go
thetwinsontour
ps- women’s ice hockey tomorrow- not sure who is playing but it is the
quarter-finals. should be exciting, i hope….
thetwinsontour 