The vacanza started. One cousin [Carol] and her husband [Joe] left PA on Oct 28. This cousin [Mary] departed November 2 from SEA to Frankfurt to Rome and then Catania. I was feeling very cagey at avoiding baggage fees, until I realized just how much I had overpacked and was going to have to carry. A backpack, roller bag, and a camera gear back is one too many bags. Baggage is never one of those things I have to worry about when I travel on business...
The purpose of this trip for me, was to try to use my Italian as much as possible. I know that my language capability is intermediate... and I am just hoping that I dont say something stupid and cause an International incident. I am reminded of a business associate who is also learning italian, and she made the mistake of asking for a pen, but used the word for a part of the male anatomy. This is also a working trip -- so that I can determine if I can work from a remote/foreign country - in case in the future that is something I want to try. Carol -- well, she just loves our ancestral country Italy and any excuse to come here is one she will exploit.
i will meet Carol in a week in Lucca, whereas Joe has to return to the US. Unfortunately, i wont be able to be with them in Asiago to see our Detroit Cousin Jerome whose son John is playing hockey for they Asiago team.Thursday (11-3-2011) - I arrived in Catania 22 hrs later (at 5pm local), exhausted. I wish I was one of those who can sleep on a flight..... Hopped a cab, sent 2 emails from the cab, and arrived at Hotel Royal. Catania (Sicily for those like me who don't have a geographic sense - its that land mass that everyone indicates the boot of Italy is kicking). Once I got into my room, I realized I had left my cell in the cab. A whole another story.
Hotel Royal looked like it would live up to its name... interesting historic architecture. Once a family estate, it was been turned into a hotel about 5 decades ago. Very compact and everything has a use. Front desk is a baby grand with computers sitting on a credenza – computers that control everything from doors and curtains opening in each room, to the temperature of the room, etc. Lots of ornate art around, tho’ not what you would expect – all very modern art in a very historic building setting. Room is two twin beds joined together (typical European equivalent of a queen size bed) that are hard as a rock.
As soon as I got to my hotel room, I realized that I did not have my cell phone. Thinking I had left it at the front desk, I ran down the stairs and it was not there, so I ran outside to see if I had dropped it. No such luck. It was likely in the cab. So I ran back upstains and got my Ipad and contacted AT&T. I first tried to find the Iphone, but then called through Skype, AT&T to have them turn it off. The hotel also contacted the cab companies... but since I did not know the cab number, they could not do much. A few hours later the police came and took a report...Turns out that since I had turned off the data, that the "Find Iphone" could not locate it. My only consolation is that I had a passcode which means that if the phone is used it should be wiped clean of my data. I also sent a message to wipe it through the Apple system. First lesson of the trip - when you are tired you lose things.
Frustrated and tired, I'm sound asleep by 9pm... looking forward to my Mt Etna trip. the room was rather hot, but there was no way to stop me from sleeping.
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