July 11, 2011
I don’t really understand why most of Rome does not invest in air conditioning. Seriously. It was soooooo hot in the hotel room and in the main area when we went to ingest our free breakfast. But we were in no rush – our train for Sperlonga was not scheduled to leave until 10:45. It’s so nice when you are so relaxed – when you know how to get around a city without a problem.
And then you leave the city, and try to get to a beach an hour and a half away. You get off at the stop past the one you needed to be at. And then you try to figure out which stop you were supposed to get off. And then you wait an hour for another train back. However, you look at the silver lining of the situation – you get to sit at a bar and eat ice cream and drink chilled espresso. It all evens out in the end.
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| ice cream, cookie bits, chocolate and caramel |
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| Cafe Freddo |
We get off at the right stop this time, catch a bus to the beach, and then lay your towel on the burning sand and jump into the Mediterranean – which is as warm as pool water. In and out you go, trying to keep from overheating in the hot sun. It was glorious. My skin was sticky and stiff from the dried saltwater. Sleep was impossible. It was ok though, because there were too many beautiful things to look at. On one trip to the water, I spotted something the size of a softball in the water – and was pink. For 10 minutes I tried to assist the waves in pushing it to shore without touching it, all to no avail. It accidently brushed my foot once, producing a small shriek from my mouth. Some amused observers came to my aid, picked up the spongy thing, and then almost tossed it at me. All in a day’s work.
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| Sperlonga Beach |
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| Our backpacks on the beach |
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| the beach |
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| Happiness is being surrounded by sun, water, earth and air. |
I met a few people – the first being a two year old girl named Stella, whose mom was ethnically Portugese but Swedish-born. She married an Italian man working at SAAB who also lived in Sweden. Charming people. Stella was calling me “aunt”, after a half hour of digging in the sand, trading rocks she had found, and amusing each other. I love how people in Italy are so chill!
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| Indeed it has, Italy, indeed it has... |
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| The town of Sperlonga |
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| I could stare at the Mediterranean all day long... |
The day had come to an end, and after a minor hassle, we got back on the bus, back on the train, and arrived in Rome late enough in the evening that McDonald’s was the only “respectable” food joint open. Shower then bed. Can it get better?
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