Toto, we’re not in Paris anymore.
Left the apartment at 4 am in dark of night and the pouring rain. Flew out of Orly, a very confusing airport, and arrived in Italy 15 minutes early. I told the lady at the car rental that my Italian was very rusty. She smiled and said just eat a plate of pasta and it will all come back to you. HA! It was my first time driving in Italy, I was a little nervous, didn’t know the car very well but, when all is said and done, I arrived safely. As I approached Pietrabuona, I noticed a red car in the rear view mirror and thought it might be Stella. It was Stella and, though she knew I was coming on the 21st, she didn’t realize today was the 21st. We had a good laugh. So great to see her again. She introduced me to several people as her cousin, though we are not related.
Splendid weather, bright blue sky, windows wide open, birds chirping, church bells ringing, sigh, I am home.
Need to get some things resolved in the coming days. The portable phone charger I brought from the States either doesn’t work or I don’t know how to use it. Luckily, Federico, my IT cousin, works close by and he can advise me.
Anoher problem is that I am driving an unfamiliar car, an Audi Q2L 35 TFSI, and there are some things about it I don’t understand. I figure I’d do a WWJDD (What Would Jay Davis Do) and got the manual out of the glove compartment. It’s written in Chinese. Seriously? It’s ironic to say the least, it’s a German car with a European license plate and dashboard & monitor in English. I’ll ask Alessio, another cousin, who owns a car repair shop, maybe he can help me. Also, when I got off the autostrada, I accidentally drove through the toll booth without paying. I showed the ticket to Stella who showed it to another guest and they paid it by phone. Ecco Fatto (done!) Interestingly, later while rummaging through the car, I found another unpaid ticket. It has happened before to someone else.
