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Things are winding down. Today was a trip from Venice back to Rome, as we prepare to depart for home. (And it makes sense to camp overnight in Rome, given we have to be up at the crack of dawn to make the flight and what-not.)
| 6:15am | I think I’ve become a bitter duck with regard to mornings. I wasn’t supposed to get a shrill wake-up ring for another 15 minutes. I am looking forward to the return home if only for the sleep-in privileges. |
| 7:05am | Once again, the scary eggs are staring back at me. I passed them by. I instead grabbed some bread, provolone and proscuitto and made myself a sandwich. Am I clever or what? |
| 7:55am | Decided to wander around just a tad before we had to go back to Rome. These table-like things are actually platforms that are erected when Venice floods. Everyone who lives in Venice owns a pair of Wellingtons because flooding is common occurrence. As mentioned before, there aren’t too many homeless types in Italy. |
| 8:22am | Everyone assembled outside the hotel with all the carry-on baggage. The girl must have thought it a race because she practically ran to the bus area. I was carried, of course, so I wasn’t hacking up a lung when I arrived there. |
| 10:10am | Stopped at one of those Autogrill places for a bathroom break and a Coca-Cola light. |
| 12:50pm | Once again, the coach comes to a halt at a huge Autogrill.
This one spanned the
autostrada and had three levels. The girl decided to try out
a ball of parmesan cheese. She said it tasted like string cheese
in her mouth but was too salty. |
| 12:59pm | We headed downstairs to the second level and stopped at Spizzico for a huge slice of pizza. Rachel had to use a fork and knife to ineffectually hack away at her food. In order to leave the place, they make you walk through the grocery part of the store. Neil was encouraging me to buy coffee products, but I don’t drink that strange brew; I'm a Pepsi sort of duck. |
| 2:30pm | Before we got back on the coach to leave, Keith and Elaine wanted their picture taken. Nice folks. When I travel to Singapore, I’m going to stop by and say hello. |
| 2:34pm | Ensconced in our comfy seats, I listened attentively to Debra while the girl went into some sort of daze (listening too much to Linkin Park and Barenaked Ladies) until called out her name. Nothing more was said but Debra passed along a quirked eyebrow. |
| 4:00pm | Arrival back at the Melia Roma hotel. I stayed with Lida (from Manila) this time around. I spent some time ordering my suitcase as the girl and I would be departing at a ludicrous time in the morning. Rachel’s eyeballs were glued to MTV because some hokey boy band called Gemelli Diversi was on the boob tube. Sigh. |
| 6:03pm | We’re in the lobby, waiting for the gang to show up for the dinner outing. I’m looking hot, what with my downiness gleaming and smoothed. I guess the girl is looking snazzy too. |
| 7:00pm | Stopped by the Trevi Fountain. You’re supposed to throw in two coins. The first is to grant you any wish you want. The second is to bring you back to Rome someday. If you through in a third coin, it means you want a divorce. Peggy and Doug only threw in two. Good for them! |
| 7:40pm | Papa Rex was a fun place to have dinner at. We were greeted at the door by a Roman guard of old who insisted taking a picture with each and every one of us (to sell to us later, of course). Mine didn’t turn out, alas. |
| 7:44pm | They gave us bread -- my favorite! Some people ate noodles while I watched the two opera singers, Francesco and Ciaomi, serenade our group. They sang the Barber of Seville and Neil was the lucky participant. It was hilarious. |
| 8:25pm | The girl wanted a picture with some of her newly made friends, so I jumped in along with Peggy and Doug. Judy and Joanne joined ranks with my other Pals. Kathy fell so in love with me that she wanted yet another picture. |
| 9:31pm | Heading back to the hotel now, stuffed to the wings. But I became extremely popular suddenly when Nick, Bill and Keith begged to be FrankPals. I accommodated them. Ginger, Danielle and Jaclyn were all about me as well. (Danielle also has her own web journal of the trip, if you're keen on a different perspective of it all.) |
| 11:30pm | The girl was talkin’ it up some other people, but I dragged her back to the room. Our wake up call would be at 4:15 in the morning (that's 0415 for you jar-heads) and I wanted to at least get a wink or two of sleep. G’night! |