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I’m moving to Scalea. I am capable of causing unnecessary stress on myself.

Dragging my bags (lighter by a few vitamins, one book, and some nuts and figs) back to the Stazione I began my trip to a heretofore unknown destination.  That’s enough for anyone on any day.  Right?

Evidently not!

I increased my discomfort by…

Passing many ATMs in anticipation of using the one at the Termini only to find that the U.S. links were not working.

Not reading my ticket and consequently boarding on the 3rd Carrozza and then (rather than lifting bags up and down from the train) bumping and humping through two doors between each car to get to the 9th one where my reserved seat awaited.

Not making myself a butter and jam sandwich nor buying a panino at the stazione and thus having only my stash of nuts and the last of my figs for the 4 ½ hour journey.  BTW, I have some hips on me that are truly enhanced (not in a good way) by the local diet of bread and pasta.  So how does the young lady on the train with a waist smaller than the circumference of my thigh, eat a panino the size of her head and still look like that?

I caused myself the most stress of all by not printing out the information for the man who was to meet me at the train station.  And so, I only knew that his first name is Clive, that his wife is blonde, that his B & B is called Casa Cielo, and that he didn’t arrive to pick me up.    After an hour I woke the sleeping taxi driver to see if he knew my host (Not!), dragged my bags to a hotel across the street to see if they had a phone book or internet, (no such thing and the wireless was down); and sat down in despair at a patio table.

All’s well that ends well. When my host appeared, the blessed cab driver waved him down and sent him to me.  I have a great room, genial English speaking hosts (who will wait a day for their rent) and a view from the roof terrace of their portion of the house.

(My room is in the basement wine cellar.)

You can see the door and window down this alley.

I located a grocery store and got enough buffalo mozzarella cheese, meat, bread and grilled eggplant to keep body and soul together until morning.

xxoo

TRAVEL NOTES:

Intermittently men went by my train compartment hawking caffé and l’acqua.  In the confusion of Italian language and train noise I didn’t realize until later that they also sold snacks and sandwiches.

DO NOT DRINK ANYTHING ON THE TRAIN THAT WILL MAKE YOU HAVE TO USE THE RESTROOM (unless you have enough anti-bacterial hand cleaner to take a bath before returning to your seat).  Skanky does nothing to describe it.  Disgusting gets closer.

ALWAYS print hard copy of your contact information.  When your cell phone won’t work and you can’t connect to the Internet; it’s back to good old-fashioned paper and ink.  Elementary!