What a day!

 The day started off well. I found my scarf-not at the theatre, but hanging over the back of the chair in our room! I know I’m hopeless!

Keeley then went to the top of the bell tower, while I waited in St Mark’s Square. A pigeon sat on my lap, and a beggar woman approached me. Third time lucky! She spots me every time I go out. She just doesn’t stop gibbering without taking a breath. I was trapped this time- sitting down with our two backpacks- and I did have 2 euro in the side of my purse. I became quite cold just sitting there waiting. 

Keeley came down, and we gathered our belongings and walked to the boat stop. 20 minutes until the next boat. I wasn’t feeling well. I had pains in my chest maybe from the cold air entering my lungs.

Boarded the boat and this is where things started to go dreadfully wrong. It’s a very long trip to the airport, but hey, I drive two hours at home, no problem. I really tried not to- but the end result was I wet myself somewhere between Murano and the airport. How embarrassing, but at least I wasn’t in severe pain any longer. I must have caught a chill while sitting in the square.

Off the boat and straight to the nearest toilet, which happened to be attached to a multistorey carpark. I couldn’t make it to the airport toilet, which was 10 minutes further on. I changed clothes, and off we went back to our car, which was parked in the carpark 12 minutes away. Unloaded our backpacks into the car, took off our jackets, where’s my purse? Not hanging round my neck, not in any of our bags, nor caught up in my jacket somehow.  Keeley then questions me without panicking, and deduces that I MUST have left it in the toilet. Do not ask me how, as she asked me as I was leaving, do you have everything? I scanned the entire area and saw nothing!

Oh my God! Everything was in that purse! Passport, visa, credit cards, cash cards, cash, phone. We didn’t even have any money or card to get out of the carpark!  Amazingly, I stayed calm- well, sort of, and tried to be positive. Keeley ran off back to the toilet, while I followed as quickly as I could, trying not to panic. Hardly anyone used these toilets- it would probably still be there. I saw Keeley come out of the toilets without my purse and my hopes sank. But she did have a piece of paper. As I approached, a man was calling to her. He had found my purse and had left a note to go to the Alilaguna office. I was so relieved to get it back I hugged him and gave him 20 euro! By this time, I was crying, but just with joy.

Back to the car and off we go. Not quite. Keeley scans our ticket and card at the gate, but the boom gate doesn’t open. Stay calm. Traffic piling up behind us! The person behind us comes over and gestures to a machine over to the side, so Keeley reverses, cars all reverse too, and we pull over out of the way. She allowed me to go to the machine as she had taken off her boots to drive, and I carefully read the steps and followed the directions exactly. I put the ticket in the correct spot, and the credit card, etc etc and it took  quite a few minutes to spit the ticket out. Keeley was getting out of the car to see what I’d done wrong! Not the 9 euro charge I was expecting, but 49 euro! So much for reading reviews on the net that said, park at the airport not at one of the private parking garages for Venice.

Apart from dodging crazy Italian drivers, one of whom almost wiped us out by pulling in front too quickly after overtaking, and getting lost near Milan International Airport, (we went round and round the same route twice before expanding the GPS to find we didn’t even have to do that roundabout!) and GPS freezing shortly after that, we had an uneventful trip to Calolziocorte.  Keeley’s scariest moments were on the huge roundabout with unmarked lanes, but I didn’t even see any of these near misses as I was concentrating on the GPS trying to tell which of the seven exits to take!

We found the Hotel Monastero del Lavallo without too much difficulty- it is after all, an old monastery, but do you think I could find how to get in? I opened one huge wooden door hesitantly, but it went into a large church, and kept walking round the corner till I found a wooden door that opened into a dark stone-flagged vestibule.  I followed it until I saw a sign saying Reception. Yay! But no, it was locked and no one was in attendance. I walked into a huge courtyard, and found a bar/café where I asked could I check in. The girl spoke no English, but by using sign language, I managed to convey to her I wanted to check in. She called another girl who also had no English, but she was able to check me in and show me our room, which was large with high ceilings and timber furniture, and a very big bed. Bathroom was also large, but had the weirdest towels you have ever seen! All towels were made of sheets or maybe white tablecloths, even the bathmat! I had never seen anything like it- and they were all really well ironed! Maybe the monks still run a laundry here?

Across the street was the Lavello Ristorante, just what we needed. We had eaten nothing all day- well, not quite true, Keeley had eaten the rest of her chocolate Santa while driving, and I had polished off the few remaining cookies from Hungary- but we were VERY hungry.

We waited until 5 before venturing over to the restaurant, only to find it doesn’t open till 6. Back to our room to have a glass of Baileys before dinner, and then back to the restaurant just after 6. It was open, but obviously had some sort of event on, there was food being prepared by the dozen, but were told we couldn’t eat here tonight. Oh I should mention, NOT one word of English was spoken- Keeley is great with actions. She said the look on my face was like they had told her they only served cat!

Back to our room to find somewhere to eat nearby. There must be something! Keeley found a restaurant on Trip Advisor 16 minutes drive away. We went to go out to our car only to find the entrance door locked and bolted. Keeley tried opening it but we worried if they locked it behind us, we wouldn’t be able to get back in. That would top off a perfect day- having to sleep in the car!  We thought we might be able to get back in via the bar/café, but it closed at 8, so asked the girl at the bar how could we get back in. Not only did she not understand a single word of English, she didn’t even understand Keeley’s impeccable hand actions. She finally resorted to google translate to get our message across. Still no undertanding, but she did call whom I presume was the manager who spoke to Keeley and told her there was an iron gate half way up the block where we would be able to gain access to the monastery after 8. The bar girl led us through the inner courtyard to the outer courtyard and opened the gate for us.

I really didn’t want to drive anywhere let alone up a winding mountain road in the fog and pitch black! The restaurant was nowhere to be found. Google maps on my phone were telling me we were WAY past it, so Keeley did a 7 point turn on the mountain road and headed back. We saw lights in a front window and a sign saying Santa Brigida Hosteria, and I ventured in to ask did they serve dinner. The lady I spoke to didn’t understand me at all, but went to fetch her husband who told me no, they could not do dinner, but to go to the Lavello Restaurant in Calolziocorte. I explained that we were staying across the road from there and they were closed tonight as they had some sort of function on. They were very astonished to hear that. I asked is there anywhere else to eat and he asked when do you want to eat, ”Now” and how many of you, “Two”, my daughter and I. Yes, he could feed us. I went out to bring in a very hesitant but very hungry Keeley , and he led us through to a swank restaurant, showing us huge vats with boiling meat inside on the way. Keeley was whispering “I’m not eating that, I’d rather starve!”

He was the most gracious host. We were the only ones in the entire restaurant but they were fully booked at 8, so they were preparing all the other tables. He asked would we like lake fish and rice to which we readily agreed, and offered us a glass of chianti which we gratefully accepted. He then brought our freshly baked bread and two types of Italian olive oil from two different regions, which we hungrily devoured. The fish and rice turned out to be the most delicious risotto you’ve ever tasted. We refused coffee and dessert, as we wanted to be gone by the time his other guests arrived. We were looking quite road-worn and bedraggled by this stage of the day, not to mention tired.

He was so lovely to us, when he presented the bill, I paid him 50 euro cash and told him to keep the change. We were so thankful to have been fed! Another traumatic drive down the mountain, well not so bad this time as the fog had lifted, back to our room where Keeley looked up the restaurant we had just eaten at and it was 4 and a half star! A good finish to a bad day. We’re going bike riding tomorrow!