The next morning we had some fruit we’d picked up at a little market the night before. I had prosecution and cheese rolled up and some fruit. Did I mention Cathy’s bag of oatmeal she travels with? She prepares it in a cup the night before, with water, oats and berries. Then nukes it for a couple of minutes so it’s warm and that’s her breakfast-on-the-go! I asked Michelle to bring me a bag of oats so I can continue that! Cathy had shared hers with me. I had made my egg-spinach-tomatoes-onion-cheese omelette a couple of times! Delicious!
Disaster struck when Cathy started yelling from the bathroom! We came in to see her mopping up water with piles of towels off the bathroom floor. She said she’d flushed the toilet and it was leaking water all over! It seemed to be clear, clean water! Then when Angie brushed her teeth, it leaked again! I ran downstairs to near the bar where we’d had Sangria the night before, hoping the wifi would still work from outside (the bar, of course, was closed!). I frantically WhatsAPPed (is this a word?) Anna to ask what we should do. I didn’t get an answer so hurried back up to the apartment. We used about a dozen bath towels to mop up the water and it seemed to stop. We thought the leak was coming from around the bottom of the toilet. The water seemed clear (thank God!!).
Anna finally arrived and it turned out there was a drain on the side of the room with a cover. She uncovered that and cleaned out the drain that was clogged with hair,etc. Turns out it’s somehow a drain from only the sink causes the water there to bubble!! Anyhow, NO ONE wanted to risk a shower and we brushed our teeth in the kitchen sink. I imagine this is a really old building with the apartments all being redone. Tito (that’s Anna’s brother who lives way east of Rome out on the farm where her family is from and makes olive oil and other products) was generous to let us use this apartment; he only comes here infrequently. Anna lived here for a year while her new apartment was being redone. We haven’t seen it yet. She’s invited Michelle and I to dinner there for Weds.
Now I had to rush over to Numenstana rail stop that Anna had showed me the night before as Michelle was taking the train from the airport to there. She had sent me a text she was on the train and would arrive at 10. It was raining, I grabbed Tito’s umbrella and headed off the 4 blocks or so to the station. First I waited on the street where passengers would come up. But I could see the tracks on the other side of a busy road so walked down the ramp and underground to the platform. There were two people sitting there like they were waiting for the train. On the other side, many people were waiting, some with suitcases. So I guessed they were headed the other way TO the airport. Maybe 5 trains stopped there and headed off. Maybe a dozen other trains whisked by, not stopping going in the direction Michelle’s train should be going. I waited over an hour and no show, no train stopped.
Finally I gave up and headed back to the cafe where I could get on wifi. I turned around and there was Michelle at the door of Via Amatrice 50, anna’s brother’s apartment house!!! She had to get off at Tibertina Station and kept getting on trains to the stop we arranged - 5 trains - and each time this guy who was helping her said they had to get off!! She finally took a cab to the station where I was waiting; but I was already headed home!! So fortunately I had given her the address and there she was!!! Murphy’s Law here!!
We all met and then Cathy and Angie went off for their only day sight-seeing in Rome, to ride the hop on-hop off bus! They later said they sat up top, the only seats open and got drenched in the rain!! They walked around only a bit and then came back. Anna was meeting us to go to dinner (Cathy was too tired and had the flight the next morning so didn’t go) Anna drove us to a wonderful restaurant where we were the first (we NEVER got used to the Italian way of going out for dinner at 9 p.m!!! ) We each had a delicious pizza, Angie was able to get gluten-free pasta, and some delicious wine!! Very nice! We stopped on the way home at Anna’s best gelato place for scrumptious different kind of dessert!!
Another wonderful day in Italy!
(POST PICTURES WHEN I HAVE MORE TIME)
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