Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Things I don't get....
about Italy. Yes, yes, I'll get back to the travelblog. Not today. Well, not likely today.
1.) Toilet seats in women's bathrooms that weren't intended to have seats. As in, not made with a seat. I can't imagine that women in Italy are VASTLY different from women in the US, not anatomically, anway. That is, we need toilet seats. Seriously. Glad these are phasing out, but still. Should be against the Geneva Convention.
2.) Hand-held showerheads. Five out of five hotels we stayed in had these. All had the bar you could attach them to, but why? I've never encountered these in the US. There can be only one reason I see for these. Keep thinking...keep thinking. Yeah. Granted, not a bad way to start the day, but in the morning, I'm more interested in shaving my legs (a task NOT facilitated by a handheld) than, umm, anything else you might be thinking of. And what benefit does this have for a GUY? None, so far as I can see. Maybe my male readers will enlighten me....?
3.) Train strikes. Yes, I managed to get around one instead of IN one, but I still don't get them. It's not a "better wages/better conditions/higher pay" thing. It's more of a "hey, let's strike the 27th of next month" kind of thing with no "obvious" goal in mind. Maybe that's my problem. As a hyperactive American, I should learn to slow down and take life as it comes.
Now to things I adored and am very sure we need....
1.) Smart cars. Really. Try this.... www.smart.com Isn't that just the cutest car you've ever seen? And if you can't find a parking place, you can fold it up and put it in your pocket! (Not really, it just seems that way.) They'll be available in the US in 2008. I've loved the Civic, but I will likely be trading in.
2.) Food. I knew that food was a big deal in Italy. It's not like I've never been there before. But that was the "how little can I spend and still be here" tour. And this decidedly wasn't. Food at the AutoGrill on the Autostrada (toll road freeway) was fan-freaking-tastic. Food at our "airport hotel" was incredible. In the US, you'd listen to your stomach growl for another 50 miles or skip dinner if you could make it past either of those places. If you stop at a "highway restaurant", in the US you'll likely eat deep fried crap. Not that DFC can't be delicious, but at truck stops, it rarely is. You certainly don't see fresh arugula. Airport hotel restaurants usually
serve dreck. May look pretty, but likely doesn't taste different from the box it came to the hotel in.
3.) Lunch. These people mean business with their lunch. Nearly everything closes from 12-3 (or 12:30-3:30 or 1-4....you get the picture). What do you do? Why you go to lunch. Not a sandwich from a gas station, not a buffet, not pre-manufactured food made 200 miles away and shipped to your town in a bag, real food. And maybe you bring your dog. And maybe you meet a few friends and get caught up. Have some wine. After all that, you probably still have an hour, so why not run home and do....whatever. Maybe THAT's what the handheld showerheads are for. (Although that explanation still leaves out the male gender.)
4.) Gelato. It's lower in fat than US "ice cream", but tastes so rich, so full of flavor that you'd never guess. Less air, more flavor. And not just "kid" flavors. Flavors like "forest fruits", pistachio, fresh cream, coconut, vanilla shot through with thin thin thin ribbons of chocolate (stracciatella), hazelnut, coffee. You get the point. I was cheated out of gelato twice and for all that I don't try to "keep score", I have to on that one. Have some gelato (REAL gelato) and you'll agree.
1.) Toilet seats in women's bathrooms that weren't intended to have seats. As in, not made with a seat. I can't imagine that women in Italy are VASTLY different from women in the US, not anatomically, anway. That is, we need toilet seats. Seriously. Glad these are phasing out, but still. Should be against the Geneva Convention.
2.) Hand-held showerheads. Five out of five hotels we stayed in had these. All had the bar you could attach them to, but why? I've never encountered these in the US. There can be only one reason I see for these. Keep thinking...keep thinking. Yeah. Granted, not a bad way to start the day, but in the morning, I'm more interested in shaving my legs (a task NOT facilitated by a handheld) than, umm, anything else you might be thinking of. And what benefit does this have for a GUY? None, so far as I can see. Maybe my male readers will enlighten me....?
3.) Train strikes. Yes, I managed to get around one instead of IN one, but I still don't get them. It's not a "better wages/better conditions/higher pay" thing. It's more of a "hey, let's strike the 27th of next month" kind of thing with no "obvious" goal in mind. Maybe that's my problem. As a hyperactive American, I should learn to slow down and take life as it comes.
Now to things I adored and am very sure we need....
1.) Smart cars. Really. Try this.... www.smart.com Isn't that just the cutest car you've ever seen? And if you can't find a parking place, you can fold it up and put it in your pocket! (Not really, it just seems that way.) They'll be available in the US in 2008. I've loved the Civic, but I will likely be trading in.
2.) Food. I knew that food was a big deal in Italy. It's not like I've never been there before. But that was the "how little can I spend and still be here" tour. And this decidedly wasn't. Food at the AutoGrill on the Autostrada (toll road freeway) was fan-freaking-tastic. Food at our "airport hotel" was incredible. In the US, you'd listen to your stomach growl for another 50 miles or skip dinner if you could make it past either of those places. If you stop at a "highway restaurant", in the US you'll likely eat deep fried crap. Not that DFC can't be delicious, but at truck stops, it rarely is. You certainly don't see fresh arugula. Airport hotel restaurants usually
serve dreck. May look pretty, but likely doesn't taste different from the box it came to the hotel in.
3.) Lunch. These people mean business with their lunch. Nearly everything closes from 12-3 (or 12:30-3:30 or 1-4....you get the picture). What do you do? Why you go to lunch. Not a sandwich from a gas station, not a buffet, not pre-manufactured food made 200 miles away and shipped to your town in a bag, real food. And maybe you bring your dog. And maybe you meet a few friends and get caught up. Have some wine. After all that, you probably still have an hour, so why not run home and do....whatever. Maybe THAT's what the handheld showerheads are for. (Although that explanation still leaves out the male gender.)
4.) Gelato. It's lower in fat than US "ice cream", but tastes so rich, so full of flavor that you'd never guess. Less air, more flavor. And not just "kid" flavors. Flavors like "forest fruits", pistachio, fresh cream, coconut, vanilla shot through with thin thin thin ribbons of chocolate (stracciatella), hazelnut, coffee. You get the point. I was cheated out of gelato twice and for all that I don't try to "keep score", I have to on that one. Have some gelato (REAL gelato) and you'll agree.
