Admin Day 2

A couple of quick adds to Administrative Day:

As part of our day off, we took a trip to the grocery store to look for new things to try.  One notable thing about this trip in regard to Olivia, Meredith and Cecily.  There has been no complaining about food.  Rather, they have enthusiastically embraced trying new tastes and new foods.  They are anxious to try new things, and we are all enjoying breads, cheeses, meats, cookies and other goodies.  We decided we quite like black grapes.  We like apricot juice.  We love green apple juice, and, in the absence of cracker, I discovered my best find of this trip so far:  that "rustica" potato chips are the PERFECT accompaniment to bleu cheese!

Electricity and hot and cold water:  One could be easily fooled into believing that this is a first world country.  After all, it has cars, and modern conveniences and low-poverty rates and infrastructure and a functioning legal system and semi- and occasionally functioning elected government.  However, it is technically a second-world country, and every once in while, one gets a rude reminder of that fact.  It is an accepted fact here that the hot water WILL periodically go out.  When it does, you may have to wait up to three days for it to be restored.  Power outages are daily occurences,  About half the electrical outlets one encounters work, although the extension cord is the most prevalent form of wiring..  Indoor plumbing can usually be counted on, although soap dispensers in public restrooms are rarely filled.  The general rule is not to drink directly from bottles, due to contamination from hands.  One is always given a straw with which to sip one's bottled beverage.  Perhaps the most unexplainable aspect of this country is the is tolerance for dirt and graffiti amidst some of the most beautiful and elegant architecture in the world.  One wonders, why build it if one does not care enough to maintain it?

Transportation:  The transportation system is a mash up of subways, trains and busses, all of which interconnect and mostly run on some sort of semi-predictable schedule.  (Trains and subways are definitely better than busses for predictability.)  The challenge of the busses is the apparently total lack of organization applied to the system.  Bus stops are scattered randomly around the city, and little effort is made to create easy to find and use transportation hubs.  Even the same north bound/south bound stops (or west-bound/east-bound) may not be in proximity to each other, forcing a lot of walking around looking for the other half of a stop.  Bus schedules, posted at every stop, assuming you can find it, are maddening.  A single stop may be listed, noting in smaller letters underneath that there are three stops within this stop. Unfortunately, these are not named, leaving the traveller to sort of guess his or her approximate destination.  The timing of buss arrivals and departures from listed sites may be off by 20-30 minutes,  Or the bus may not come at all.  A northbound bus may not return via the same southbound route.  Electronic signage in the bus probably doesn't work and stops aren't announced.  Despite this, one is expected to signal to the the driver in advance of one's stop so he will not blow through it, trying to make up for lost time. It is all maddening, but it also has it's own charm.  Italy will tame the most Type A of personalities and leave one more capable of letting go the small stuff while enjoying La Dulce Vita.