Monday was an epic day as we are moving from north of the Adriatic to much further south still along the Adriatic. It was 4 + hours of driving - and we are both very tired.
We were trying to make this trip more spontaneous by staying at hotels along the way. We wanted to be able to stay longer in areas that resonated with us - and maybe skip areas that we could easily see would not work for us. the problem is that our sleep habits are very different and Michael snores. I have tried so many different ear plugs - none of which have worked. We have tried different variations - me going to bed earlier and Michael staying awake until late - so I get some sleep or the opposite. None of our plans worked. So when we started this long driving trip - both of us are sleep reprieved.
I am trying very hard to entertain Michael so he stays awake as he drives. Next time maybe we will pay the extra $250 E for two drivers! At one point Michael zoned out and I screamed - scaring both of almost to death. Disaster averted this time. Now we are extra concentrating and stopping more often. From now on we will be staying in 2 bedroom Airbnb's. Price is almost the same or less. But we will book for longer times and do side trips from one place.
We cannot find the Airbnb. GPS tells us we are there - when we are in an underpass with no houses near us. We call the Airbnb contact - sometimes this happens she says - and gives us the coordinates for the restaurant across the street. This works. The narrow road our place is located on is a long stretch along the seaside. There are pebble beaches dotted with restaurants on the seaside. Its like a sandwich: sea - beach - restaurants - road - single row of houses - railroad tracks behind the houses and another busier road just beyond that.
Our tiny house is actually a duplex. The blue house has a gate with a driveway on either side. Each side has a small patio in front. There is an enclosed elevator in the middle in front of both sections. Now, why would such a small house need an elevator you ask? I will post the answer to that on 9-12.
We drop our things at the house and then go to the Familia grocery store just a few minutes away. We grab a roast chicken and some sides for our dinner, besides the usual paper towels, toilet paper, snacks, veges, water etc. Back at the house we get our stuff settled, eat our dinner and pretty much collapse.
Tuesday is a rest day - not driving anywhere. We start the laundry - they have racks to hang things outside to dry. It is a bright sunny day. We walk across the street to the restaurant for lunch. We order wine, an antipasti and pasta dish (secondi) for Michael and a primo - Tempera fish for me. I don't usually drink wine with lunch - but the waitress sees fit to give me a wine glass as well. It turns out to be good as Michael accidently orders a 1/2 bottle of wine instead of a 1/4 liter of the house wine. Bread is served here in a paper bag. It can contain anywhere from 3 small pieces of bread to 12 pieces. A lot of times the bread and cover fee is one thing and can be 3-4 euro. It doesn't seem to matter if you eat the bread or not - you are still charged for it.
This whole area is known for its fish. When you see "pescare" on the menu - it does not necessarily mean fish - a lot of times it means seafood. A fish restaurant may not even have a whole fish on the menu. It will have all kinds of dishes that are made from squid, Octopus, cuttlefish, sardines, mussels, clams, shrimp. So I have been a little frustrated as I thought I would be eating a lot of great fish!
The lunch became very bizarre - the waitress seemed to think that all the courses were for Michael and kept giving me an empty plate. So each course was made in time for Michael to have the next course. I did order a salad - which came with no dressing. Michael tried to communicate oil and vinegar. We got olive oil. Finally I used google translate to show the waitress the word in Italian "aceto". Finally she brought vinegar and salt. OK now I can eat my salad.
Michael finishes his antipasti. Ten minutes later they bring out his pasta. He tries to eat his pasta slowly, so that they will bring out my tempera fish. Bad move - they are waiting for him to finish his pasta before even starting to make the fish!! I am drinking wine and eating bread - and very hungry.
Finally he finishes his pasta. Another 15 minutes goes by. they bring me another empty plate. I move it in front of Michael. The waitress avoids looking at us. Finally the fish is ready. The waitress brings it over - and tries to put it in front of Michael. I gesture - in front of me!! Finally she goes "Oh" and puts it in front of me. Why was this so hard to communicate!!!
That evening we took a walk along the road. The skies were putting on a show.
a frustrating meal experience to be sure - but those skies seem to make up for it
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