Leaving Napoli

Thursday, November 28, 2013....
We check out of our hotel and we're waiting for the taxi cab.   It comes and we load up and go to the central station, which is really nearby but there's a lot of construction and the streets are very cluttered and uneven.  The rolling suitcases don't like that.  So we get there, and unload.   I pay the taxi and we're off!   I decided I wanted to buy the International New York Times because it's the only one they sell in English and I want to know what's happening in the US, plus I even got to read that the UofA had beaten UO, go Cats!
(Since my brother who lives in Oregon is a big Duck fan, (the traitor), if UO wins, he always send me a sarcastic e-mail of sorts and it really makes me mad.   Well, guess what?   Now I get to do it..... yippee!
When I went to get the newspaper, Paco stayed with all the luggage except for my purse.  I was ready to pay and I couldn't find my coin purse where I have EVERYTHING that's important for this trip, except for my passport.   I took EVERYTHING out of my purse and the zippered compartment where I kept it (because it cannot be picked)......   NADA, NOTHING, RIEN, NIENTE......    :(    My blood pressure and my heartbeat were going to the roof and I went back to tell Paco that we were in REAL trouble.  I knew the cab driver had to be nearby because they have to get in line to get the passengers, and I found him!   I explained with body language, more than anything that I thought I had left my "piccola borsa" in the cab with money and "documenti".    He looked everywhere and nothing!   By this time, I'm in tears, and he says, maybe we should go back to the hotel, which, at that point, I agreed.    So, I went back into the station to tell Paco and he had found it.  I inadvertently stuck it into a bag that had our sandwiches and our drinks for the trip and I didn't realize it.   And, I even looked in that bag, but didn't see it.   He took everything out and there it was!!!!    Boy, I must have done something right in my life.   Our/my trip would have been completely ruined.  Three hours later,we're in Rome, and have no idea where this hotel is.  It happens to be a Marriott-Courtyard, but nobody could tell me where it was.   Finally, I used this "help phone" and the lady tells me the Courtyard has a shuttle to take you.   Okay we missed the one, and have to wait 40 minutes in blistering, and I mean blistering cold, the kind that makes you be able to see your breath.  It finally comes, we get to the hotel, it's very nice, typical American hotel, and we decide we don't even want to go outside.   We go get a couple of glasses of wine and we eat our sandwiches,which we didn't eat for lunch because my stomach was still in knots, and they tasted like heaven.  The hotel we were staying in Napoli had one of those full-breakfast buffets with all the cheeses and cold cuts the Europeans like to have for breakfast.   So, we made us a couple of sandwiches and took a couple of yogurts and we had some juices.   Didn't even think about lunch!  How's that for being so shook up?
Today, we were going to take the train into Rome to take a Rome by Night tour and see if there was a "Thanksgiving meeting spot for Americans" for some turkey dinner.   Well, the train schedules and the shuttle schedules did not allow for a smooth ride so we decided today was our "slacker" day.   We were going to take a walk, but it is still blistering cold.   Everybody says it's very unusual, and the forecasts are looking better.  Rome was 2 degrees C yesterday, which translates to 36 degrees F.  Ayayay!
So, we slacked off all day.   I read my newspapers, my Time magazines, did some e-mails and this.   We decided to have dinner here, and even though it's an American chain hotel, nothing even resembling turkey is on the menu and the staff didn't know the holiday.  We're definitely going to do Thanksgiving à la Italiana.
(No problem with me). 
Paco leaves tomorrow morning, and we have to be at the aiport at 4:00 am!   Brrrrrrrr.   After I see him off, I will take the shuttle back to the hotel and just hang out until Sunday.   My suitcase needs some MAJOR adjustments and I'm trying to condense my carry-on bag into the other suitcase so I only have one piece.   I think I can do it.  Then on Sunday, I leisurely get up, have breakfast, make myself another sandwich, and take the train back to the Termini station to catch a train for Florence.   They leave about every half hour so it will not be too hard, and it takes exactly 1.5 hours to get there.  My friend, Gabrielle, will  meet me at the Hotel David, which he owns as well as the apartment, and we will go to settle in, get keys, how everything works, etc.....    Guess what?   If this isn't the ultimate:   I get housekeeping to come in twice a week, it's part of the rental, and I can go to the Hotel David for the full breakfast and the happy hour.  Guests also get a 10-minute phonecall anywhere in the world, well, with very few exceptions, so Ican keep in touch with family in Mexico, or US or wherever.....  all in all, I felt that it was a pretty good deal.
For now, arrivederci amici (correct term)....    I'll be in touch from Florence when I'm all settled in.   I pray for a milder winter so I can do all the things I want to do, like take Italian classes and find a Jazzercise class, and maybe even a "partner" to teach English to and vice versa.
But, tonight it's "goodbye" dinner with Paco and off to sleep a few hours......
I'll be happy to have some time for myself.   We have not stopped for a second since he got here on November 3.... it's time for a little R&R.
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving surrounded by all your lovely families.
Cecilia