I had my alarm set for 7:30 this morning with plans to get
up, drop off the rental car, get back and have the inside of the condo all
cleaned and clothes put away before pranzo (lunch) with Zia. Well, my new ZTE brand phone does not have a setting that limits snoozing, so I slept for an extra
hour (only seven hours total). I finally got to the Hertz office, which would’ve
been easy if I’d have had my GPS with me because they moved, and then went to
the train station. No trains for two and a half hours. My chances of cleaning
before lunch were done.
“Stuck” in Termoli, Italy, I made the most of my morning. I
visited some local shops, picked up a slice of pizza with melanzane (eggplant),
and went walking toward the ancient part of the city. It was a beautiful day
with plenty of sun and plenty of wind to keep me cool. I meandered into the
castle town, and stopped along the wall overlooking the Adriatic and its
beaches to eat my colazione (breakfast) pizza. It was a beautiful scene, very
peaceful.
Ancient Termoli in the morning is very different than it is
at night. In the evenings, the area is alive with street vendors, filled sidewalk
cafes, and people out for a passegiatta (nightly stroll) with a creamy gelato
in one hand and talking with the other. In the mornings, however, it is a
sleepy part of town with most locals emerging from their seaside homes,
sweeping their entrances, pruning their micro-gardens, greeting their neighbors,
and of course heading to the Duomo (church) in honor of the town’s patron
saint, San Basso. The people are warm and welcoming, and almost everyone said “buon
giorno” (good day/hello).
I then sat along the port side of the castle town and
watched the fishermen come and go. The tourist boats were already long gone for
their Isole Tremiti run, but the port was still busy with activity. Slowly I
made my way back to the train station, stopping for a small cornetti (small breakfast
pastry) and a Crodino (a bitter Italian orange drink that I love). After people
watching for a half hour, it was time to go home. I had managed to put in
10,000 steps before lunch, and would go on to spend my early evening cleaning
after a mid-day, post-pranzo repose (nap).
