Yesterday was a long day as we had to wait about an hour for
the car in the morning, then embark on a 7-hour trip across the country and
down the coast. At points, it was a majestic ride with rolling hills of olive,
grape, and wheat farms, and on the other side of the car was beautiful Adriatic
coastline. As we neared the end of the journey, about three miles from our exit
of the Autostrade in Termoli, we blew a tire. Hertz was spot on with their
assistance, changed the tire (which I could’ve done but they told me they were
sending someone and I wanted them to handle getting a new tire), and today they
exchanged the car for a bigger one. We went from a FIAT 500 L to a FIAT 500 XL
(really just a 500 L Living model).
When we arrived at the house, we immediately noticed that
the garden was overgrown. Our neighbor who greeted us first also pointed out
that the grapes are growing like crazy. They want us to keep them so they can
have some grapes too after we leave. We had a gardener come today to talk about
doing the work. I can handle it, but I get yelled at each year by Mom and Zia
because I either take out too much or too little.
With nothing in the house, Mom and I went to the Friday
market this morning. It was hot and sunny, but there was a nice breeze blowing.
We picked up some veggies, meat and cheese. But we still have a pretty empty
fridge. A trip to the supermarket is forthcoming.
