My Italian Vacation! Day 1

As usual, all of the plans that we had made for our trip to Italy changed as quickly as any of them were made. To Marco in Rome, I sincerely apologize!

I had found what would have been the best place to stay and didn’t get to see it  at all. If you are ever staying in Rome (Italy), please check out the Gallo House. Marco was great emailing me back and forth trying to make the reservations. Unfortunately, we had to fly in to Venice, Italy because we missed the flight to Rome. Wound up not getting to Rome for a couple of days and only stayed one night versus the 2-3 we had planned on.

Flying in to Venice was absolutely amazing though. I have always wanted to go there but it just never happened. There was of course no reason to be right there and not go onto the island. So, here’s the deal. You cannot drive a car on the island. Your options are to buy a single bus pass for 3euros, a public water taxi for 12euro’s or a private one for 98euro’s! One can also purchase a pass that allows unlimited use on the buses and water boats for the amount of time allocated. 12 hours to one week. We chose the 12 hours for 18euros each and then found a hotel in the city on Priceline. They really came through this time. It took quite a while (probably because we just flew 9 hours and were dragging all of our things up and down the stairs over each of the water ways) to find an internet point. Once we did, we found a hotel and dumped off our stuff.

Venice: Hotel 65euro (total with taxes and service charges and breakfast!), 36euros for transportation for 12 hours, 34euros for a really nice dinner with wine, 8euros to use the computer to arrange hotel and car rental: priceless. Ha! The guy in front of me at the hotel paid 95euros so I was still up 22euros which I probably spent on gelato and coffees. The city is much more expensive that staying farther out as we would soon discover.

Car rental for one week with all taxes and insurance: 381euros.

We picked picked up the car and set off south along the beach toward Fano. The drive on the highway was out first experience with driving in Italy and luckily for all involved, I was NOT driving! Custom here is to honk and curse out the person behind you who dares get too close or honks for the driver ahead to move. It’s standard custom in Italy to drive up as close as possible to the car in front of you that you want to pass and flash your lights if necessary. It’s not meant to be rude (or is it) however, just a friendly get your crap out of my way! And, what is the speed limit anyway? I wish that I knew so that I could tell you for when you are brave enough to drive there. No worries. Just move over and don’t be insulted when someone wants to pass you.

 

 

Is This Bed Bug Season?

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

I just couldn’t bare to put up a pictures of an actual bed bug. Yuck! If you really need to see a picture and get a great “what to do” if you do find bed bugs in your home please visit The Bedbug Blog.

Through some further research, the last actual EPAmeeting was back in April 2009. What this means though is that there is a big enough problem that the EPA needed to meet regarding these nasty little creatures. They bite, leave itchy red marks that can leace a scar. And, just like fleas, they can spread and cause more problems if not cared for properly.

Where does this leave you if you want to travel but are afraid of what might be waiting for you to ruin your trip. Taking a few minutes to follow some simple steps can save your trip and your skin.

When I get into the room, the first thing that I do is to place my suitcase up on a table while I get the stand out of the closet. Put a towel on it if you please and keep your bag up off of the floor and away from the bed.

Then, for more reasons than just bed bugs, remove the conforter and place it back in the corner out of the way. Pull down the sheets and look for signs of bed bugs. Small brownish-black shells or spots smaller than a poppy seed. These small creatures like to live under seams and under the mattress tag so, be extra vigillant about these areas. Check the headboard also, especially if it’s fabric.

It’s a good idea to keep your clothes and bags away from the bed area and off of the floor just in case and wash/dryclean them when you come home. When I get home, I never take my suitcase up to my bedroom. It stays downstairs and gets repacked for each trip.