After nearly a half hour of walking, we did find another snack bar. Bigger than the one near the hotel and we were able to share a sandwich for a very late lunch. But it wasn't someplace you'd want to have dinner. And you had to go through an area that didn't look like a place you'd want to be after dark. There were some beautiful homes along the way, but they appeared to be well fortified - gates, bars and such. There must be an element around there that people want to keep out.
We asked the desk clerk for recommendations. He recommended pizza delivery. Hmmm. No. Try again. He recommended a wonderful restaurant that was a 20 Euro cab drive away. But the food was wonderful - although the servings were far too large. (Had we known, we'd have shared.)
Anyway, food problem solved. Let's move on to the transportation problem.
We had the 20 Euro cab ride from the restaurant back to the hotel. So the lack of the full service restaurant at the hotel turned out to be a bit expensive. And here is where the math gets strange. A cab ride from the train terminal to the airport was 45 Euro. The cab ride from the terminal to our hotel was 40 Euro. It seemed as though the cab ride from the hotel to the airport should cost about 5 to 7 Euro at the most. But it was 40. So if we'd gone straight from the terminal to the airport, it would have cost 45 Euro. But stopping overnight at a hotel along the way caused that price to go up to 80 Euro. (Don't forget the extra 40 for cabs just to have a proper meal.) And of course every cab driver gets a tip. So I suspect that it might have been cheaper in the long run just to pay the higher rates at one of the airport hotels. (Actually, I don't suspect. I know it for a fact.)
Then there were the technical problems. I would have taken a shower as soon as I checked in to that hotel but we needed to try to find some lunch. And when we returned from lunch, I needed to complete payroll because I wouldn't be able to do that from a plane. By the time I took care of all the business it was time for dinner. When we got back, I went in and started the water running for a shower. Plumbing is not one of my strengths. I often ask Mark to just leave the water running for me so I don't have to figure out how to turn it on or adjust the temperature. Showers in England nearly always mystify me but the Italian ones were pretty straightforward. But after several minutes of running the water, it just wasn't getting hot. I called my engineer but he's often not at his best when it's late. (In fact, unless water is pouring onto the floor, he doesn't work much past 5 pm.) He wasn't getting anywhere with it and I just don't do cold showers. I used my micellar spray to wash my face and just went to bed. Of course, the following morning Mark figured out the combination of switches needed to turn on the hot water. But it didn't get hot in time to take a shower before we left.
And then to add insult to injury we were charged 14 Euro for the "included" breakfast. I just really hate paying $5 or more for a slice of toast.
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