faithonholiday

Hello again Fodorians, the flame is flickering like a candle in the breeze - it might burn out or it might catch the curtains on fire!

Bambi was wavering about the trip while I was away - her mother had convinced her that The Bee will die and Dee will become depressed (her dog and cat) if she continues to go ahead with this trip.

We had a talk last night and it she decided to go anyway, although if it is too much for her(self) I advised her against it. Now she is excited about dressing as Virna Lisi or Sandra Milo and doing her passiagiata (I wonder how this will go over - any idea?)

Her mother mopes and her father bought alot of things from Sharper Image-like-places - so there is quite a stack of luggage. Does she need an ionizer, her cutting gel and her lighted makeup mirror? I do covet her magnetic sleep mask though, anyone ever try one? She is wondering if it is humid or dry in Rome in March, so she can bring her humidifier, thanks for your help.

So the trip is on and I am back here searching out restaurants in Rome and in Due Golfi where we will be staying. Any suggestions in the area of Due Golfi? Thank you.

gualalalisa

Faith: Welcome back - it was a tad boring without you.

The Bee and Dee story reminds me of when my best friend and I did a Grand Tour of Mexico at age 19.

There we were on the terrace of our luxury hotel in Acapulco, taking in the gorgeous sunset as we drank our margaritas and checked out the hunky local talent.

But my friend looked depressed. "What on earth could be wrong?" I asked.

"I miss Dukie (her dog)," she answered mournfully and burst into tears. I hope Bambi, who already has some challenges, won't react the same way on your first-class trip to Italy.

BTW, here's hoping that the flame contiunes to grow without igniting the drapes!

faithonholiday

Thanks, gualalalisa (interesting name), I will miss my dogs too, so I know what your friend went through. Hopefully Cousin will be able to cope! (for both our sakes!)

I did have a pet die while I was away one year and no one told me about it, it was horrible when I returned and saw his little collar.

AND

You know how flames are, someone else may start fanning them, but thanks for the wishes!

chardonnay

Hi Faith, I hope your trip works out for the both of you, don't forget that you have to enjoy yourself too!

I think it is fine to take an ionizer and humidifier, just remember that they both need adapters and converters.
I am not sure if they will run properly through a converter though.

Have a great time and report back to us about your quirky family (smile).

tinarose

faith, with all of the electrical appliances and luggage have you reconsidered the merit of bringing the assistant/bodyguard to act as luggage sherpa?

Marilyn

Hi Faith! I'm just back on the board today after a week in NY, and I was wondering if you'd be back. I agree with tinarose -- if Bambi is going to insist on lugging an entire health and beauty accessories store, you're going to need Orlando.

Does she (and you) understand that there are certain circumstances in which you will almost certainly need to handle your own luggage? This can be avoided, of course, but it requires some forethought, some planning, and lots of extra dough.

Welcome back!

mcgeezer

Ah, Bambi's mom is hearing the sound of the frayed forty year old apron strings snapping.
Forget bringing all the gadgets. When Bambi is finally free to romp the woods you'll end up having to lug the bags.
Have the Uncle get a T-mobile cell phone and make sure there is a speaker phone at their house so Bambi can phone home to the pets.

StCirq

Orlando is definitely going to have to come along on this trip, whether the "girls" want him to or not - just to wheel the steamer trunks and the appliances. Not a bad thing, just a minor trip adjustment.

See the recent posts about buying/renting a cell phone in Italy so Bambi can keep in touch with the pets - it's easy!

chardonnay

Yes, Faith, they have talked me into buying a cell phone to use there by saying it is easy.

I would advise you getting one for yourself to call someone you know that you can confide in and give you moral support.

Is Orlando going after all?

faithonholiday

Good Morning, I am helping Bam. with a wedding which is turning into a big deal so I haven't been here.

The good wishes and tips are appreciated, if she actually gets on the plane I will be surprised.
The driver should help us with the luggage and no Orlando, he can get a little annoying anyway - he whines alot.
I am going to look into the cell phone idea, but want the one that required the absolute least effort.

Chardonnay when you buy the cell please post how "easy" it is!

Ciao for now, NFH

rex

Well, I am maybe just a tiny bit surprised... I had become fairly comfortable with the idea that this Faith+Bambi trip was one of the more elaborate "pulling our leg" kinds of things.

And I have not engaged in this or any of the other threads since pretty much the beginning...

But then (during the night - - but maybe time zones are part of the explanation - - or maybe a night owl, who am i to say?), I got this entirely normal (sounding, to me at least) e-mail - - which does not seem too personal to post here - - and as others know, whenever not too personal, I prefer to answer questions here on the forum...

==============

Would you please let me know where you purchased your cell phone to use in Europe?

I have narrowed my search down to two from the Fodors threads:

A motorola Timeport T260 World GSM from The World Gift Center

and

an Ericsson R520M tri band GSM

Thank you for any help you can forward to me, Faith

====================

So, in response...

I bought a phone in Italy, Sep 2001 (yes, that fateful month) - - it happened to be in Verona, and it was from "Wind" if I recall correctly - - but on the last few trips I have seen phones in airports and darn near everywhere (didn't buy one on either of the last two trips; in Sep 02, we weren't gone all that long, and I didn't perceive the need, and in May 03, we were too multi-country; would have needed an unlocked phone - - quite a bit more expensive).

Bottom line, if I were going back to Italy now/this year, I would just keep my eye peeled for the least expensive phone I could find there, and not buy based on features or "tri-band" for subsequent use in the US (I am not in the market for a new phone for everyday use, personally).

Whatever you buy, seems like you should be able to count on recuping half of your purchase price by offering to "sell it forward", or if all else fails, on e-bay...

A win-win for you and the subsequent buyer...

Best wishes,

Rex

SeaUrchin

Rex, could you please tell us about how much you spent for the cell phone in Italy?

marcy_

I bought an international phone to use in Europe for $99 from this website:

http://www.telestial.com/phones.htm

I have used it in several countries-- in each country you have to buy a SIM card ( a little chip to put inside) that comes with prepaid talk time. The SIM cards are usually pretty cheap. I wouldn't buy them on the Telestial web site-- they are much less expensive to buy in the airport when you arrive.

If you are going to be traveling to Europe or other parts of the world very often, this is a lot cheaper than buying a whole new phone in each country.

See the "Renting a phone to take to Europe" thread for very good info from wojazz3 on buying a GSM phone.

rex

In 2001, I think it was 160,000 lire (i.e., the equivalent of 80 euro), and the first 50,000 lire of calls was included. Incoming calls were free, so since I was pretty much always just interested in talking to my wife back home, I would simply call here, and she called me back. I used up less than half of the time allocated during that week.

I sold it for 55 dollars, I think, which included the roughly 15 dollars of free calls left on it. I paid for the shipping to my buyer. She was tickled to death (I think you can still find some details of all this by searching "teener" here, and I hope my memory isn't too rusty). She also subsequently sold it, and the second buyer later told me that it wasn't for sale any further - - she had plenty of reason to just keep it.

rex

Here's that thread:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...mp;tid=1323048

faithonholiday

HI, just came back to the states for a week or so. Want a little update?

The trip is wonderful, Bambi is having the time of her life, she has taken up with a Swiss businessman and living La Dolce Vita near the Via Veneto with him and our apartment near the P. Navona the rest of the time.

Felix has become quite the gourmet chef and cooks wonderful meals for ourselves and our new Swiss friends. He has met a lovely lady too and they bebop well into the night with 1950's CD's blaring.

I have made some nice friends since we have become The Eccentric Americans here in our building.

It is easy to buy a cell phone here and we all keep in contact with each other and the Parents back home easily. It is fun now that I am learning some Italian and can walk and talk on the cell at the same time! I am feeling very European and it is fun. Bambi has this nice normal man and she is leaning on him and he seems to love it, so her parents are coping with this fairly well, although if we stay much longer they are coming for a visit (I have already been grilled since my return).

Some of you have written to my yahoo account and it has been blocking alot of the mail, so sorry if I haven't responded.

Anyway, ciao for now!

Mary_Fran

If this thread wasn't started by a drag queen, it should have been, because I can easily envision any number of my son's SF drag queen friends having written it.

ira

Hey faith,

I was wondering how things were going. I hope Bambi doesn't get pregnant.

How come you're not hooked up yet?

faithonholiday

Hi Ira, I am sure she knows what to do.

As for me, it is so romantic here at night when the streets are quiet and wet and you look inside candlelit restaurants as you saunter along arm in arm with a friend. As you may know, the people who live here have entirely different worlds from the tourist or traveler and it can be very interesting and surprising to unfold the layers of the Roman man's mind and see the beauty of the Italian nature.

I like to savor the experience so I am much slower in the hooking up aspect of our sojourn here.

When are you going to be visiting Italy again?

lyb

How original, Bambi has found love in Rome...geezzz....that wouldn't be anything that I predicted in the previous thread, would it? Faith, you should have been more original and maybe made her fall in love with another woman or become a nun, or anything else, but this was way tooooo predictable.