Theresa......
Help...I'm hanging off my chair...waiting for the big fight.....

Your report is wonderful...so full of warmth....and REALITY!!
So many posters have perfect trips, with perfect friends, with perfect food......
.............sorta like the familys with perfect kids!!

We'll be in Detroit for the SuperBowl...what is the name of your restaurant...where is it located??

Thanks again for taking the time to post!!

Theresa, don't stop now! I'll go crazy if I don't get to read more before I get too tired and go to bed. I have been reading this report with great pleasure and lots of laughter.

Thanks for telling it like it is.

I know i hit the wrong key please forgive me...

I have big issues with the whole walkie talkie thing. i won't carry one. i have a cell it works everywhere i go and my family insist i take this stupid thing with me. i take pride in the fact i don't look like a tourist. my man tells me i can put it on vibrate and they would not call me unless it was urgent.but both of our cells work here! he say's please.... so i'm enjoying a coffee at a cafe and writing in my journel and this dang this is making noise, i can hear my family talking to eachother on it out if front of the collesuem, ahhh i turn it down and then i freakout cause something is touching my lovehandle..it's the thing vibrating. i pay my check and walk way and ask if someone is calling me, it's my family it's been 3 1/2 hours where am i, i'm catching the bus back to the hotel. no they don't want me to do that come back to the colloseum there are still there and they want to eat lunch and hang out with me..they use the line it won't be fun if your not there, ok so it's about a mile walk from where they are at, so i tell them give me at least 30 minutes ok they say were taking pictures with the gladiators..so now i'm on power walk and i'm haulin. i start to approach the arch that's off to the side of the collosuem and that's when the vibrating starts to scare me again and i want to drop kick the thing for a field goal, it's my man how far are you, i about went off, i'm walking as fast as i can, give me 2 minutes.

Now of course everyone wants to know where we eating lunch. believe it or not by the time they go round and round we ended up splitting up and going our own ways. great i run for this...oh what happened to all the fun i was. i wanted to go to the gyro joint by the train station, so off we went. it was uphill and my thighs could have cracked a walnut by the time we got there, i was hurting, i would have took a cab or the bus had i known it would be that tough. but we had gyro salad and a coke for 6 euro, that was great. now we walked back to the hotel to check on the old FIL and take a nap.

I did fall asleep for about 3 hours, in the meantime my husband loaded the pictures and video on the laptop and had it burned on a cd, so i got to see the pompeii shots and they were just awesome, even the dark sky was beautiful. believe it or not things are still in full bloom in rome. roses, bushes, flowers, and orange trees everywhere with fruit still on them, and pompeii was so green and lush the pictures are unbelievable.

His Dad was still sick and i went down to talk to him and he was really pale and said he was ok and he just needed to rest. i ran down to a fruit store around the corner from the hotel and got some 7-up raspberries and crackers for him. they had the biggest pomagranites i had ever seen, and that's one of my favorites so i got one and the man wanted to cut it for me. no thanks i want to admire it first, then i'll eat it later, he giggled when he figured out what i meant. i wanted to buy a bunch of fruit but i knew i could go back anytime and get what i want. so i took the goodies back to the FIL, everyone else was beat from running around all day. the fountain and steps never got toured, but no one feels like doing anything so me and my man got cleaned up and went out for dinner. Michele's is a family owned restaurant near the train station but far enough to be in a regular neighborhood. it was full of locals and our waiter spoke english and we ordered soup salad anitpasta lasagna pizza. everything was so good, we just ate till we about had to roll out of the place. the lasagna was made out of crepes instead of pasta and it was incredible, very smooth and creamy. i tried to tell my man that if he asked for pepperoni on pizza he'd get red peppers, and sure enough that's what was on the pizza, never had it that way but it was yummy. it was like 63 euros but worth it. we laughed at the fact that a shot of whiskey was cheaper that a can of coke at the restaurant. no we were not doing shots, we saw it on the menu. it was a long walk back, and my man wanted to take a cab, but it was too nice to cab it. the weather was perfect, and after that meal we needed to walk. almost got ran over by a scooter, they tend to weave and bob around traffic, and we crossed the street and the cars stopped at the crossing but out of no where a scooter comes barreling up the leftside of the cars waiting and it scared the hell out of all of us crossing the street, we all ran and dove out of the way. that dirty dishrag, my man wanted to do a right turn clyde (only for the clint eastwood fans) but we survived. thank god my inlaws weren't with us, they could have never moved out of the way fast enough.

Stood outside the hotel for awhile talking to the doorman, he was born in the dominican and moved to italy when he was really young. he spoke several languages and was very sweet. the hotel employees were like family by the time we left, and i would go back there and stay in a minute. it's late and we don't want to bother anyone, but it's been hours since we talked to his dad and i was getting worried about him. so we took the chance and called the room and they were still up so we went up to say good night and get a kiss, and they were both in their pj's and looked adorable, he was feeling better, he ate some crackers and breadsticks and drank the 7 up. I told him he had to get better so we could go see his cousins in calabria. but his time no ham sandwich....

"my thighs could have cracked a walnut by the time we got there"

Stop, I am laughing so hard that I'm crying!!! This is great. What is the name of your restaurant and where is it? My best friend lives in Detroit and I was just there at Thanksgiving. I have to meet you in person!!!!

I get up early sneak out without waking my husband. I get down to breakfast and it's quiet even though most of the tables are filled. It's a tour, but it's all asian women and I feel like a giant. my husband joins my for breakfast and tells me his dad is feeling better, and here he comes! Yea. i'm so happy to see him up and about. He sits down but wants no coffee, our host asks how's he feeling and he tells them he has an upset stomach, the host goes and gets a pot of hot water and mint tea, it smells good, and my FIL eats alittle. I entertain My FIL with the story of the guy falling on the stairs and droping his plates and falling on his knee's, we all laugh, it's usually quiet in the breakfast room until we all show up and laugh, and I think the staff is loving it.

My FIL has a cousin in calabria and we want to visit him, my FIL has never met him and only talked to him just recently for the first time, however, my FIL can't speak italian and the cousin can't speak english and i'm not clear on how they communicated while on the phone, so we ask our conciegre to make a call for us and translate this note we have to the cousin, no problem, so Simone calls the cousin and by the expressions on His face he is having a hard time understanding this cousin, so after a few minutes Simone hangs up and tells us he had a hard time understanding the cousin, he speaks a calabria slang, and it's old time italian and not what they speak in rome. no one around there speaks english, but he really wants us to visit. So Simone starts checking train times and prices and we walk next door to the hotel where there is a travel agent who gives us the impression were bothering her, but she gives us the info. Round trip by plane is approx 400. euro each. Great, this crowd don't want to spend 20. euro on a good meal, 400. and they'll have stroke. Simone tells us the train is 140. a person and it takes 6 hours by train, and BTW the cousin wants us all to spend the night.
Well they ask me what do i think, and i say Hell Yeah, this could be the one and only time to see this man. Let's go there and visit, so what if we already paid for the hotel rooms were in now, we can go down there see him, look at photo's eat his food drink his wine meet some cousins and neighbors, make a new relationship, hell he may come to detroit and visit all of his cousins here. well they are going to think about it. OK.

My FIL is going with us, we are just all going to wander around and shop and sight see. I beg everyone to start at the vatican so we can mail our post cards and have them stamped at the Vatican, so they say yes, and we take a cab so the FIL won't have to do to much walking. You have to have 2 cabs to cart us around. only up to 6 allowed in the cabs, and if caught with more they will get fined. and the police are everywhere, i mean all over and it makes you feel safe. Our cab charges us 9 euro and the other cab charges them 13. what, they can't believe it, hey what can you do? call the cops.

We run into the asian women from the hotel at the vatican post office, how cool. The shops are booming and everything starts looking the same, beggars are everywhere, watch your back people. One store had a picture in mosaic tile of the blessed mother with baby jesus, it was beautiful and i couldn't take my eyes off it, i thought how much could it be, maybe 2 thousand euro, I asked the salesman to take it down so i could look at it, and the detail was amazing, the frame was gold inlay and I thought to myself, i could pray to her everyday and think of rome. How much? 25,000. euro, OH Thank you, if money were not an object that would be a lifetime treasure and passed to my daughter Thomasina.

Everyone wants to go to piazza novana(?) and shop, so we walk over the bridge and the river is up over the sidewalks we had admired 2 days before. The sky is getting cloudy and we know it's going to rain. We told everyone to bring an umbrella too. we get to the piazza and we can smell food and were all hungry, My husband picks a place to eat, and we sit outside and the waiters bring over heaters and it's perfect, the other family wants to go get a cheap quick sandwich, not us, we want to sit down and enjoy ourselves. They take off and we order, a few minutes later they come back, they can't find anything they like, so they order pizza and a bowl of soup to split, yep one bowl. So i have to use the restroom and all us girls head downstairs to the bathroom and in the girls room there is an old lady who is the papertowel police, after you wash your hands she hands you a towel. There is a tip plate with change on it, and i noticed when i first went in there was a plate of spaghetti on this little table in the corner of the bathroom, and i thought poor thing, she's probaly trying to make a living out of this, when I got done, i reached over and take a towel and after drying my hands and throwing it away she tell me i have to tip her because she buys the towels I'm using, and gives me that look, in the meantime my MIL is watching this and she backs into the john and grabs toilet paper and dries her hands and gives some to the others, this lady was not happy, she said something to the effect how dare we, and more women came down at this point and she started the speech with them instead. I felt bad, I had every intention of coming back down with some coins, because i felt bad she was eating in the bathroom, and it did gross me out, but i thought maybe this is her only income, and who am I to judge her, she seems to have a mental problem, she had that whole red lipstick around the mouth thing going on and when we first went down there she was talking to herself, I think, so after we got done eating a real tourist meal of pizza salad and soup i went back down to the restroom, as i walked down the stairs she was sitting on a stool and she looked up and saw me, stood up to let me by, but i just reached in put 2 2.00 euro coins. She didn't say anything and either did I, and the plate of spaghetti was still there.

Now the clouds are rolling in dark and full of rain, it starts coming down in buckets, i have to get out of this piazza, there are birds everywhere and bird KA KA all over the place, the people that sell the bird feed have KA KA all over them, and it really was sick. I tell my family it's bird flu and they all laugh.

It's really cold now and most of the family want to go back to the hotel, I tell them we have to find a cab stand to catch a cab, but in the meantime my nephew had been promised they would take him to burger king, that's why he didn't eat much, no problem let's find one, we know one is near we saw it from the 110 bus. I also know there is a mall and i want to go by there too, it's got a Zara's and a chocolate store. So we find the burger king, feed my nephew, I go to wash my hands and there is a hand dryer in the bathroom, thank god for small favors, blow dry my hair and hands, it feels good. across from BK is coffee shop so My husband does the backstroke in the rain to buy me coffee, what a guy. The cab stand is right across the street, so we load the inlaws and my husband and niece into a cab and they go back to the hotel and the rest of us are going shopping. The mall is busy, and water and marble don't mix, people were running in out of the rain and sliding on their butts. We shop for 2 hours, the mall is not big, but some cool stores. I buy lots of chocolate from the Lindee (?) candy store and I'm in heaven. There is a taxi stand there and it's raining bigtime, so my BIL stands in line for a taxi and off we go. We are not far from our hotel and it's 6 euros, it's worth it too. It's not raining at the hotel, I go to our room and my husband is sawing logs, so i get in a tub of hot water and bubbles and read the usa today that i got from the lobby and ate all the chocolates, even the ones i bought for my husband, he'll never know. Or will he?

later in the evening, it's not raining and it's very nice outside, inlaws are in for the evening, Dad's doing good, but don't want to push it. the others are just going to get some snacks hit the internet cafe. My husband sister asks him did he like the candy I got him? What candy?

So me and my man get dressed and walk to a restaurant past the train station and in a little neighborhood, it's called michele's and we walk in and they were very friendly and invite us in to look at the menu and the cold antipasta bar. it's really clean and they seat us right away and not in the back. We say no wine, and they look at us like were from another planet. We go over the menu, use our translator to figure out some dishes, and I'm ready to throw down, I have a huge appetite and i really didn't eat alot the last 2 days and I was starving. So we ordered the usual stuff and pasta and antipasta, the food just kept coming and i just kept eating, the waiter was like Momma Mia, it goes to her legs, we cracked up on that one, we tried to talk but they speak fast, i speak fast. The waiter was great, the meal was like 65. euros and my husband gave him 85. euros and we walked to the door, the waiter came over and thanked us like we gave him a cadillac. We told him we loved the restaurant the service and the food, and we were going to bring our family back. We said bye and off we went. My husband wanted to take a cab, but i refused after all that food i needed to walk. And it was a beautiful night.

Remember the guys that were peeing on the side of the building outside of termini and I called them dogs, and wondered why they didn't go inside and use the bathrooms? well i found out why. After the great dinner, a coke, one large bottle of water and cappacino I was in dire need of a restroom, so we decide to go by the train station and use the bathroom there. we get there i through my purse at my husband to hold on to, this was going to take 2 hands and a balance act, and i run twards the restroom sign, and i get there dancing in the spot i'm standing in trying to figure out how to open the doors, i can't and i think i'm gonna mess myself, and i'm standing there like a moron and a lady comes in and goes past me and puts a euro coin in this slot and the doors open, OHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOO i need coin....I whistle really loud (Yeah like a boy) and my husband knows it's me and comes down the hallway and i'm screaming give me coin...He says what, I scream i need a coin to use the bathroom, so he comes over gets the money in the slot i run in there about knocking anyone in my way down, and AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I thought i was going to bust..Now I know why those guys were peeing outside, I almost had to do the same. This lesson and not having a coin to give the old lady in the bathroom earlier taught me to carry coins in my pocket, and it comes in handy again.

That's later, I have a major weekend coming up, We will be busy slingin hash friday sat and sun. So if you all can pray that we are so busy we can't see straight I would appreciate it. Detroit automotive business is in a bad way and it's hurting all of us here in the metro detroit area. Thanks for all your kind words, it really makes me feel good and the first negative posts about the typing and caps almost made me not write anymore, but i'm glad i didn't let that stop me. if one person smiles because of this, i can take any negative stuff they dish out.

Not only am I smiling, Theresa, I'm howling with laughter! I can just hear you whistling to your husband! Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us! If I'm ever in Detroit (not really likely) I'd love to find your resto.

Theresa, I love your report! I didn't mean to be negative about the caps, they just interrupted the flow of your great story. You notice I did say I was looking forward to more! And I'm a Clint Eastwood fan and understood that Clyde reference

Wonderful thread, Theresa. I appreciate your candor. bookmarking for when I have time to finish...

Theresa,
I've got to say you make my day and you do indeed make me smile. I've been home sick for awhile and look forward to your posts.
Stay real and always be yourself - your wonderful;
Sherry

Hello again Theresa, your trip report is still fantastic!! Your writing style makes me go way beyond smiling, it gives me a good laugh. What a joy it is. And prayers indeed for you, your family and lots of business for your restaurant. Take care.

Theresa - Everyday when I read a new installment I smile & laugh along with you & everyone else. You are priceless. Don't work too hard this weekend. Can't wait for more installments next week.
Cobbie

Home Sweet Home and with a compt. that works. That laptop about drove me silly. I wrote 3 yes 3 posts and the first 2 got lost to internet hell. Even today at the restaurant we couldn't get online, we tried all day. it snowed bigtime here in the metro detroit area and i'm sure that has something to do with it.

Thanks for all the good wishes, and we were busy today,I didn't stop for 6
hours straight, even my husband had to work hard today and he's the social buttefly and I'm the warden (busboy named me this long ago) My husband does concrete work, ain't no concrete going down until spring for Him. He only does little jobs now, that business is very hard on your body. He already put in his 16 hour days 7 days aweek raising my family days and now He plays johnny cash. when someone is at the register to pay we yell johnny cash and he knows to go ring them up. Quick cute story, my customer told me he was at a restaurant on the other side of town, and he went up to the register and there was a line to pay, but no one there taking the money, and a lady in line waiting to pay too yells johnny cash and He leans out to see who said that, and it was one of my waitress who happen to be there with her sister who lives on that side of town and they were there eating too, he called me from his cellphone to tell me about it.

Susanp I took no offense, I reread the first post over and i see your point. flow is everything, kinda like location location.

I could hardly sleep, The sistine chapel was on our list for the next day and this is something i really have been looking forward too. I get up late today 7:30am and my husband is shocked and it's his turn to sneak around and let me sleep. I come down to breakfast and everyone is there, we have a wonderul family breakfast together. Now it's off to the metro. This is our 3rd trip to this area and i could have gone 3 more times. so much to see,but i would get a tour guide next time. in fact i will be there this march and we have a tour guide and i can't wait to find out exactly what the relic's and art are all about, you know get a better understanding of it all. I had no idea the extent the artifacts. You need about 4 good hours to throughly visit all of it.

The sistine chapel can not be put into words, for Me I sat down and stared for so long my eyes hurt and my neck was sore. I was sorry that people do not listen and go by the very small rules they have at the museum, do not talk while in the sistine chapel and no picture taking, i think that's fair for the lifetime experience your getting. But people were beyond disrepectful. these rule were posted all over in every language but ignored by many many people, i tried to tune them all out (and my husband who insisted on asking me question after question) and absorb the numerous scenes painted with only talented hands that god gave M.A. as i call him. we took the metro to the vatican to visit the sistine chapel, we had no problems getting there, the train was packed by nothing exciting happened. We did talk to a couple from FLA who had been there a week and they had been having a blast. We say goodbye as we exit the train and wish them more fun along the way, and walk to the museum that has a line all the way around the corner, it's just keeps going and going. As usual i told them i was running ahead to get more postcards at the stand i got the first ones from. they are 20 postcards for a euro, what a deal. I had to walk in the street which is very dangerous, but people will not move to let you down the sidewalk. Yeah i could have crossed the street so i do, and the smells coming out of the cafe's there drive me nuts. I smell coffee and sweets, i have to stop myself from going in and getting something, but i just ate breakfast, and i know they will make fun of me if i'm eating again. They just wish they could eat like me, and get away with it. I find my stand and the same guy is there and we talk about the detroit pistons and ben wallace, he say's i'm tall like ben wallace, i tell him, dud you bumped your head, ben wallace has about a foot on me, but he does not get it. We wants to sell me everything. i don't need anything, but i feel bad for the guy. though the sun is out it's cold. so i buy 2 packs of cards, a book and some almonds. I walk back to where the line is and find my family, the line is moving really fast and i am so glad, i don't mind waiting, but when i say the line i thought we'd be standing out there for hours. alot of people approached us to sell trinkets, scarfs, tours and what not, they are brutal too. they don't give up so easy and keep asking what price to we want, shoo fly don't bother me, my family is cracking up and the guy just keeps going on and on, other people starting buying stuff from him behind us, but he must have smelled a sale, and sure enough my MIL and niece start bartering for the scarfs, they are not as nice as the ones we got at the 110 bus stop earlier and doesn't have the fringe either, so my niece asks him if he has anyone with fringe, like the one i have on, no not me my brother, so he runs off and not long afterwards here comes the brother, and if he don't have what we want he will get someone else, funny but this causes more vendors to come over and now it's really time to watch your stuff, because some of the vendors have their wares in backpacks and nothing in their arms, and they are all around us and other tourists, my husband thinks something fishy is going on now, and steps back and watches our backs, now here comes the ladies with the babies in their arms, all this over some scarfs. up strolls some police from behind, we don't see them but the vendors and women do and they start packing up and moving all their stuff and try to cross the street and the police follow them down the street until we can't see them anymore, thank god for little favors because i was sweating it, because we brought this on ourselves and we put every moron inline who wasn't paying attention in danger of being ripped off.

When we get ready to enter the sistine chapel area there is a wooden bridge on the outside of the building that you take to get to a hallway, as were standing there inline, this lady behind me says really loud IS THAT A COOKIE LEE BRACLET? i had no idea that she was talking to me, and she tugs at my sleeve, and i think i'm being pickpocketed, i turn around to see who's got my sleeve, and this lady asks me is that a cookie lee braclet, Yes, i guess, i went to a customer's house for a jewelry party and bought some stuff in the fall, and this lady was some dealer of the company and starts going on and on about how she knew that was a cookie lee and she can't believe that in rome of all place she should run into someone who's wearing a bracelet from the company that sells them and how you can't get that braclet any more. look lady i could careless about this crap, you want to buy the braclet or what? Just another way of proving that the people on the other side of the rockies are way opposite of us on the other side of the mississippi. We are about to see the most popular and well known exhibit in the universe, and she wants to talk jewelry. Gheez.

We are ready to eat now. And i know better than to eat anywhere near this attraction. We start walking back twards the Hotel, we go to a little place not far that i spotted on the great 110 bus. They are not busy and are happy to see us. We get seated and order all sorts of antipasta dishes and they bread is really fresh and i pour olive oil on a plate and add parm. cheese and pepper and we go at it like my cats on a ham bone from the split pea soup pot. we start talking about Cousin Marino in Calabria and Venice. It is my MIL's dream to go to Venice. She bought a painting which is beautiful and it the canals of Venice and she wants to take pictures on the bridges of gondola's. First, Venice is not cheap. the train ride is about 200. a couple and the hotels were not bad price wise, i had checked on the internet before we left and had some idea of costs, and if we go to calabria that would be another overnight trip. My husband and i don't think it's a good idea to take the inlaws on a midnight train to venice get there at 5 am and walk around all day and get on a train that get's back to rome at midnight, we all agree that's too much on them, and the cousin marino thing is out the of the question, they decided it wasn't worth going all the way down there and not be able to talk. But they want to go to Venice and get a room for the night. but not the other family, they have 2 days left and want to hang around rome, and i understand, it's alot of traveling and then getting back 4 hours before their plane leaves for home. They stay 7 days and We are staying for 13. So it's decided, that we will take the inlaws to Venice next week. I'm happy to go to venice and sad no Cousin Marino. I really wanted to meet him and his family, I thought maybe my FIL would change his mind later on in the week, or after we have the Handsome Simone call to translate and things could change. I'm hopeful.

There was a transit strike the other day and i had read it in the paper i didn't realize it already happened. The maid asked me did i know what the flag in my room meant. Why no, not exactly. It was a strikers flag regarding better benefits for the union workers, something to that effect. The autoworkers at the restaurant will love that, i am always harrasing the union workers of the auto plants, and there are about 6 around me, I know i shouldn't bite the hands that feed me, but this is a free country and we still can agree to disagree. But My husband is shocked that I will still hang it up after finding out what it meant. but hey I believe in fairness and good pay, not fat asses not doing their jobs and the good old boys protecting them because of the old system were union brothers, hey your brother is going to carry your load not avoid it. if your dead wood, good bye. later that week Stefano from romecabs said the strike caused chaos for several hours, ouch.

We got back to our hotel late in the afternoon. I was beat. Some of the gang hung out in the lobby and I went to nap. I didn't sleep long, there was thunder that shook the hotel, really, i'm not kidding, the thunder was so loud it woke me and scared the bejeebee's out of me, suddenly a flash of lighting, and BOOM thunder, the buildings seemed to make the thunder echo, and it's really spooky. it only lasted for about 30 minutes, but wow.
They had called the Cousin while I was sleeping and told him they wouldn't be coming, he was really sad, and said he would have his son pick us all up and the airport and he had plenty of room please come. we didn't. The other family was leaving in the morning and Stefano from romecabs was picking them up at 4:30 am. We had the hotel call the restaurant Michele's for a dinner reservation at 8 pm. We took 2 cabs there and when we all walked in the waiter from the other night was there and he and the owner were so happy we brought our family there. They had a table all set up and ready for us. The waiter kept saying our last name that we reserved under Marino, and he made it sound so italian, and we laughed and laughed as we took pictures with the waiter, and he made a hat out of a napkin and put it on my niece's head, and being 16 she was horrified to have here picture taken with this hat on her head, I about fell off the chair laughing. The waiter got some great family picture shots for us. We had a Wonderful time. We ordered so much food, and it was all Excellent and the service Great. My SIL got the cold antipasta bar, and i wish i had too, but i ordered a raw beef dish that has parmesan and olive oil on it. It was bloody and good, and everyone was grossed out about it. it's an italian dish and only my FIL would try it. I ate almost all of it. They gave us huge portions of everything, and there was no way we could eat it all. We all agreed this was one of the best meals and we will never forget it. next door to this restaurant is a ice cream place and they have about 50 kinds, we walk in and the girl behind the counter is sweet and asks us if we want a sample, i want to try the chocolate and red chili one, i taste it and it's good, sweet and then hot, but i want the lemon, it is brighter then the sun and it makes my mouth water, I get the lemon, my niece and BIL are the only others that indulge. It's not raining but it's windy and i think it's great, it smells clean outside and the lemon ice cream is good, I want to walk back, but last time taught me that a cab is better, and no coin incase the large bottle of water i drank myself caught up with my bladder.

When we get back to the hotel, it's pretty weepy, the others are leaving in the morning and we want them to stay, yeah me too. But my BIL is a teacher and his kids have finals, we try to get my SIL to stay and let the rest go home, but she wants to be with her family and i totally understand, so we say goodbye and leave the parents to say goodbye alone with them.

Me and my husband go to the internet cafe, and it's in barbernini piazza which is 5 minutes walk from the hotel. he gets on one compt. and me another. He's looking at his mail and i'm researching Venice. Train, times and hotels. I find a great deal on a hotel there, it's palace bonvecchiati it's a brand new place and on the canals for 120 euro. we reserve 2 rooms for monday. The train we want to take leaves at 9 am that's a time that would give my inlaws plenty of time to get up get moving have breakfast and take a cab to termini. After about 2 hours we are all done with the internet, and walk outside. We start to cross the street, when 3 men walk twards us and one goes to the left and one to the right and the middle guy approaches us and asks us do we speak english, this dude is no american or italian. So we just walk past him without even looking his way and walk into the lobby of the hotel barberinin that's right across the street from the internet cafe, as we stand in the doorway and watch the 3 men walk back by, what it was all about I'm not sure, were they going to do anyting I don't know, but you know that feeling in your gut, well my husband said he had that and when he squeezed my arm as the man approached us my husband also picked up the pace and i went right with him and walked into the lobby of the hotel barberini and sat down for 5 minutes. And got up and walked out and back to our hotel with no problems, maybe it was nothing.

I had packed a suitcase and a carry on. My man did 2 suitcases and carry on. OK i had some shoes in this one suitcase. but i did very good about not overpacking, i have gotten better with experience, but learned the hard way. No,not Me. But i could use some jeans to be washed, and my MIL needed to do laundry too. After we had breakfast we walked to a laundry mat and we were confused as to how to use the machines, and a young lady comes from the back where she is ironing, and tells us that we leave our landry and she will wash and dry and fold it for 8 euro. My MIL is not thrilled with this idea. Me i'm all gain, plus the young ladies dog is there and he is a hot dog, and happy for a dog lover, i was thrilled when he ran and got a ball and dropped it at my feet, so me and the dog played while my MIL gives in and hands her dirty underwear off to a stranger. Mom it's ok, it's her job and she's happy to do it. We wrote our names down on a stick em and that's how she marks the washer and dryer with whoever's clothes. Come back in 1 hour, cool. It's saturday morning, and there are vendors down the entire street. We tell his parents we are running to the station real quick to check the times and likely buy the Venice tickets, will they be ok. so they wander the area, and we dash off to termini, it's really busy and the cops are all over, they are super friendly and I have through the years waited on many police officers, and i have a huge respect for them and the firefighters, and I try to get pictures with the locals when i travel and the cops were happy to take photo's with me. These Police were out front on motorbikes. We buy the tickets with no problem and walk to the info office to see if the lady who taught us how to use the machine was there to say hi, but she wasn't. walked back to meet the parents and they were in the laundry mat waiting, they bought fruit and some snacks and had coffee outside at a table. I was thrilled. the clothes had another 10 minutes so me and my husband checked out the stalls to see what they had. Just got some grapes, but all the stands that had fruit looked surreal, all the produce looked great, and all kept thinking is, I wish this was right in front of my restaurant everyday, with this bright fresh produce, I don't have that. The street is a mess, the vendors are winding down and there's trash everywhere. Laundry is done, the dogs is happy were back, we pay and tip our lovely laudry lady walk to a restaurant we spotted on the way to wash clothes. there are only 2 other people in the rest. we just have salad soup bread and some roasted red peppers, the food was very good and fresh, and if i didn't know any better, i though the salad came from the produce stands i just browsed, i put oil and vinager parm cheese the pepper and it was to die for, had soup too, and i was so full, but i wished i could have some pasta. We pay and go back to the hotel. They take a nap and we drop the laundry and make the break. Band on the Run.

Good night, and remember, He's making a list and He's checking it twice!

But for unions, there would be no weekends. It's surprising that someone from Detroit would be so anti-union and say inflammatory things like 'fat a**es' when describing a union worker. A lot of those union workers are without jobs this holiday season due to the recent massive auto layoffs so a little sensitivity would be in order.

We don't all have to agree on this forum, but being insulting (especially on a trip report that is difficult to read from a style/grammar standpoint) is not the best route to make friends.

Theresa,

Your post was delightful....I would pay for a video of your mother in law in her PJ bottoms!

Someone sent me this joke about Detroit I thought you might like...

Melodie

The coach had put together the perfect team for the Detroit Lions. The only
thing missing was a good quarterback. He had scouted all the colleges and
even the Canadian and European Leagues, but he couldn't find a ringer who
could ensure a Super Bowl victory.

Then one night, while watching CNN, he saw a war-zone scene in Afghanistan.
In one corner of the background, he spotted a young Afghan Muslim soldier
with a truly incredible arm. He threw a hand-grenade straight into a window
from 80 yards away. Then he threw another from 50 yards down a chimney,
and then hit a passing car going 80 miles per hour.

"I've got to get this guy!" coach said to himself."He has the perfect arm!"

So, he brings the young Afghan to the States and teaches him the great game of football ........ and sure enough the Lions go on to win the Super Bowl.The young Afghan is hailed as a hero of football and when the coach asks him what he wants, all the young man wants to do is call his mother.

"Mom," he says into the phone, "I just won the SuperBowl!"

"I don't want to talk to you," the old Muslim woman says. "You deserted us. You are not my son!"

"Mother, I don't think you understand," pleads the son, "I've just won the
greatest sporting event in the world!"

"No! let me tell you," his mother retorts. "At this very moment there are
gunshots all around us. The neighborhood is a pile of rubble. Your two brothers were beaten within an inch of their lives last week, and I have to keep your sister in the house so she doesn't get raped!"

The old lady pauses then tearfully says, " I will never forgive you for making us move to Detroit.

Rim Shot!

mah My father was a union man for 33 years. He and I would sit down for hours going point to point about the subject, and i was not trying to insult anyone, and I am very aware of the unemployment in Detroit, we are all suffering. I'm deeply sorry if I insulted you or anyone else. The uaw is here eating right now and they take no offense.

Wlz, we are all laughing at the loins joke. we have the special boards wrote up with the breakfast menu and it has a list to santa and one of them says
dear santa, james the dishdog wants the lions to win the superbowl, no if i wrote anything insulting on this or other posts, it's typing lions and superbowl on the same line.

My FIL still was not 100% and I think it may be why we are not going south to visit Cousin Marino. But Venice is for sure. after our late lunch and we get back to the hotel, my inlaws are in for the night, and want to rest up for the trip to Venice. Were Freeeeeeeeeee for the entire afternoon and night. we tell them if they need anything we will carry the walkie talkie and call us on it.

We head out to do some sightseeing on our own, went by St. Teresa's church and it was beautiful, looked into some of the shops but nothing caught my eye. I did see some great boots, but i really don't need anything. we stroll past all the fancy shops gucci,D&G,armani and the clothes are very tempting to take a peak at. most stores have the prices of the clothes on the manniquin in the window so you don't have to go in and ask. And I must say the prices are very reasonable. I did buy myself some sweater and turtle necks, but not a gucci or those stores. We go back to the hotel shower and change and head out the the restaurant we had lunch at for dinner, we want the salad and soup again, and we want to try some pasta. we get there and it's packed. so now problem we got all night and don't mind waiting. 45 minutes later finally a bigtable gets up and leaves, instead of splitting up the tables, they set it up for another large party in the meantime about 12 other people are waiting too, one is a family for the big table and they have reservations, my husband had been talking to them while waiting and they were like i wish we had room at our table for you two, that was nice, but we were on the romantic date. so about 15 minutes later we get sat down, and it's right next to the kitchen door, that's great, i love to watch the action of another restaurant, see fow their doing things. Well we sat there and sat there and no one came over with bread or ask us the drink order, the other couple behind us were seated at the same time, and they had beer, water, bread and a plate of anitpasta, wow. so we are in this business, and understand the workings of it, but give them 5 more minutes, and nothing. so my husband get up comes around the table pulls out my chair without a word and helps me with my coat, and we head to the door, the old waiter from lunch came over to my husband and said i am sorry, we are busy. and in a voice i was suprised to hear, calmly with a smile my husband says, yes,however you or the other waiter who didn't utter a word to us should have said that when you seated us and we would have understood. and off into the rain we go. I'm mad, that makes me think of how hard we try at my restaurant to give the best food and friendly service. i'm going back and telling my customers they ought to kiss my grits, they are spoiled. and i did too.

We find another little place 2 blocks up called henry cow. now that's italian. we check out the menu, looks and smells good in the doorway, and we walk in and a beautiful young lady with cat glasses on say Good evening in english and takes us to a table along the wall and it's perfect. it's full of locals, and it has a plasma tv showing a football (European) game, and it's to italian teams playing one another, and it's loud and friendly. Perfect. we order bottle water as usual and cokes. I get the house antipasta, it's fresh and full of flavor, the tomatoes in itlay are great juicy and red, not like home, all the produce is not that great and top price. the waitress is super friendly and we talk alot during the meal. she is asking us 100 questions and we are enjoying it. God put us out of that other restaurant, and took us to a new friend. Their house speciality is meat sauce on home made Fettuc. so we get that and salad and split a bowl of veggie soup that is out of this world, the waitress U (they call her that for short because she has a difficult name) asks may I? and pours a small amount of olive oil on the soup and a sprinkle on cheese on top. We so this at home too, but for some reason that personal touch was appreciated. When the pasta comes, i'm worried, my husband does not like chunky meat sauce, with chucks of tomatoes or vegs. and this is beautiful for me, but not what i think he will want, but i am wrong, he loves it, he does go around the chunks of vegs, and eats it all. he tells me this is just like his grandma Azzolina who was from sicily. He would go to his grandm's house every summer and help out on their farm. his grandma would make homemade noodles using a broom stick to roll the mix out,flour all over the kitchen, she'd take a small knife and cut the noodles and lay them on towels across the beds. while that was going on she'd be cooking the meat sauce all day. he was having a childhood acid flashback, as we call it. and he couldn't wait to bring his dad there. we ended up sitting there for 3 hours eating watching the game on a plasma my husband would kill for and drinking coffee. thank god we only had about 5 blocks to walk back to our hotel, i was happy and tired, it was midnite and i was ready for bed.

I will finish later, and i'm sorry about the post before this i know it was hard to read, i was typing it really late last night and i was beat. I am not a novel writer, and don't pretend to be one, so if this is too hard to follow or read, then don't read it and complain, I'm sensitive

I have a short break so I thought I'd write about our trip to venice. We decided to go first class on the euro train, it's wasn't much more and it was a four hours and some minutes ride, and all i kept thinking was sitting on a train smelling like B-O for that long. It's early and we are all up and having breakfast, I tell my FIL no ham sandwiches for the train. I put a picnic lunch together the night before and got some fresh bread and cheese from the hotel and we were ready to go. got a cab to the train station, and it was sunny but cold outside and in the train station, it's open along the tracks and we stand there freezing waiting for the bin number to come up. there is a man laying on the floor yelling and carrying on, and the cops have a EMS truck there and the police would not put their hands on the man, they just followed him as he yelled and scooted on the floor, he was making this big scene, now if this was going on in Detroit, they'd grab him by the seat of him pants and get him out of there, but this police were patient, but seemed to making fun of the guy, everyone was crowding around watching this big drama. What next. we see our bin number and head to the train. First class is really decent. but the seats are not togther. so i take the odd ball seat with my back to my husband and his parents are sitting across from him. the other seat has a business woman who does work the entire time. the condutor comes around to check our tickets and ask's me in excellent english, where are you from, so we have this long conversation about michigan, the sports, the cherries, the weather and he knew i was italian when he saw me. I didn't have the heart to tell him i was lebanese. most people make that mistake. the men sitting across and next to me are really frustrated by the fact me and this really nice gentleman are talking while they are reading the paper and talking on their cellphones, but it seems that the italians don't talk on the cellphones, they yell. and it's really funny because they tend to say Prego about 5 times when they pick up and say ciao about 10 times. there is no resting in first class, it's busy and it's mostly business men and they are on their cellphones the whole time. but the ride is nice and we are heading into nasty weather. Naples train station is nice, it's warm and smells good. we go out to the dock area to catch our boat to san marco stop. it is cold and rainy we packed a carryon to take with us the inlaws had back packs, when we bought our tickets fro the boat they charge you 3. euro a suitcase. wow that's weird, but we pay it. My FIL starts up about how they know it's mostly tourists coming here and they charge everyone for bring a suitcase, I'm like, what we gonna float it there, put a message in it and hope it floats to the canal were staying on. The ride is really slow, but the buildings and scenes are out of a movie. I hope it's going to clear up.

THERESA10,

I haven't read this entire thread because I have to make lunch for hubby, but I am up to Pompeii.

Gotta tell you...this is by far, the most amusing, descriptive, and down-to-earth trip report I've read so far. The best part is that you have included so many "tips" seamlessly!

After lunch, I'll continue to read.

Thanks.

Theresa, I'm SO enjoying your report. I DO appreciate your down to earth sense of humor, and the firm, but nevertheless kind way you've been dealing with the nasty remarks regarding your opinions (to which you ARE entitled!) and your writing style.

You go, girl, you rock, Theresa! Genuine, that is!

When I'm in Italy and the cell phone yellers say Prego for what seems to be every other word, I amuse myself and my friends/relatives by saying Ragu! every time they say Prego. The Italians of course don't get it but we have a blast with it!

THERESA10,

You may be very busy with your restaurant at this time of year, but I was wondering if you intend to finish your trip report?

I, for one, would be grateful if you did finish it (no pressure, just a little nudge).

more please! I love it!