Sunday, 22 October (Day Thirty-five)
The fog is still on the hills so it’s a perfect day for my planned lunch. Liat arrives at noon and we tuck in. It’s been a struggle to make things that I’m very used to having. Things taste different but we eat – matzo ball soup again, then some veg and hummus, mango salad, and burrata with some fresh bread. It’s a success. Phew!
Oops. Esmeralda gets a text that her card has just been used. Suddenly she no longer has any hope that it’s been found. The bad news is that she has to call the bank and sort this out during our lunch. The good news is that now the rest of the day is cleared. No more hunting.
Liat, Esmeralda and I head out for the Mole. Sadly, when we get there there’s a really long queue and we decide not to join it but carry on walking.
It’s lovely down by the Po, with the Gran Madre as a backdrop. And the sun is out! Things look splendid today despite the difficulties of the wallet and too-long queues.
Torino is sparkling and we decide to find a nice sunny patio for a drink. Easier said than done. We walk and we walk and we walk. We walk past the point where I think I can walk no more and then we find a perfect spot.
Or did we?
Esmeralda orders three Spritz and some time later out the waiter comes with a huge tray. On it are three coffees, some whipped cream and some biscuits! We send him back after he protests a little and admonishes the other staff member for the mistake.
We wait a while longer and out comes the tray again. This time our mouths drop. It’s an apericena to top most apericenas. They’re usually a bowl of crisps, some little squares of pizza, or the like. This is a feast. We smile and dig in.
And then I go to pay.
Oops. An apericena is usually anywhere from five to ten euros a person. The person at the cash wants 48. Liat follows me as I return with more money. She questions the teller and is told that each person’s cost is 16 euros. I’m tired and just hand over the cash. I’m really ready to head home.
At the bus stop, we have a few minutes’ wait but our bus enters the bus bay and immediately exits. The next one is not for 18 minutes and Esmeralda has a date with her return train. Noooo!
Oops but at least it’s the last one.
So off we walk again, looking for a tram or bus that will take us home. Back to the flat, a quick pitstop to pick up the case, and off to the station to wave Esmeralda goodbye. Then home again.
I’m done!