16th July
I am writing this as we pull out from the Statione Ancona on the four hour train ride to Rome. The rowers are playing "Ruse" – a variation on Cheat – and 500, which they must be quite good at by now. The sun is bearing down thirty-degree heat on the beach-goers, wandering the beaches littered with umbrellas.
We have been resting for the last twenty-four hours on the cruise ship the crazy Europeans call a ferry. The pool was well used by many, and it was amazing to collapse on the chairs in the lounge. I'm sure the bar staff in the lounge was sick of the card games and shouts of disbelief as John and Rahul dazzled us with their card tricks. The cabins were surprisingly small, and as such it was quite a challenge to get things in and out of our suitcases. On the flipside, they were quite luxurious and the bathrooms were nicer than those at the "Hotel Economy" where we had just stayed.
Something we have collectively learnt during this trip is to never take anything for granted in Europe. An example of this is during dinner-hunting a few nights ago, we were met with a deal we could not refuse – a 3€ "Gyros", a kebab with sour cream, meat, and sauce. We found it was a cracker deal when we saw it had been decreased from the list price of 9€. First off they tried to convince us to pay for a more expensive meal, promising us free drinks if we spent more. This ruse did not faze some members of our group, and this quote from Rahul springs to mind: "You can't con an Indian." While we were bartering, they subtly brought out bottles of water, tricking us into thinking they were free. Later on, as Henry was settling the bill we found out that they were in fact 3€ each! It was a lesson well learnt; we sparred with them, and they won.
Another example of this was during the ferry ride; we wanted to try out some of the food on the ferry (which turned out to be quite lacklustre). The list price for a pork rib at the buffet was 8,40€, but Henry ended up paying 14,20€, after being smashed for the chips and bread he had chosen to get in addition which he was convinced were complimentary.
I would have mentioned all the amazing statues, temples, and other things, but there has just been so much, and I would probably put a shame on the history of the places with my poor knowledge. I will say that the very large marble and bronze statues have impressed me the most, with their intricate details of the drapery and of the body. The Parthenon was also quite impressive, it is literally jaw-droppingly impressive, both in scale and architectural beauty.
Now the view out the window has changed to steep hills, with the occasional tunnel, and I finish this blog post.
Hope you're not missing your children too much yet!
Fred
