By: Michael
Yesterday marked the halfway point of our European travels. We have been gone for 39 days and we will be back in 39 days. We have been staying in the same apartment in Italy for three weeks and starting to get into the rhythm of life here. Except for a couple of cloudy and rainy days it’s been hot here, mostly in the 90’s. It has confirmed our mutual dislike of hot weather so we will not be considering any thoughts of retiring in the desert someday.
Small cars (we call them baby cars) are the norm in all of the places we have visited but particularly so in Italy. Yesterday we went hiking in Euganei Regional Park which is in a grape growing region of northern Italy. We were both reminded of Napa and Sonoma in Northern California, but visibly missing were all the big expensive cars and SUVs. Admittedly, “Panda Panda” is fun to drive but we both worry about the safety of it. Seems like virtually every car in the US is loaded with safety features we take for granted, like backup cameras, crash avoidance systems, automatic drive, GPS, air bags, etc. Not here, our Fiat Panda has seatbelts and mirrors, that’s about it.
We have written about the Italian concept of riposa, similar to the Spanish concept of siesta. Virtually all businesses close from around 12:30 until 3:30, the exceptions being grocery stores, and department stores. This causes streets to be strangely void of vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Another strange concept to us is how many businesses, including some of the nicest restaurants, we have encountered that are closed for “ferie” or vacation. It would be hard to imagine a business in the US shuttering the doors for two to four weeks in the busiest time of the year to go on vacation. Obviously, we as Americans have a very different perspective on making money, working with a minimum of vacation time, etc. Don’t know which system is best, but we gotta believe workers are a lot happier and less stressed here.
About the church bells. Virtually every town, city and even the smallest villages and have a large church, usually located in the center of town. And they love to ring their bells. We seem to have often booked accommodations close to these churches and are adapting to them, but it is a little disconcerting at 6:00am or 11:00pm.
With the exception of some of the meals we have eaten in our apartment, we eat in restaurants. In the US a tip of 15-20% or more is the norm, regardless of the level of service. Here, tipping is not expected even when the service is good. We have learned that wait-people are paid standard wages and that a tip is always appreciated but never expected. We oven tip 5-10% for great service but it takes some adjusting to the idea and not feeling guilty about leaving anything less than our standard 20%. In addition, tax is always included in the stated price of the meal. A $10 pizza is $10 tax and tip included. A $10 pizza in California (if you could find one!) would cost you closer to $10.80 and another $2.20 for the tip totaling $13.00…that is essentially 30% more. Crazy.
It’s been wonderful to learn about different cultures and customs and consider different ways we bring joy and happiness into our lives.