Where’s the hole?

Sunday here in Italy so a lot of commercial activity is closed for the day but as we were going to drive to Chieti, a town around 20kms away we decided to call in to Megalo, a very large shopping complex on the outskirts of Chieti for lunch.

Lucky that we did as Sherry was able to find a very nice dress for Jill who gave her tick of approval as we video called her from the store.

Lunch was interesting in that when the menu says lard they mean lard much to Sherry’s disappointment as lard on a piece of focaccia isn’t something to die for! Also the cover charge at the restaurant for the two of us was as much as we paid for the bruschetta I had.

Moved onto another town, Ortona, and much as we expected it was dead but enjoyed walking the main street and also seeing the colour of the ocean as viewed from their promenade 

A rather quaint building on Main Street

There was a dilemma on the way into Ortona however as we had used the autostrade, a tolled highway, to get there and as we came through the unmanned toll gate at Ortona pulled up at the gate and went to put the ticket that we had got when we entered the highway at Chieti in the machine which then calculates the amount that needs to be paid and once paid the barrier arm goes up and away you go BUT do you think I could find the slot to put the ticket into. I even got out of the car and stood beside the machine trying to insert it into anything that looked like a slot that would accept the ticket all the time the machine voice was telling me to insert the toll ticket - I’m not sure she heard me saying “Where’s the … hole?”

By this time vehicles had started to back up behind me so noticing that the barrier arm was up we drove through knowing full well that we would be on one of their many cameras and pulled up on the other side so that I could watch what other motorist did. My view wasn’t great but given the time they took it wasn’t obvious to them either. I waited till there was a break in the traffic and climbed the rail and went to the machine and stood there examining it, without success, until more traffic arrived and all we could do was drive off. If a ticket or similar arrives in the post at home in the near future it will be confined to the bin and for anyone thinking what a dumbo I am we have been through many toll gates both on this trip and others without any similar issue!

Drove back along the coast road to Pescara, parked up and went strolling along the beach 🏖️ as it was a very warm day. The beaches here at 20km are longer than Rimini and just as crowded with all the same facilities 

What is noticeable is that the women no matter their age, their weight or their body shape almost without exception wear bikinis and it is a surprise to see a one piece. If they are comfortable in their own skin then all credit to them. When they get tired of sunbathing or swimming they can always buy a new dress from one of the numerous opportunities we saw on the beach

We walked 2 kms down the beach before turning back and even then the beach was crowded way off into the distance.

Kms driven to date 3437

Kms walked to date 499.1

Spent on Diesel €226.02

Highest price paid to date for diesel €1.699/L Verona

Lowest price paid to date for diesel €1.479/L Freiburg

Spent on tolls €59.70 (should be more but not our fault 🤨)