Let's Laugh!

Despite having a somber weekend with my family, the rest of the week I was hoping for something more uplifting.  I do not like being in a sad state of mind for too long, especially since I have to be strong for my mom.  With the recent health scare of a family member, as well as the death of a family friend, my mom has been very sensitive lately.  Depression can sneak up on people, and for now it wouldn't do us any good if we're both suffering.
I got a chance to have dinner with a friend later on that Thursday, but because of the funky mood I had with so much going on with my family, I ruined a good evening out.  I could not get out of my cranky mood and I feel terrible about this.  As we get older, receiving bad news wears down your tolerance.  You have to learn how to understand what's happening, as well as control your emotions.  It's easier said then done, but you don't want someone to be at the receiving end of your wrath because you are going through some hardships.  They are innocent in all of this and no one wants to be the person who snaps off all the time.  It's not a great feeling, trust me.
I did my best to control my issues following the rest of the evening, but the next day I was still bummed about how I acted the night before.  Little did I know my mood was going to change because of  my friend.  She wanted to celebrate her birthday that Friday at a comedy club in Schaumburg.  I couldn't help but think maybe this wasn't a good idea.  Friday traffic could make a 20 minute commute turn into an hour and a half.  Not to mention, none of my friends have heard of this comedian before, hence making us feel suspicious if we should bother coming out there at all.  My friend insisted this comedian was good and has seen his youtube videos.  She was the only one familiar with his work.  We all agreed to make her wishes come true since this is what she wanted to do for her birthday.  Off we went to the Chicago Improv Comedy Club for Jo Koy. 
Me and my friend were the first ones there, followed by her boyfriend.  Things started to get complicated when they told us all of our party had to be present in order for us to be seated.  How was that going to happen on a Friday night during rush hour?  We sent a group text letting everyone know what was up.  Luckily they allowed us to be seated after we had 6 guests.  The people at the door were very helpful with our situation.  They insisted they will let our other party join us once they arrived. 
Jo Koy was HILARIOUS!!!  We couldn't stop laughing!  This was something we all needed.  One of my friends had a baby 6 weeks ago.  This was her first night away from her son.  Another couple had a baby sitter so they were having a date night as well.  My other friends are always in a good spirits, so it was fun to see us all laughing along.  It was the best surprise that we could imagine!  The birthday girl had a blast as well.  If it wasn't up to her, we would never have done this.  I would definitely suggest anyone that is in a funk to go do something you normally would not do, and give it a chance.  You might be surprised what an adventure it could be!  As for that night, it was a perfect evening for us.  Life was good again.

  

With the anticipation of the Cubs possibly winning the World Series, many Chicagoans cannot stop talking about tonight's game.  It's no secret how long we've had a drought obtaining the championship, but what fascinates me is the die-hard fans that have been waiting for this moment their entire lives.  My brothers are HUGE fans of the Cubs.  Even though they love all of our Chicago teams, baseball definitely runs in their blood.  Back when we were kids growing up, my brothers fell in love with the 1984 Chicago Cubs.  There were so many good players in that team, it felt as though they were truly heroes in our city.  We use to live a couple of blocks away from Wrigley Field when we were kids.  I remember clearly looking out the window and seeing all the drunken fans walk by.  I use to think they were having so much fun.  I couldn't wait to grow up and join them.
Unfortunately, that year we didn't make it to the World Series.  My younger brothers were heartbroken about the loss.  My impact on sports changed quickly, and I never grew fond of it ever since.  Yes, I've joined the bandwagon of fans whenever one of our teams are winning.  I'm guilty of this.  Who doesn't love a winning team?  It's an amazing feeling to be a part of, yet the losing part is what scares me.  I see how depressed fans get.  For me, I never understood placing my sense of happiness on the outcome of a game.  I know my reason for this is because I have no love for sports whatsoever, but I cannot pass judgment when I've seen first hand how much it means to my brothers.  I have not followed any games this season, but I will pray for the fans to get the outcome they want so they could witness a World Series team in their lifetime.
The one thing that has made me baffled on the road for the championship is the sense of entitlement fans have when it comes down to their beloved Chicago Cubs.  They  assume we have the right to win because "it's long overdue".  I can understand the loyalty of fans cheering them on every year, but the reality is, EVERYONE wants their team to win.  Just like the fairytale ending we all hope to acquire one day, as time moves on in, we see how not everyone will get what they feel they deserve out of life.  It doesn't make them unworthy of such an ideal circumstance  It just means it's not for everyone.  Maybe something else was meant for our paths, but just like wishing the Cubs win the World Series, we have to grasp the concept that some things are just not meant to be.  For the meantime, let us remember to continue to live harmoniously with one another for a peaceful existence for our well being.  And GO CUBS!   

Family Time...

That same weekend I celebrated the birthday of my friend at Bar Deville, I also spent some time with my family.  The next day I went for coffee and cake to celebrate my little cousin's birthday.  She is still in high school, but she's growing up to be a wonderful young woman!  I'm so proud of her!  It was also the first time I got to see my mom since I've been back from my trip.  My mom was on a hectic work schedule and had only one day off.  The hotel is swamped right now, so we decided to see each other when she returned to a regular work week.  She did come by my uncle's house to wish my cousin happy birthday.  My uncle's mother was there too.  Unfortunately, her health is not so great, so for the  most part, my mom was attending to her.  I know my mom takes these things very personal with everything that she's been through these past 2 years.  I can see how hard it is for her to process bad news.  At one point I tried to make my mom feel a little bit better by giving her the postcards I got for her from Greece.  She loved them! 
To make matters worse, there was also the sudden death of a family friend.  He passed away that Friday night during rush hour.  My mom told me the news later on that evening.  His wake was the next day.  Me and my brother decided to go pay our respect that Sunday.  My mom was going to pass by our friend's place on her day off that following Tuesday.  I got chills pulling up to their apartment in Hyde Park.  Me and my brothers use to play with his kids, so it brought a lot of good memories back.  I miss those times!  We had so much fun.  I feel bad that my family lost their friend, and seeing his kids mourn their dad brought tears to my eyes.  They miss him so much!  We caught up with the daughters and met their new families.  They hold a special place in my heart.
I knew this was going to hit close to home with my mom.  She did came by after all and spoke to his widow.  They've been married for 40 years!  For me, personally, I'm glad I got to see my family during these difficult times of loss and anxiousness.  I pray that we continue to support one another. No one should have to go through this alone.  Life is precious!

Bar Deville!

Following the race, I had a birthday party to attend that Friday.  I didn't think I was THAT out of shape!  Since I didn't train at all, my legs were terribly sore the next day.  I knew I was in trouble because I had to think about what I was going to wear at Bar Deville.  I looked in my closet to see what I could find.  I had done some shopping in Greece and bought some new tops.  I also didn't wear everything I packed with me for my trip in Europe.  I decided to wear my new orange dress I got from Akira back when I purchased it during Memorial Day weekend on clearance.  I was going to wear that out in Mykonos, but I decided I was going to skip that island at the last minute.  I knew offhand that I was not bringing heels on my vacation so I was prepared to wear my dress with flat sandals.  That night I lucked out with the weather here in Chicago.  It was pretty warm that day and I wore my dress without any worries.  I knew wearing flats were going to be a life saver for me.  We had so much fun at the party!  They played 90s music and I couldn't stop dancing!  Needless to say, my legs stayed sore throughout the weekend.  lol 



My leather lace up sandals were a life saver!  Luckily my dress was "tropical" to pull it off...

I sewed my mini Bottega Venetta purse strap and made it into a wristlet.  It was more practical for me...

Drinks!

Dancing!



The birthday girl with her boo

Good crowd...

Her bff



It was pretty dark in there and we had no idea how the pictures were going to come out.  Luckily our flash did us justice!  lol.  I love how they came out!

Back In Time For A Race!

One of the things that have worked out for me in planning my annual vacation is that I get to participate in Race Judicata, a 5k run with other law firms.  It normally lands in September, and depending on the dates, I've managed to get involved in some of the races, (two years ago I was still in Italy and did not run).  This year I was lucky enough to slowly get in my exercise routine for a week before hitting the pavement.  What is helpful about most 5k runs is that you can walk also.  Just stay behind and let the runners move up front!  lol.  I truly enjoy my short runs, because this year, my allergies are terrible.  It's good to know I won't be putting myself in too much danger of an asthma attack.  I still had my inhaler in my fanny pack, just in case.  Luckily the temperature that day was almost 70 degrees.  If it was any more warmer it would have been too hot.  Unfortunately, my time wasn't so great, but I'm still glad I did this.  I did not train at all this year and I could have done much better if I had incorporated running in my regular workout routines.  Of course the best part is socializing afterwards!  Who doesn't like to be rewarded with wine?? 

The Grand Prize!  lol

Most 5k runs have entertainment as well as food and beverages.  I think it's a great place to socialize and meet new people...

Mommy Birthday!

Since I landed that Sunday during Labor Day weekend, my jet lag was starting to catch up to me.  Even though I broke night and caught my flight at 11am, I still had to fly to Dublin before I landed in Chicago.  I got home around 7:30pm.  I was exhausted.  I wanted to take a shower so I could freshen up in time for me, but I found myself on my bed, butt naked, waking up to a phone call.  Apparently I must have gotten undressed and was going through my luggage to grab my toiletries and I somehow landed in bed.  I do not remember how I got there.  My friend wanted to check up on me, but I could hardly talk to her because I was lethargic.  We got off the phone right away, but I called my mom to let her know I landed and then crashed hard. 
I tried getting up at a decent hour and stayed awake on Labor Day Monday.  I wanted to adjust to Chicago time so I could be ready the next day to resume my work schedule.  I would definitely advise anyone who travels overseas to make sure you set aside some time to rest up before going back to your regular routine.  If you do not travel often, it can mess up your body clock.  Not to mention, I broke night 3 times during my vacation so I never had enough sleep to begin with. 
The week went by quickly.  That Thursday the girls wanted to get together for our friend's birthday.  We decided Hot Woks sushi on Pulaski would be the best place to go to because it was nearby for everyone.  Plus they offered us the room upstairs to ourselves so everyone could bring their kids.  My friend's babies range from 6 months to one year and a half, and because some of them have different needs than others, it's hard finding a place where we can have some space.  The fact that a restaurant could accommodate us for our party was very sweet of them.   
Birthday sushi is definitely a favorite for us.  I love the fact that we have similar tastes and that helps a lot.  My other friend had went to Serbia earlier than me and another friend is going to England and Ireland in a few days.  We all exchanged stories on our adventures.  It's interesting to hear the contrasts between each country we've visited along with our experiences.  I missed my friends!  We had a good time catching up with one another... 

YUMMY!!!

Birthday cupcakes from Sprinkles!

My friend brought rakija from Serbia as souvenirs...

A Belgrade wine topper!

Posing for pictures with kids can result in taking multiple shots...

The winner!  With filter of course!  hahaha

Day 12 Foggia

By the time we got home we were all physically exhausted.  Driving at night with limited lighting for over 2 1/2 hours was painful.  I felt bad because in the morning, my friend's boyfriend left out late for work.  I wish this didn't happen to us, but it did.  There's nothing we could do about it now.
My train for Rome was leaving around 5:45pm.  I would be arriving at 10:35pm and then jump on another train that would take me to Fiumicino airport at 10:45pm.  Not much of a window for time, but it had to happen.  Last year I got stuck at the train station overnight before they resumed service in the morning.  This year it was going to be different.  I had to be on it.
Me and my friend enjoyed our late breakfast.  I started to get emotional again, like I always do right before I leave any vacation.  One of the reasons was I felt I didn't have enough time with my friend.   We were having fun night before we left Lecce despite our lock out situation.  I really wished she had met me in Greece.
For lunch we decided to go big since I was going to be on a 5 hour train ride.  We were going to meet up another friend who also lives in her town, and who happens to have lived in New York for some time.  It was nice meeting her and we all had some good laughs.  We headed to Teanum Wine Bar in Foggia and I can definitely say we were pretty loud at the table.  At this point, who cares?  We wanted to be ourselves for once, and yes, we were in another country, but it didn't stop us from making memories that day.  I'm glad my friend found someone who she could relate to.

Seafood pasta!  I cleaned off my plate!  SO GOOD!!!!

Octopus

Rich chocolate cake

I ordered a pasta dish and devoured every last bite of it!  I knew I wouldn't taste food like this again for quite sometime.  For dessert we had a chocolate cake that was rich and delicious!  We had wine and ate like kings.  My friends decided we should go to the train station early just in case.  And sure enough, my world came crashing down.  In one instant.
The lady behind the ticket booth gave us the hardest time.  I had my receipt of my train ticket transaction, but not an actual ticket.  That is why we went up to her in the first place.  Right before you board your train, you have to stamp your boarding ticket in a machine.  Once you're on the train, the train conductor will come by and ask for your stamped ticket.
According to the lady behind the counter, she did not know what we were showing her, and insisted I must have gotten something else for a confirmation.  She did not recognize any information on my receipt (which was in English).  Mind you, we were in Southern Italy where they do not speak English at all (along with other languages like Spanish).  Only Italian.  Even though my friends spoke Italian to her, the lady claims she did not "see" a confirmation number, therefore, she was not able to print a ticket out for me.  I even pulled up my transaction off my email from my iphone, but she still didn't recognize anything.  We tried to persuade her to type in whatever numbers were displayed off my receipt, but she kept repeating over and over again that she did not see a confirmation.  I started to panic.
My nerves were getting to me and I had to rush to the bathroom.  I was in there a while and my friends went in to check up on me.  I was nervous about getting on the train, mostly because I knew I wouldn't be able to speak to the conductor in Italian.  I didn't want to cause a scene.  My friend asked if I had enough cash on me to purchase a ticket en route.  "They will not kick you off the train if you do not have a ticket.  You can buy one right there."  That made me feel a little bit better, but I was so nervous.  I wish I wouldn't overreact like this.  I wanted them desperately to come with me, but I knew I had to face this hurdle on my own. 
My friends waited until the train arrived.  There was some confusion at first because they made an announcement prior to its arrival that the train leaving for Rome would be coming in from another platform.  These are the things that can happen at a moment's notice.  It's all a part of traveling and I am grateful my friends waited with me to help me out.
I said my good byes and got on board.  I waited for the conductor to come around to me.  Once he got to my turn I tried to explain to him with my little Italian that I purchased my ticket on-line.  I showed him my printed receipt and my transaction off my iphone.  He kept looking over the information and then tried entering whatever numbers were displayed.  Sure enough, my name came up.  He said, "Ok" and off he went.  I was relieved but sad that I had to leave Foggia having a panic attack.  I wish I left in better terms with my friends instead of having them try to calm me down.  My anxieties were all over the place on this trip.  I hate getting like this.
I caught my train and got to the airport in no time.  The reason I like to break night at the airport instead of getting a hotel room is because I want to be able to sleep on flight.  I absolutely hate flying and because of all the flights I took on this vacation in particular, I didn't mind staying up.  It is what it is.  I know I can't let my anxiety run my life, so I make the necessary adjustments I can to do what I want to do.  It's frustrating sometimes but if I didn't figure out other ways to live with anxiety, what else could I do?  You manage what you can and move on to the next challenge...

Bff

Day 11 Locked Out in Lecce

Me and my friend had trouble sleeping that night.  Our hotel room had no air conditioning.  Not to mention, we had a window we left slightly opened but it did not help whatsoever.  Our room was facing the hotel patio and we were too worried someone might sneak in.  We kept spraying rose water all over our face.  We somehow managed to knock out in the end.  That was short lived considering our all-you-can-eat-breakfast-buffet was over by 10am.  We quickly made our way to the patio where we joined other residents of the hotel.  I was pretty much out of it at the table.  I knew we had to checkout at 11am, but first let me wake up.  lol.  I didn't take advantage of the pastries because I was focusing on trying to stay awake.  I knew in the back of my mind we had to pack our things.



Shabby chic!

Had our breakfast outside but the food was setup in here.

Sure enough, like clock work, the housekeeper made her way to our room.  We excused ourselves and continued packing away.  It felt so silly to be rushed like that, but she reminded us that she had to get the room ready for other guests coming in that afternoon.  Afterwards, we walked over to talk to the concierge about the parking situation, but no one was there.  Now what?  We figured we'll take our luggage to the car and write down the plate number from our rental.  When we got back to the hotel, the door was locked, of course.  We didn't know what was going on, so we called up the number listed off Booking.com and someone answered.  My friend explained that the concierge was going to help us in case we got a ticket from where we had parked last night, and then someone buzzed us in.

Despite no air conditioning, I still enjoyed our stay at Pazlazzo Zacheo...

Another lady was walking down to talk to us.  She took the information and said she would let the concierge know once she gets back.  We asked if there was a nearby beach we could go to with sand.  My feet were done from walking on rocks.  lol.  Luckily she gave us directions to one that was 20 minutes away and off we went.  Gallipoli was still pretty quiet around 12pm and we figured we'll check out the beach area.  We knew we had a lot to discover in this town!
We found the beach with no problem.  There was a field lot off the side of the road where a bunch of cars were parking.  We knew we were close by.  We changed in the car into our bikinis and cover ups and started to walk into the field.  We found a wooded area but could hear the sound of the sea up ahead.  Sure enough, the beach was hidden, but we also discovered we were the only women here.  I was surprised we walked in on a gay beach, especially in Italy.  We found a good spot to lay on and got comfortable.  I quickly knocked out since I didn't have much sleep.  It was very relaxing.
At one point my friend was getting too hot and wanted to go out into the water.  I woke up and followed her out there, but since she had her special scuba shoes, I stayed behind.  The rocks in the water were too slippery for me.  I noticed that the men were pretty reserved with another.  They kept their distance a bit when they were among friends.  Me and my friend stayed on the beach for hours, and it wasn't until later on that they got comfortable with one another. 

Turquoise waters at Gallipoli!

Trying to even out my tan!

I started to get thirsty.  We noticed a beach bar up ahead and decided to check it out.  I wasn't sure if it was a private beach bar since there weren't many people there, but they seated us once we walked in.  G Beach Bar had gold trimmings and plenty of lounge seating as well as a dj booth and sound system.  I could tell they throw parties out there, but since it was still pretty early, we enjoyed our spumante and people watched.  Little by little more people started to show up.  I was amazed how quickly it got packed.  I didn't want to leave our spot since now the crowd was getting bigger and better.  We hung out some more until we decided to head back to the beach.  We wanted to work on our tans.

G Beach Bar

CHEERS!

It was now later in the afternoon and we laid out a bit longer.  We started to get hungry.  We didn't know what to do next.  Our options were to either stay in Gallipoli one more day or drive out to Lecce which was back towards home.  Leave it to us Chicagoans to get FOMO out in Italy!  lol.  We drove out to Lecce instead.
The drive was an hour long.  We were getting our second wind again.  Lecce is another touristic town with retail and boutiques, and we were in the mood to shop!  We had trouble finding parking  because of the traffic again.  Once we drove into a lot, we weren't sure if it was ok for us to park or not.  It didn't matter because the inevitable happened.  My friend broke the key off the rental car.  UGH!!!  To make matters worse, it wasn't the key to the car.  Due to the high theft rate in the southern part of Italy, some manufactures install a steering wheel lock to further prevent cars being stolen.  My friend broke off the key to the steering wheel, but luckily she managed to pull it out of the lock.  We grew worried because we still were uncertain if we could leave the car in that lot.  We noticed people parked nearby and would walk up to the machine to pay for parking, but it looks like it was out of order.  They would end up driving off.  We didn't know what to do. 
It was now Friday night, early evening.  We noticed a couple of policemen nearby and ran up to them for advice.  I could see that the cop knew we were in a big jam.  He called up a locksmith and talked to someone about what had happened.  Once he got off the phone he told my friend that the locksmith said they wouldn't be able to help but told us the directions to his shop in case we wanted to stop over there ourselves.  We knew we had to do something, so we ran to find the locksmith.  Along the way we found a hardware store, and stopped to ask if they could help, but no such luck.  It was getting frustrating for us.  To make matters worse, my friend's phone was low on battery life.
We eventually found the locksmith's shop but he told us there was nothing he could do.  He told us that he had told the cops that we were out of luck.  I asked him who would have such a key and he said either the manufacturer of the car or the car shop would have the spare.  My friend was hoping we wouldn't have to use them as a last resort since technically we were still 3 hours away from home.  She had no choice but to call them up herself.
I could hear her frustration talking to the car shop owner on the phone.  They didn't quite understand what had happened.  I was amazed this was the first time anyone ever heard of this problem, much yet a car shop.  She even took pictures off her phone and sent them to the owner so he could "see" what she was talking about.  Apparently they were under the impression she must have did something in order for the key to break off like that.  She explained over and over again that all she did was turn the key.  I couldn't help but question why they were giving her such a hard time.  Eventually, he explained that he does, indeed have a spare to the lock in the sterling wheel.  It was a nerve wrecking.  Now the question is, how can we get the key if we're 3 hours away?
Unfortunately, her boyfriend was with his father at the dentist.  He wasn't sure if he would be able to pick up the spare before they close the shop.  Me and my friend were stuck at the moment.  We were put on hold until we figured out what we could do. 
We went to a café where my friend could charge up her phone.  It was now past 6pm and we were stuck, literally.  We were still nervous about the fact that the car was at a lot where the meter box was broken.  All we needed was a ticket on top of all of this.  My friend looked at train schedules in case her boyfriend had to jump on one in a moment's notice.  There was one at 7:50pm that would be perfect.  We waited until she called up her boyfriend to see if he got to the car shop on time to grab the key.  He couldn't talk at the moment, but she quickly told him the train schedules.  He was using his assistant's car to drive his dad to and from the dentist.
We tried contacting him once more and this time he said he couldn't talk because he was jumping on the train.  We couldn't help but ask if he got the spare key (hey you never know), but low and behold, he had it!  That brought a sign of relief.  We decided we now know we have 2 hours to kill, so let's go eat!

Lecce at night...

We walked around Lecce's main plaza.  It was now 8pm and we were window shopping and trying to figure out which restaurant we should try out.  My friend has a theory that if a restaurant looks packed, they must have good food.  Since there were so many restaurants to choose from, we knew we wanted to sit at one that was busy.  The problem was, no one was budging from their seat.  It was now Friday night and people were enjoying their evening.  Me and my friend settled next to a restaurant that had available seating right away.  We were hungry and never really ate anything else besides breakfast.  My friend was on the look out for the restaurant next to us since it was packed.  I ordered a risotto with potatoes and it was delish.  She ordered a salad and wasn't too pleased with it.  You see?  She proved her theory once again..
 

We finished up our meal and then walked over to the packed restaurant.  We figured we'll have some wine and wait for her boyfriend to arrive.  A group of good looking men sat nearby and were speaking Italian.  My friend of course, understood everything they were saying, and at one point, one of the men were egging on another friend to introduce himself to me.  Of course, her boyfriend called at that very moment to let us know he would be arriving in 10 minutes.  We quickly got the bill and ran out of there.  I felt bad not being able to give this guy a chance, but her boyfriend rode a 2 hour train ride to help us out.  It is what it is.  I figured it would be better to leave in a hurry before the guy had the nerves to come up to me.  At least we shared a glance!  

Feeling magical in Lecce!  Too bad we were going through an ordeal but we tried to have fun despite what was going on.

We got a little lost finding the train station in Lecce, plus the area wasn't so great so we were very nervous.  Luckily we found it in time before her boyfriend arrived.  We quickly ran up to him like he was some sort of a super hero!  The past few hours were frustrating and we just wanted to go home.  We made our way back to the car, but now it was 11pm.  More people were out, especially teenagers.  It took us a while to find the car because we were going in circles for a bit.  Now the time has come for us to try the spare key!  We were nervous at the moment because we didn't know what to expect.  Her boyfriend was behind the wheel and noticed right away how difficult it was to put in the key.  Luckily he unlocked the steering wheel but when he tried the car key we were screwed once again.  The battery was dead.  It was awkward because he knew right away that my friend had tried charging her phone in the car.  We insisted that she barely charged her phone for 30 minutes while we were waiting on him.  What else was she suppose to do?
He jumped out of the car and went up to people who were getting into their cars at the parking lot.  He asked if anyone could help him jump his car.  One of the men suggested pushing the car to get the engine going.  Me and my friend along with 2 other men started to push the car as hard as we could so it would start moving fast.  Luckily the car turned on and me and my friend jumped in like stuntmen!  We did it!!  NOW let's go home once and for all!
       

Day 10 Gallipoli

We messed up.  Because we had a long day we ended up oversleeping.  That was definitely not the plan.  I packed up my suitcase because we were not sure how long we would be out on the road.  I had a train ticket to leave Foggia on Saturday for Rome, but we weren't sure if we were going to head up north.  If we were, she was going to drop me off in Rome herself.  I was excited for our road trip.  I didn't know what to expect.  We quickly had our coffee and made our way to the auto shop.  We crossed our fingers when we walked in.  The problem with not being able to get a car to rent was the fact that most Europeans were still on vacation.  They were not returning them in time, and kept holding on to their vehicles.  Low and behold they had a car for us, but they still had to run a maintenance check on it.  We were told to come back after 3pm and we should be all set to go.
What did we do in the meantime?  We went for gelato of course!  I was craving it real bad.  We went to our usual parlor in town and treated ourselves to our delight.  I ordered a double scooped fig gelato!  It was delish!!

THE BEST!

So many flavors!

When we  went back again to the auto shop, we  FINALLY got our car!  By now it was close to 4pm.  My friend decided to go south again.  We felt it was late in the day and figured we would enjoy more of the night life in the south.  After a 4 hour drive we made it.  Of course, we were pulling into Gallipoli when everyone was getting off from work.  The traffic was coming from everywhere.  It took us about an hour to find parking.  Back at the auto shop we made reservations at a hotel.  Looking for that took us another 40 minutes.  We were frustrated, hungry, hot because of the humidity, and nervous lugging our suitcases around in such a massive crowd.  There were so many people around us!  We had trouble trying to get through.  We were going in circles.  Eventually, we asked someone who gave us the right directions and sure enough, walked right into it!  We were so relieved.  The bad news was we might have parked in an area that might give us a ticket.  The concierge told us to make sure we give her the plate number of the rental.  She was going to find a way to take care of it for us if we did get one.
We made our way to our room.  It was beautiful!  We had the patio to ourselves.  I was curious to see who else was staying with us at our hotel.  The bad news was our room had no air conditioner.  We both took turns taking a shower to cool off.  I got my second wind and was feeling pretty excited to checkout Gallipoli at night.



Changed into a tunic dress with my converse.  I wanted to be comfortable, and since we were in a new town, wore my fanny pack as well.

We were starving at this time.  We walked down to the fish market.  There was so much going on.  It was overwhelming.  A lot of people knew right away that we were tourists and were trying to get us to come to their restaurant.  We settled on a place and my friend went over to see what they had.  She was in charge of the menu, so I trusted her selection. 

We finally got our meal and we devoured it.  As usual, we ordered la fruta di mare (fruits of the sea).  I do enjoy fresh seafood, and the scampi were huge!  We were very satisfied with our meal.  Afterwards, we went for a stroll around il centro.  By now a lot of the shops were closing up.  We heard music up ahead and found a dj playing house music outside of a restaurant.  Everyone was sitting outside at the patio listening.  Again, I was surprised no one was dancing because he was very good.  I still feel Italians are pretty reserved, but at least a group of little kids were dancing for him.  It was too cute!

So many restaurants to choose from!  I was surprised how many people were out on a Thursday night...

We ordered a glass of spumante and then afterwards walked around some more.  We were tired after a long day of driving.  We figured we'll get up in the morning for check out and then experience Gallipoli in the daytime.  After that who knows?  Anything was possible!