This week I thought I would share with you a few things about traveling in another country besides knowing how their electrical system works.  Their voltage is different from the US.  If you haven’t traveled outside the US, you will find some differences.

     First of all, upon arriving at our hotel we had to learn how to work our room key.  It not only opened the door without the turn of the door knob but it also controlled our lights.  There was a slot where you inserted the key card, much like here in the states but once inside the key card had to be inserted into another slot and then there was light.  However when you removed the key card the electricity shut off.  That meant we couldn’t recharge our phone, camera battery, or hearing aids while we slept or were out of the room.  A great energy saving technique but frustrating for us.  Then I decided to ask for a second room key since they had only been given one per couple.  I told the desk clerk why we needed the second key card and she graciously gave me one.  That was one problem solved.  All hotel rooms had bidets along with a stool in the bathroom.

     Then there was the elevator. European elevators are very small which I had forgotten.  Three adults were the maximum if you didn’t have any luggage.  If a fourth person tried to get on the elevator wouldn’t move.  The elevators were very efficient and the wait time for one was usually only a couple of minutes.

     I had forgotten the wonderful breakfast spread the bigger hotels provide.  Our breakfast choices included: several kinds of coffee, including cappuccino, hot chocolate, milk, sparkling water, cold water and room temperature water, hot tea, orange and apricot juice, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs to peel, bacon, 2 or three kinds of thin salumi meats, sausage buttons, beans in a tasty sauce, slices of ham and turkey and even small pieces of pizza.  There was pineapple, cooked prunes, canned peaches, an assortment of breads and sweet breads and then there was the small veggie section with tomatoes, lettuce, corn, two cheeses, olives and cucumbers.  Rather overwhelming that first morning but it was the same at both hotels where we stayed.  If we were not eating in our hotel you had to buy water by the bottle.  It wasn’t automatically served.

      On the streets, visitor’s often took their life in their own hands as fast riding scooters darted about making two lanes of traffic into three.  In the old section of Rome, where we were most of the time, the cobblestone streets and a sidewalks were in need of repair but no one seemed to notice.  Almost every block had a series of 5 or 6 large recycle bins designated by color for different recycling.

     The other thing you have to expect in another country is the language barrier.  Several Italians either knew or could speak a little English but many could not.  Amazing how you can communicate with gestures, hand motions and your eyes.  And then again, there were tourists there from around the world who only knew their own language.  It made life interesting!!