Got up this morning determined to get laundry done. Usual method is to Google up the local laundromats, plug one into the GPS and boogie. Can't today, no Internet access still this morning, so I go downstairs to the desk and ask help in finding one. The young lady allows me to enter the back office area because, yeah, you get it: they have Internet. It's only us poor customers who had to pay for it who do not.
Anyway, I was able to find two laundromats fairly close by the hotel, so off I go, not-so-trusty Garmin spinning away. And I mean spinning away. I guess I'm going to chalk it up to high buildings and difficulty getting signals, but this thing was so slow I missed several turns; and once had to pull off to the side and let it catch up. But I finally got to both of them. Both, you ask? Yes. Being the prepared type, I always select a couple because you never know what may happen. The first could be closed. It was. Unfortunately, so was the second, and now I'm burning daylight and ain't happy. So, I silently pray for better luck on down the road, haul back to the hotel and book it. Not without contributing to the "pushy American" rap we get over here.
I go down to turn in my key and thank the young lady for her service earlier and find two ladies at the desk. I don't know what they are talking about, but, from the tone of the conversation, and the way the clerk kept glancing at me, as if to say, "I'll break off here as soon as I can," I believe it was the chubby, middle age, Italian equivalent of "the scar is this long..." And she just kept going on, and on, and on.
One of the things I've noticed here is a trend to much more regimentation than we have in the U.S. Of course, some levels are required for any society to function properly; but there's a real "don't rock the boat" societal norm here. And that, of course, contributes to what I call the "queue" syndrome here. This syndrome sort of says, "I've waited my turn, and now I'm going to take as long as I want because I waited my turn."
It seems to me the belief is that everyone waits, and there is no feeling of "owing" anything to any members of the queue. "You have to wait like I did, and that's just the way it is." In America, we tend, in my opinion, to have empathy for others in these situations, and will do our best not to hold them up longer than necessary. Of course, as we all know, not everyone does this; God did not make enough horse's heads to go around; but, on the whole, we are a considerate people and would not waste some one's time if we can prevent it.
In fact, I think the two key differences in the way we handle such situations contribute to the "pushy" American thing over here. We expect people to move on in the queue, and when they don't we think they're rude, and we, no doubt about it, push. They, then, think we are rude for not knowing our "place" in the queue thing, and, hence, we are pushy. I think neither right or wrong. I think we just view the situation quite differently.
After standing for what seemed a hour, but I'm sure was only five minutes or so, I just sort of reached around the talkative one, placed my keycard on the counter, and said, "254, I've got to get outta here.". The problem is that I didn't place the keycard flat when I reached to put it on the counter, it hit at an angle and sprang up in the air a little before rattling down in the counter. I could just feel the two ladies' eyes on me as I left the lobby. But, what the hey, I did not intend for it to happen that way, it just did. As my daughter puts it, "Build a bridge, get over it."
Out on the highway I remembered I had minimum cash on me, and, because the Internet was down at the hotel, I don't have reservations for the night either. So, I'm watching the gas stop signs for an ATM symbol and the internationally recognized "italic" "I" that means Internet. I see no ATM machines, but stopped looking for an internet connection after three times where there was the "i" symbol, but no internet service.
I had 40€ and got clipped for 12€ of them almost immediately at a toll booth. Then, near Venice, I was listening to a great Bach concerto and missed a turn. I have to exit and get hit for another 6.6€ at the tollbooth there. So, now I'm thinking I really need to find a cash machine. Plus I still need to do laundry, so, planning to make lemonade out of this missed turn, I start looking for a laundromat or bank.
Spying an off-duty policewoman waiting for a bus (a somewhat incongruent sight, I must say), I turn in to a little shopping center behind the bus stop. Before I can switch Betsy off, I'm staring at a small bank with an ATM machine prominently placed the last place I'd expect to see one, directly in front of my nose. Hoping my luck continues, I ask the lady cop if there is a laundromat in town. She points directly across the street and says, "There." I'll be looking for a lottery ticket (and, perhaps, some new glasses) tonight.
Downtown Bologna isn't all that impressive. I walked around a little hoping I could spot an Internet cafe or bar so I could email this iPad-written commentary to my picture-containing laptop so I can post them tonight. My hotel has wireless but charges by the computer for it. I really don't want to pay twice just to send myself an email. Perhaps I'll check the Bologna Apple store tomorrow. Maybe they'll have that USB cable I need for the iPad.
My hotel is the Mecure just across from the train station in downtown Bologna. This is just down the street from there.
The required close-up.
Garibaldi
I thought this an interesting building. I have no idea what it says.
The ubiquitous MacDonald's. I thought I'd hit the jackpot here. Free internet! Yes, but, according to Italian Law, only if you have an Italian sim-card.
Honestly, that's what I was told. I don't know. I've had wireless at several of the hotels. And I do not have an Italian sim-card.
Big building in big square. Seemed to be dedicated to more modern civil heroes.
Across the piazza.
More old buildings.
s
No comments:
Post a Comment