Four Women of Verona

June 5, 2007

"Joy, you're snoring. Turn over. No, don't go back to sleep--turn over. By the way, my lymph nodes are swollen and there are white spots on the back of my throat. I think I've got strep."

Hillary woke me up at three AM with that statement, at which I thought, "Oh no, I'm going to be up all night worryi--zzzzzzzz." The next morning, it was more than apparent that she was sick. However, how do you get antibiotics in a foreign country where nobody speaks your language?

We tried to find Mr. Grumpy-Pants for help, but instead we ran into the hotel housekeeper, a lovely older woman whose enthusiasm for spoiling people was quite welcome after the night before. She brought us breakfast and, upon hearing that Hillary was sick, declared herself Hillary's "nonna" (grandmother) and checked her for fever, sweating, etc. She couldn't speak English, but these are the times that kind actions speak far, far louder than words.

We couldn't get a doctor through the health insurance, so Crystal went downstairs to ask Mr. Grumpy-Pants for help. He promptly informed her that pharmacists are actually doctors in Italy, and he took her to a nearby farmacia for help. She just told them Hillary's symptoms, and they gave her amoxicyllin for only 5 €! That would never have happened in the US, but we sure were glad for it!

Room checkout was at 10:30, and we were out of there by 10. We then hopped on a vaporetto, a water-bus, and cruised down the Grand Canal to Piazza San Marco. The square hadn't changed much--pigeons jumped on people, tourists flocked everywhere, and pickpockets flocked after the tourists. We visited San Marco's Basilica, filled with gold mosaics made from stolen goods, and shopped for a bit behind the square. Hillary was feeling worse, so we headed back to the station and hopped on the train to Verona.

Verona was LOVELY!!!! I recommend it as a must-see place for anyone interested in Italy. It was just a larger Sansepolcro, to be honest, and I loved it. We stayed at the Hotel Brandoli, which I'm naming because I recommend it to everyone. A quick jaunt on Bus 13 gets you there, and it's in one of the outlying neighborhoods of Verona. It was like an American hotel, and after Mr. Grumpy-Pants I couldn't be more excited. Air conditioning! Extra blankets! TOWELS!!!!! We ate a delicious meal in the hotel restaurant and, after some wonderful showers, hunkered down for some much-deserved rest.

Hillary the Ill was out cold by 8 pm.