ITALY 2006... FRASCATI... FINALLY... FINIS

"Lost" is too melodramatic. We weren't "lost". We'd just gotten off at the wrong stop. Ronin knew they'd been on the right train, heading in the right direction. And a kindly, elderly gentleman confirmed this. He just told us to wait for the next train (approx. 45 minutes).

So... first thing's first. Ronin had to empty out his bladder in a smelly, fly infested commode. There was quite a #2 building up in the intestine, too, but he couldn't do it in that bathroom.

We sat down on a bench to wait. Ronin occupied himself with his Moleskine. It was a nice day, but oh so quiet. Perhaps we could've explored the town, but we didn't want to miss the train. When the next train finally did come, Ronin instructed HotFudge (and himself) to look for signs the next time they stopped. They weren't going to make the same mistake again. No worries, though. Turns out the next stop was Frascati. It was also the end of the line; the tracks ended. Of course, the train stop was covered in graffiti.

Now, Ronin has said this before. It's extremely hard to enjoy oneself ANYWHERE when Mother Nature is calling. Ronin's first mission was to buy 2 tickets back to downtown Rome. That went off without a hitch. His second mission was to dump. After some wandering, Ronin entered a restaurant. [Truthfully, Ronin hates going into any establishment just to use the toilet. He's just not comfortable with it. But, when ya gotta go, ya gotta go...] So, with clenched butt cheeks and puppy dog eyes, Ronin asked. To his dismay, the answer was "no". Not a rude "no". More like "I'm sorry, but no". The worker said something in Italian and then showed Ronin a card. Of course, there was the language barrier, but Ronin got the distinct impression that this card was required in order to use the bathroom. It was a "Lavatory Association" card.

HRRMMMPH!!!

And so, Ronin's quest continued... They stopped in another restaurant where they were allowed to use el bano. Wonderful... ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL... Ronin was so greatful that he wanted to eat at the restaurant. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be opening for several more hours. C'est la vie...

Now, HotFudge's tour book did give a pretty good blurb about Frascati. Where to go, what to do, what it was known for, etc. But Ronin & HotFudge were unimpressed. They walked around for a while, browsing thru shops, but there really wasn't anything happening. Perhaps they could've asked for directions to a particular location within the town. Perhaps they could've gotten a map. But the afternoon was slowly turning into later afternoon... and... Oh hell...!!

As anti-climatic as this may sound... There just wasn't shit going on...!!

Perhaps if we'd had a tour guide...

What were we looking for? Perhaps we're just spoiled by the city. Ronin and HotFudge would go stir-crazy if they lived in one of these quiet towns...