The other day I managed to sneak away from Sorrento and have a nice, leisurely lunch in Positano with some fellow bloggers. I was so looking forward to it, and I was not let down as it was fantastic to finally meet up in person! I met Laura from Ciao Amalfi, Scintilla from Bell'Avventura, "Charlie" from Figs and Lemons (who by the way makes the most lovely soap...bel ragazzo and I sure are smelling nice now!) Cleopanther, who used to blog but for the moment is taking time out, and last but not least Jone who is not a blogger but a reader of our blogs.
It was great too since Scintilla, Cleopanther and I are all from Melbourne (Scintilla from just up the road...such a small world) Jone was from Sydney, Charlie from the UK and Laura from America.
Such a lovely, lovely day and I will make sure we do it again soon!
Monday, 6 July 2009
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
Stupid Tourist Comment of the Day.
It's been awhile since I have posted a 'Stupid Tourist Comment of the Day.' That's not because no one has been saying stupid things - they have...but that I just have been so busy that I still am finding little time to write. (Don't worry...I am not run off my feet with just work stuff, most of my time is occupied in the social form which is fine!)
Last night as I was dining in a four star hotel which we had received complaints about (yes, a perk of the job is to eat in hotels...and no - the food was fine. The customer complained that his fish and chips he ordered did not taste like British fish and chips, but they tasted like an Italian version. Yes...go figure...how odd that in an Italian hotel, fish and chips taste....Italian!)
Whilst eating, my colleague got a phone call from a customer who wanted to move hotels. It was late and after office hours so she told him I would call him the next day, as he is in one of my hotels.
I called to find out what the problem is since his is a really lovely four star hotel.
L: Hello Mr X, it's Leanne calling. I hear you wanted to change hotels. May I ask why? Is there a problem with your room?
Well..you know that they give all the good rooms to the German's don't you. For some reason all the hotels I have ever been to have something against the British.
I didn't actually know what to respond to this...so I didn't. I just left an appropriate pause and then continued.
In the end the customer did not move rooms since *shock horror* he found out he would have to pay for the unused nights at the current hotel, and then pay for the extra nights at the new hotel. People here ask to move hotels all the time and think there not going to be a monetary penalty to do so.
Ahhhh...gotta love stupid tourists.
Last night as I was dining in a four star hotel which we had received complaints about (yes, a perk of the job is to eat in hotels...and no - the food was fine. The customer complained that his fish and chips he ordered did not taste like British fish and chips, but they tasted like an Italian version. Yes...go figure...how odd that in an Italian hotel, fish and chips taste....Italian!)
Whilst eating, my colleague got a phone call from a customer who wanted to move hotels. It was late and after office hours so she told him I would call him the next day, as he is in one of my hotels.
I called to find out what the problem is since his is a really lovely four star hotel.
L: Hello Mr X, it's Leanne calling. I hear you wanted to change hotels. May I ask why? Is there a problem with your room?
Well..you know that they give all the good rooms to the German's don't you. For some reason all the hotels I have ever been to have something against the British.
I didn't actually know what to respond to this...so I didn't. I just left an appropriate pause and then continued.
In the end the customer did not move rooms since *shock horror* he found out he would have to pay for the unused nights at the current hotel, and then pay for the extra nights at the new hotel. People here ask to move hotels all the time and think there not going to be a monetary penalty to do so.
Ahhhh...gotta love stupid tourists.
Sunday, 21 June 2009
Getting married Italian Style
**This post has since been edited since I had a lovely comment from Malitano(that means a man from Malito) who told me that weddings are even more confusing then I thought. Giuseppe is his name (bel ragazzo knows him)and thanks to him my information is now more acurate. Grazie Giuseppe :)
Bel ragazzo and I popped down to Malito on Wednesday night so we could be there for the brothers promessa on Thursday. After 18 odd years together the brother is finally getting married...and what a big wedding it is going to be. Not only has it been building up for 18 years, but both the brother and his fidanzata are the eldest siblings so it is going to be one massive affair.
Let me explain to you a bit about Italian weddings. There are 3 aspects to a wedding: 1 is the promessa- promise - at the church. Since the brother is going to have a religious ceremony, we went to the church so they could sign some documents saying that they are single, Catholic and understand the conditions of marriage. The priest was talking forever and I kept floating in and out of the conversation as he was slipping into dilect quite often. I did snap to attention when I heard to word orgasm mentioned. Yes - the priest was telling us about all aspects of a marriage...
After that was the comune promessa, which is technically the registry office. A couple has to go to the comune and sign some documents then legally (on paper) they are married. **EDIT - this is not true. Giuseppe who commented told me that you still need to have the actual comune wedding, as well as the comune promessa** If you are Catholic however this piece of paper means nothing as in the eyes of God you are not married until you are married in the church. BUT if you don't intend to be married in a church, then this piece of paper means that you are now husband and wife. **Opps...another little wrong piece of information*** So bel ragazzo and I went down to Malito for the church promise and the comune promise.
I found it a little odd that although the brother and the fidanzata are now legally married, they still went and slept in their parental homes after the ceremony. In their eyes they are not married until August after the church wedding, and God forbid should they live together first!
I could write all day about Italian weddings and still have much more to say. This was my first promessa and it was much quicker then I had expected and the party afterwards with all the gift giving was much larger then I had expected.
In some parts of Italy, or at least Malito, there are many traditions to be followed. In this case bel ragazzo's mother bought the fidanzata's wedding dress. The fidanzata's mother has to buy the brothers shirt and tie for the wedding ceremony. Bel ragazzo's brother bought the fidanzata an engagement ring, and his parents bought her a beautiful necklace and earrings. The fidanzata's mother is in charge of furnishing aspects of the house, such as buying all the towels, kitchen goods etc.. Gosh! So much money is being spent...it is going to the biggest wedding I have ever been to and I have been to some big weddings before.
There are many more things that someone has to buy someone and someone else has to do this or that but I cannot remember it all! I was stressed enough after going suit shopping with the bel ragazzo and the brother. We got them all sorted with suits, vests, ties, shoes etc...(I never knew wedding suits were so expensive)and after seeing their elegant suits I suddenly was paranoid that my dress is far from appropriate! What with the promessa, the wedding in August, another family wedding in July I was so confused about what I can and cannot wear that I had to try on all my dresses and do a mock fashion parade in front of the family so we could decide which dress would be appropriate for what. God forbid that I wear an inappropriate dress and create brutta figura.
Bel ragazzo and I popped down to Malito on Wednesday night so we could be there for the brothers promessa on Thursday. After 18 odd years together the brother is finally getting married...and what a big wedding it is going to be. Not only has it been building up for 18 years, but both the brother and his fidanzata are the eldest siblings so it is going to be one massive affair.
Let me explain to you a bit about Italian weddings. There are 3 aspects to a wedding: 1 is the promessa- promise - at the church. Since the brother is going to have a religious ceremony, we went to the church so they could sign some documents saying that they are single, Catholic and understand the conditions of marriage. The priest was talking forever and I kept floating in and out of the conversation as he was slipping into dilect quite often. I did snap to attention when I heard to word orgasm mentioned. Yes - the priest was telling us about all aspects of a marriage...
After that was the comune promessa, which is technically the registry office. A couple has to go to the comune and sign some documents then legally (on paper) they are married. **EDIT - this is not true. Giuseppe who commented told me that you still need to have the actual comune wedding, as well as the comune promessa** If you are Catholic however this piece of paper means nothing as in the eyes of God you are not married until you are married in the church. BUT if you don't intend to be married in a church, then this piece of paper means that you are now husband and wife. **Opps...another little wrong piece of information*** So bel ragazzo and I went down to Malito for the church promise and the comune promise.
I found it a little odd that although the brother and the fidanzata are now legally married, they still went and slept in their parental homes after the ceremony. In their eyes they are not married until August after the church wedding, and God forbid should they live together first!
I could write all day about Italian weddings and still have much more to say. This was my first promessa and it was much quicker then I had expected and the party afterwards with all the gift giving was much larger then I had expected.
In some parts of Italy, or at least Malito, there are many traditions to be followed. In this case bel ragazzo's mother bought the fidanzata's wedding dress. The fidanzata's mother has to buy the brothers shirt and tie for the wedding ceremony. Bel ragazzo's brother bought the fidanzata an engagement ring, and his parents bought her a beautiful necklace and earrings. The fidanzata's mother is in charge of furnishing aspects of the house, such as buying all the towels, kitchen goods etc.. Gosh! So much money is being spent...it is going to the biggest wedding I have ever been to and I have been to some big weddings before.
There are many more things that someone has to buy someone and someone else has to do this or that but I cannot remember it all! I was stressed enough after going suit shopping with the bel ragazzo and the brother. We got them all sorted with suits, vests, ties, shoes etc...(I never knew wedding suits were so expensive)and after seeing their elegant suits I suddenly was paranoid that my dress is far from appropriate! What with the promessa, the wedding in August, another family wedding in July I was so confused about what I can and cannot wear that I had to try on all my dresses and do a mock fashion parade in front of the family so we could decide which dress would be appropriate for what. God forbid that I wear an inappropriate dress and create brutta figura.
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Change in the wind
Sorry all - I am still a bad blogger. I still want to post photos and tell you all about my trips here there and everywhere...but the bottom line is that I am pigra, I am plain lazy and the internet in the office is free but does not let me download photos. This strange, free internet has many limitations (what...do they not trust us here in the office or something) facebook is banned, I cannot download any photos and I cannot comment on blogs. Not sure why, but I cannot so I just wanted to say I am still keeping up to date with all my favourite blogs but cannot comment on them.
So, anyways while no one is spying over my shoulder in the office let me write!
I must tell you all some exciting news. Since the beginning on March my stomach has been getting bigger and bigger by the month. I was first complimented in late March when I was in Lake Garda for my training course. My colleagues and I took an evening trip into Verona, and whilst I was inside a shop, the assistant glanced at me and said 'Auguri'. I did not really know what she meant, and must have looked confused so she glanced at my stomach and said 'Auguri' again. I was shocked and walked out of the shop speechless.
Now don't go getting ahead of yourselves and start wishing me 'Auguri' too. I am NOT pregnant, and my stomach has been feeling (and often looking) pregnant because...... my TWIN SISTER is pregnant!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sadly I am not there to see her pregnant since she is in Australia, but I don't need to be there as I am feeling it from this side of the world. We are not identical twins or anything, but even bel ragazzo commented on my expanding belly the other week (and NO before you ask I am not putting on weight...it is just my belly which gets really bloated every now and then.)
So since I will be a twin aunt soon, I am heading back to Australia at the end of my summer season which is the end of October. The baby will only be a few weeks old by then, and bel ragazzo will be coming to join us in December to experience his first hot Christmas and New Years.
Change is in the wind...and the wind I hope is going to blow quite forcefully in the right direction. I will leave you in suspense as to what other changes I am talking about...but you will just have to wait and see.
So, anyways while no one is spying over my shoulder in the office let me write!
I must tell you all some exciting news. Since the beginning on March my stomach has been getting bigger and bigger by the month. I was first complimented in late March when I was in Lake Garda for my training course. My colleagues and I took an evening trip into Verona, and whilst I was inside a shop, the assistant glanced at me and said 'Auguri'. I did not really know what she meant, and must have looked confused so she glanced at my stomach and said 'Auguri' again. I was shocked and walked out of the shop speechless.
Now don't go getting ahead of yourselves and start wishing me 'Auguri' too. I am NOT pregnant, and my stomach has been feeling (and often looking) pregnant because...... my TWIN SISTER is pregnant!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sadly I am not there to see her pregnant since she is in Australia, but I don't need to be there as I am feeling it from this side of the world. We are not identical twins or anything, but even bel ragazzo commented on my expanding belly the other week (and NO before you ask I am not putting on weight...it is just my belly which gets really bloated every now and then.)
So since I will be a twin aunt soon, I am heading back to Australia at the end of my summer season which is the end of October. The baby will only be a few weeks old by then, and bel ragazzo will be coming to join us in December to experience his first hot Christmas and New Years.
Change is in the wind...and the wind I hope is going to blow quite forcefully in the right direction. I will leave you in suspense as to what other changes I am talking about...but you will just have to wait and see.
Saturday, 30 May 2009
Love making the Neapolitan way
I am such a bad blogger of late and I have so much to blog about! Bel ragazzo and I have been in giro quite a bit. He goes for work, and I manage to tag along on my days off! We have been back to Cilento with there beautiful sandy beaches, spent a night in Puglia and saw the Trulli houses in Alberobello, and fingers crossed we may be going to Matera this week. I have so many lovely photos but am just lazy since the office computers *when I can actually find a free one to use* do not let me upload photos. Plus there are normally people spying over my shoulder and I do not want them seeing what I am doing!
So I have been a bad blogger of late, but with sort of good reasons.
One things I must blog about, and I have meaning to blog about is something I find so strange, something so odd I still cannot believe it happens.
Let me start from the beginning.
I had just arrived into Naples after attending a training course in Lake Garda. I was sitting by the window in a minibus with my colleagues and we were driving along the main coastal road nearing Sorrento. It was late, and dark. I saw many cars parked on the sides of the road. There were lots of them parked one behind the other but I paid them no attention as people always park where ever they want in Italy.
My colleagues told me that the cars were not empty. There owners had not gone to a night club or for a walk along the beach. No. If I looked closely, they told me I would not be able to see into the cars at all.
Why is that you ask?
Well, that is because the windows were covered with newspapers, sometimes clothes or anything that is to hand.
Why is that? you are surely still asking.
Well...as my colleagues told me it is because the occupants inside the car are having a bit of *quality time* together if you know what I mean.
I did not believe them at all. I mean...all the cars were parked on tha main road, one next to the other and everyone and anyone could see you parked there. It was disgusting, unromantic, sleazy...they must be joking with me.
Truth came to me in the form of one such parked car bouncing up and down. Oh. Ok. So the people inside were having quite an energetic bit of *quality* time.
I could not believe that this is what people have to do to get some time alone! How disgusting. How embarrassing as everyone knows what you are up to and who with. Imagine that you are going on a date with a person who has a Green VW Golf, Licence plate XXX... Well when I am driving by, maybe on my way back from dinner and I see that car I know then that the date is going better then expected!
To make matters worse the next day if you happen to drive along that road earlish then the empty streets are filled with dirty tissues, old newspapers and god knows what else.
So there you have it...Love making the Neapolitan way
So I have been a bad blogger of late, but with sort of good reasons.
One things I must blog about, and I have meaning to blog about is something I find so strange, something so odd I still cannot believe it happens.
Let me start from the beginning.
I had just arrived into Naples after attending a training course in Lake Garda. I was sitting by the window in a minibus with my colleagues and we were driving along the main coastal road nearing Sorrento. It was late, and dark. I saw many cars parked on the sides of the road. There were lots of them parked one behind the other but I paid them no attention as people always park where ever they want in Italy.
My colleagues told me that the cars were not empty. There owners had not gone to a night club or for a walk along the beach. No. If I looked closely, they told me I would not be able to see into the cars at all.
Why is that you ask?
Well, that is because the windows were covered with newspapers, sometimes clothes or anything that is to hand.
Why is that? you are surely still asking.
Well...as my colleagues told me it is because the occupants inside the car are having a bit of *quality time* together if you know what I mean.
I did not believe them at all. I mean...all the cars were parked on tha main road, one next to the other and everyone and anyone could see you parked there. It was disgusting, unromantic, sleazy...they must be joking with me.
Truth came to me in the form of one such parked car bouncing up and down. Oh. Ok. So the people inside were having quite an energetic bit of *quality* time.
I could not believe that this is what people have to do to get some time alone! How disgusting. How embarrassing as everyone knows what you are up to and who with. Imagine that you are going on a date with a person who has a Green VW Golf, Licence plate XXX... Well when I am driving by, maybe on my way back from dinner and I see that car I know then that the date is going better then expected!
To make matters worse the next day if you happen to drive along that road earlish then the empty streets are filled with dirty tissues, old newspapers and god knows what else.
So there you have it...Love making the Neapolitan way
Sunday, 17 May 2009
No escape at the airport
As the season sets in the tourists are really starting to annoy me. Not my tourist...just the others.
On Friday I went to the airport as I always do. I have a horrible polyester uniform which I am forced to wear and with my white shirt, navy skirt and red scarf, heels and clipboard I do look like I may work there...but I don't. There are so many tour operators walking around with their variety of uniforms: blue shirts, purple scarves, green skirts, red shirts....I know it may be confusing for guests at the airport BUT come on! Just because we are wearing scarves and waving clipboards around does not mean we speak a thousand languages and we are there to help you.
I was standing by the departures last week...not because I had to since I am only at the airport to spy on our drivers in arrival...but I had nothing else to do and was speaking to some other tour operators who were guiding their guests to the check in desks. I thought I may as well help them so I was assisting some old British people when one old, lone man had the cheek to get angry at me! I had told him to go to desk 3-5 and then he heard the other girls telling people to go to 1-5. He marched back up to me (wasting valuable queuing time) and asked me why I had failed to mention desks 1 and 2. I told him that there were less people on 3 - 5 so I thought it would be easier for him...well no it was not! He went and waited at the end of a long line of people by desk 1 just to spite me.
After that episode I decided to stand back and help no one...or so I thought as I realised I was now standing under the television screens with the check in desk numbers on them. I was suddenly bombarded by French, Spanish and German people asking me to point them to their gates...well I think that is what they were saying since I speak none of those languages. I went and hid after that.
Please, if you see someone at the Naples airport wearing a red scarf, blue skirt and white skirt DON'T come up and ask me where your check in desk is...as I will most likely 1) tell you I don't speak the language (even if you are speaking English) 2) I will purposely tell you the wrong information just to get back at you for bothering me 3) if it is near the end of the day I will yell at you even if you don't speak the language I am screaming.
On Friday I went to the airport as I always do. I have a horrible polyester uniform which I am forced to wear and with my white shirt, navy skirt and red scarf, heels and clipboard I do look like I may work there...but I don't. There are so many tour operators walking around with their variety of uniforms: blue shirts, purple scarves, green skirts, red shirts....I know it may be confusing for guests at the airport BUT come on! Just because we are wearing scarves and waving clipboards around does not mean we speak a thousand languages and we are there to help you.
I was standing by the departures last week...not because I had to since I am only at the airport to spy on our drivers in arrival...but I had nothing else to do and was speaking to some other tour operators who were guiding their guests to the check in desks. I thought I may as well help them so I was assisting some old British people when one old, lone man had the cheek to get angry at me! I had told him to go to desk 3-5 and then he heard the other girls telling people to go to 1-5. He marched back up to me (wasting valuable queuing time) and asked me why I had failed to mention desks 1 and 2. I told him that there were less people on 3 - 5 so I thought it would be easier for him...well no it was not! He went and waited at the end of a long line of people by desk 1 just to spite me.
After that episode I decided to stand back and help no one...or so I thought as I realised I was now standing under the television screens with the check in desk numbers on them. I was suddenly bombarded by French, Spanish and German people asking me to point them to their gates...well I think that is what they were saying since I speak none of those languages. I went and hid after that.
Please, if you see someone at the Naples airport wearing a red scarf, blue skirt and white skirt DON'T come up and ask me where your check in desk is...as I will most likely 1) tell you I don't speak the language (even if you are speaking English) 2) I will purposely tell you the wrong information just to get back at you for bothering me 3) if it is near the end of the day I will yell at you even if you don't speak the language I am screaming.
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
Walking the line in Naples
Sorrento is beginning to grow on me. I have never disliked being here, but today bel ragazzo and I were eating our lunch in the public gardens with Mount Vesuvius and the bay of Naples stretched out before us and we agreed that the views here are spectacular...there are worse places we could be ;)
Sorrento is getting busier by the day and I even survived my first experience at the insane Naples airport last Friday. The fact that I made it there is one piece was a good start as I drove the entire way! Oh...it was so scary and people drive like maniacs cutting you off and not giving way, but I did it! I am not ready to drive into Napoli...and I don't think I ever will but the airport is a good start at least.
And speaking of airports Naples is one of the worst organised airports in Italy! It is a nightmare this year for package tour operators. Last year there were 2 terminals so all the tour operators had their arrivals in Terminal 2 which had a bus park outside. For some reason this year Naples Airport has decided to close Terminal 2, and only use Terminal 1 which is a good 15 minute walk from the old terminal. Thankfully my guests have only private cars on arrival and departure...but the poor other tour operators have their guests coming into Terminal 1 then having to walk unescorted to Terminal 2... Sounds simple but it is not...this is Naples after all!
Here in Sorrento the main tour operators have quite a bit of power with the airport and tourism boards...rightly so as we bring in most of their income. Bel ragazzo attended a meeting last week as to how to solve the airport situation. It was decided that the airport would paint a line from Terminal 1 to 2 for the customers to follow, leading them to the old bus terminal. All good in theory but not in reality.
The blue line starts across the zebra crossing in front of the arrival exit. So this causes immediate chaos as the tour agencies are telling customers to follow the blue line...but no one can see the blue line. Once they find the blue line they have to walk on this path and then the blue line suddenly stops at the roundabout where there is a set of traffic lights. The airport cannot paint the blue line on the road as the council own the road and will not allow it. So you sort of have to guess to cross the road. Airport staff are meant to be along the blue line assisting people...but of course they are not. You can imagine the situation with cars whizzing by, not stopping at the traffic lights...and why should they when the traffic lights were not even working!
If customers manage to cross the road in one piece, they have to keep walking and last week when I did a test 'walk the blue line' the line suddenly stopped smack bang in the middle of the street! I had no idea where to go as perhaps the airport ran out of paint, but the blue line just stopped in the middle of no where. Thousands of guests had come in by this stage so I am not sure how they managed to find the way. To solve the situation in the peak of the day, in the hotel sun, amidst hundreds of angry people trying to find Terminal 2...the airport decided to get some more paint and finish the line - thus blocking the 'safe' path which meant people had to walk on the road until the paint dried.
Oh well...just another day at the Naples airport and I will be having many of these since I will be on airport duty every Friday.
Sorrento is getting busier by the day and I even survived my first experience at the insane Naples airport last Friday. The fact that I made it there is one piece was a good start as I drove the entire way! Oh...it was so scary and people drive like maniacs cutting you off and not giving way, but I did it! I am not ready to drive into Napoli...and I don't think I ever will but the airport is a good start at least.
And speaking of airports Naples is one of the worst organised airports in Italy! It is a nightmare this year for package tour operators. Last year there were 2 terminals so all the tour operators had their arrivals in Terminal 2 which had a bus park outside. For some reason this year Naples Airport has decided to close Terminal 2, and only use Terminal 1 which is a good 15 minute walk from the old terminal. Thankfully my guests have only private cars on arrival and departure...but the poor other tour operators have their guests coming into Terminal 1 then having to walk unescorted to Terminal 2... Sounds simple but it is not...this is Naples after all!
Here in Sorrento the main tour operators have quite a bit of power with the airport and tourism boards...rightly so as we bring in most of their income. Bel ragazzo attended a meeting last week as to how to solve the airport situation. It was decided that the airport would paint a line from Terminal 1 to 2 for the customers to follow, leading them to the old bus terminal. All good in theory but not in reality.
The blue line starts across the zebra crossing in front of the arrival exit. So this causes immediate chaos as the tour agencies are telling customers to follow the blue line...but no one can see the blue line. Once they find the blue line they have to walk on this path and then the blue line suddenly stops at the roundabout where there is a set of traffic lights. The airport cannot paint the blue line on the road as the council own the road and will not allow it. So you sort of have to guess to cross the road. Airport staff are meant to be along the blue line assisting people...but of course they are not. You can imagine the situation with cars whizzing by, not stopping at the traffic lights...and why should they when the traffic lights were not even working!
If customers manage to cross the road in one piece, they have to keep walking and last week when I did a test 'walk the blue line' the line suddenly stopped smack bang in the middle of the street! I had no idea where to go as perhaps the airport ran out of paint, but the blue line just stopped in the middle of no where. Thousands of guests had come in by this stage so I am not sure how they managed to find the way. To solve the situation in the peak of the day, in the hotel sun, amidst hundreds of angry people trying to find Terminal 2...the airport decided to get some more paint and finish the line - thus blocking the 'safe' path which meant people had to walk on the road until the paint dried.
Oh well...just another day at the Naples airport and I will be having many of these since I will be on airport duty every Friday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)