Wednesday morning I woke up sick with digestive tract issues, very glad all day that I had not gone to Napoli. I rested a fair amount and finally started feeling somewhat better by evening, unable to eat much most of the day. I had planned to go out and do some grocery shopping during the day, but I
didn't feel well enough -- one trip to take out the trash did me in for
hours. The office contacted me to see whether they should wait to do repairs on our car body, given how we are always driving downtown. I agreed that it was a good idea to wait; I don't really want the pressure of a shiny car!
Meanwhile, the girls in Napoli went to the DePaola cameo factory, which has been around since before Dee was there in the 1970s. From there they took an (expensive) taxi to Pompeii, in time to have a nice guided tour with Cinzia, who has taken good care of us over the past year. It was cold down there, but Chiara amazed Cinzia by not wearing her jacket, while Cinzia was wearing double or triple layers of everything. When the girls got back to town, I drove down and picked them up at the subway stop. From there we drove directly to Lidl so that Dee could buy us some groceries and show Chiara more about Italian supermarkets. They bought several types of cookies, including amaretti (my favorite, very inexpensive here), as well as buckwheat bread, all of which Chiara loved. Her comment was, "I was born in the wrong country!"
Without much energy during the day, I watched the Dry Bar comedy channel for a while, particularly enjoying Dennis Gaxiola, which I shared with the girls in the evening. Laughing is good medicine. I also showed the girls how to find the Vatican Museum from the subway exit on Thursday afternoon. It isn't hard, but there are a couple of details to know that make it easier. Hopefully Thursday will be a better day for me -- it is no fun being sick, especially with a guest.