We started the morning off with Charlotte having an absolute fit over the fact that we would not return to her the iTouch that was confiscated for the weekend as a punishment for disregarding our instructions. The hysterics were insane. Eventually, she got in the car with her suitcase (without the iTouch in it) and I dropped her off at AquAniene. We were 10 minutes late for the 8:30am departure. The bus was there waiting, but no one was on it. According to Charlotte, they ended up leaving at 9:15am.
I took Olivia and Avery to school, and then when I got home, I packed Josh and I for our drive up to Spoleto. Josh was having some words with the houseman about installing the air-conditioning units on the third floor. Apparently one of the units was broken. And, why wasn't it repaired during the winter? It's not as if the arrival of June is a surprise!
Also before leaving, we had to deal with an ant infestation coming out of the light socket in the kitchen. I would not have picked the light socket as a choice hideout for ants, but there they were streaming out. We finally hit the road at 11am. "Right behind schedule," as Josh likes to say.
After getting off the Autostrada, the windy drive into the hills of Umbria was beautiful; and fun to drive (I never get to drive except when Josh is on crutches). Josh was comfortably situated in the back seat with pillows.
We located our hotel in Spoleto, had a moment to admire our room, and then went off to lunch. Torretta was a very nice spot, and while the tables outside looked inviting, we opted for indoor dining given the heat. We started with a melanzane appetizer, and then shared pasta, a frittata, and pecorino with honey for the last course (desert).
We had more than an hour before the meet was to start, or at least so we thought. But, it turns out they started at 2pm instead of 3:30pm as was stated on the website program. (?) Good thing I had Josh call the coach to check in. It was also a good thing we decided to drive to the pool early since it took us almost a half an hour to drive the 3km to find it. No signs. We asked three different sets of people where it was. By now it was seriously scorching; 100 degrees in the shade.
We arrived to find Charlotte and her team sitting on the dirt under a slightly shady tree. She was sweating, and red-faced, but still with a shirt on. Some of her team mates even has warm-ups on. These Italians must be part African. And, what is up with the closed shoes and sweaters in the summer??
Charlotte's only race today was the 200 Breast. It was a good swim for her, and she qualified for the Italian National Championships, although it was not quite as fast as her race at the short course nationals. Still, it was her best time in the 50 meter pool thus far this season. Unfortunately, Charlotte, by her own choice, will not be around in Rome to swim in the Nationals at Foro Olympico this summer. Given that we are in Italy, and that this is a special year, she wants to take July and August off from training and travel with the family. It was a tough decision since swimming in the Nationals and at the Foro Olympico is also a unique opportunity. But ultimately I think Charlotte feels that she has spent a lot of time swimming this year, and she doesn't want to miss going to Sardegna and the summer vacation in Tuscany.
Today, Charlotte finished 5th in the 200 Breast -- only the top three finishers are awarded medals on the podium. After her race, there was to be 4 1/2 more hours of swimming before the meet concluded. We wanted to take her back to our hotel to cool off and have a rest in an air-conditioned room. She refused. She is technically not supposed to leave the team, but her coach said if we brought her back to the meet in a couple of hours that would be fine. Still, she wanted to stay in the sweltering pool area.
In the evening, it was much cooler out -- the temps must have dropped by at least 20 degrees. I let Josh rest at the hotel, while I went for a walk around Spoleto. I may be spoiled for all the pretty Tuscan and Umbrian hillside towns I've visited, and while Spoleto is nice it's not nearly the nicest. My impression may, in part, be due to the fact that there is a lot of construction going on everywhere. The Piazza del Duomo is pretty, but the Torre is enveloped in scafolding. I became lost walking back to the hotel...and it took me a while, but I found my way. Josh and I then drove to dinner at a nice restaurant called Sabatini. We sat outside in the garden which was full of flowers. We had a good meal, but I think neither of us were too hungry. By dessert time, the breeze made it almost too chilly to sit outside just wearing a t-shirt. We had a chocolate soufflé nonetheless. Afterwards, we drove back to hotel, and I collapsed in to sleep.
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