h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The picture shows a beach with a town in the distance. Your story doesn't mention a view of the ocean, so did you have that to enjoy?

This was a "holiday" vacation, so I wonder if that meant the holidays at the end of December? If so, I hope your hotel was in some warm spot where you didn't need to bundle up when you went outside.

I remember a concert tour of Italy in 2007; our accommodations in Rome were in a former monastery not far from the Vatican. Oh, one more thing: the monastery was at the top of a rather steep hill. Our bus driver didn't think the bus could get up the hill, so we *walked* up the hill. The beds were, well, basic, Monks didn't live in luxury.

There, does that make you feel any better?

Thanks for reading

The scaffolding obscured the side of the building, so even though we were at the top of the hill we didn't have a great view

It was the summer holidays, but the weather was pleasantly warm - not too hot in town, but nice to go swimming

Wow, you did get the monastic experience on your tour of Italy, having to walk up to your basic accommodation! Did the accommodation meet your expectations, or had you been expecting more luxury in Rome?

I think your tour operators really let you down, with the unfinished hotel and all the steps you had to negotiate. I'm glad you got compensation .

" had you been expecting more luxury in Rome?" [sasha]

Luxury? It had to be bare-bones, or half of us would not have been able to afford to go!

The cost of living is high in Boston, and we aren't the most affluent of people. Still, who would urn down chance to tool around central Italy, enjoying four days in Rome, some time in Perugia, and then visits to Lucca and Florence? Granted, our breakfasts were invariably "Continental," which means some rolls slathered with butter and jelly, washed down with espresso or "American coffee."

When we were in Assisi, I got to enjoy a meal in a local restaurant. There as no such thing as "salad dressing." Instead, you had a container of olive oil, and a container of vinegar. Pasta was invariably present. if we had a formal multi-course meal somewhere, you'd have the salad course, the antipasto plate, a small portion of pasta, some kind of mat or poultry for the entree, and, of course, tiramisu.

I had heard that Italian "pizza' had a much thinner crust than what we had in America, nd it was true! The pizzas in Italy were delightfully light. There was nothing heavy about them.

I recommend reading books like "Italian neighbors" by Tim Parks.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/73702.Italian_Neighbors

Granted, Parks is writing about Verona, which is in northern Italy, but Italians get around. In a later book, "A season with Verona," Parks accompanies Verona's soccer team on their travels around Italy. It's all quite fascinating.

Thanks for reading mvp - yes, that wasn't good behaviour of the tour operator, so hopefully they learned a lesson from our experience...

That's good that the former monastery met your expectations, paulh, and enabled you to have a great tour at a more affordable price

Ah, yes we had Continental breakfast on that vacation - I quite like a bread roll with jelly, so I was OK, and they served tea that was to my taste. At home I usually eat cereal, though - what do you usually have for breakfast?

We had authentic Spaghetti Bolognese for dinner one evening on that vacation, but I wasn't keen on it - the version my mum came up with several years earlier, that was far from authentic, suited my childish tastebuds much better

Oh yeah, Italian stonebaked pizza made fresh in an oven in the side of a building is the best pizza

What do I usually have for breakfast?

A special blend of coffee that I mix myself, with skim milk. I have six different kinds of low-sugar cereal, almost all of them whole griabn and made form organically- grown grains. I put one scoop of each of three in a blender, add prunes and raisins and dried cranberries and a teaspoon of nuts, then griond them coarsely and put them in a bowl with milk.

On Mondays, Wednesdays, an d Fridays I also have a hardboiled egg with a pinch of salt. On the other days of the week, I have a salad that includes, chunks of chicken breast, greens, sweet peppers, marinated mushrooms, feta cheese, and a three-bean salad, with a teaspoon of lemon juice.

Aren't you glad you asked?

(I make a production of breakfast, but it has to do a lot for me. I'm a late starter. I need all the help I can get.

Good to know indeed - I'm not the most energetic in the mornings either, and I struggle to find good things to eat so you inspire me. This morning I did have low sugar cereal with some raisins and nuts I like boiled eggs so that is an excellent idea for another day

I used to know a woman who emphasized getting lots of protein at breakfast. She lived well into her nineties, so I don't think it hurt her.