Lavandaria

I've been putting it off. When you are gone for, oh has it been two weeks? And you've brought clothes for maybe five days, IT'S TIME. You can only hand wash so much underwear in the hotel, and jeans would cost €15 to wash if the hotel were to launder--it would be cheaper for me to throw out all my clothes and buy new ones than have them do my laundry. I'd scoped out one laundromat nearby a few days ago, but wondered if there might be another close by. I shoved all my clothes in my carry on bag and headed to the lobby and asked ______ "dove laundavaria?" She told me there were two in town about equidistant from the hotel, and having been aware of one of them, I naturally chose the other.

About an hour later, and many inquiries, I found myself at a professional dry cleaner. She didn't speak English and hailed her last customer to come in and direct me as he spoke English.  "Turn left down there, and about 100 meters on your right." One of these days I will learn what a meter is... My translation is, a lot farther than you think. True to his word, there was "My Beautiful Launderette." The kindly owner helped me get started with the wash and told me it would be 40 minutes. I asked if there was wifi and she said "about 100 meters" and pointed down the road.

I walked and walked and found myself in the town of St. Agnello. I never found wifi, but some Italian women driving by stopped to ask ME directions in Sorrento. This made my day. Since I've been here, I didn't want to appear Americana to the average person. I actually changed my clothes before I left this morning as I thought the tommy Bahama beach dress would be too much of a giveaway, even though it was one of the remaining things I had clean to wear.

I also encountered a man with a giant shopping cart selling bunches of fresh aglio -- which he grows himself. Realizing the time, and the fact that I'd walked to the next town and no wifi and that MUST have been more than 100 meters, I returned to My beautiful Laundromat in time for the dryer.

Met Carlos, a man from Canada, but previously from Guatemala. We communicated much better in
Spanish.  "Fue un gusto conercerti."
"Aloha."
My laundry adventure took about three hours, and cost €9. Weather is moving in today. Much cooler, cloudier. I now have clean jeans in preparation.