A Blind Woman, Two Wheels and 25,000 Miles – Day 22

Today we tried to visit the Italian Federation of the Blind and found nobody at home! We rang every bell on the door several times and no response at all - even Bernard's size ten boots made no impact! It wasn't during the traditional two hour Italian lunch either we hasten to add and so it was our first strike-out! We pondered about going to the Retinitis Pigmentosa Society but it would have meant a cross-city ride on the bike and Bernard point blank refused to enter the mayhem of the slippery roads and I completely agreed with him.
So went shopping instead.
Well what can I say, a girl in Rome and no shopping? It cannot be allowed! So it was that I am now the proud owner of two little Italian numbers (one in white and one in black). After all his moaning and complaining about the amount of clothes I had with me he took me shopping - and it felt really, really good!

We retired to the roof-top garden to feel the warm night air crossing through the city and Bernard went back to the room to get his camera only to find the lift would not come back to level six where I was left sitting. He went up and down, and up and down, at every floor he tried level 6 only to retire defeated to the lobby. The receptionist explained that the roof-garden was closed from 9pm due to neighbours and noise although once he knew it was the blind woman on the motorbike he let Bernard back up to finish his drink! A lovely warm breeze swirls across the roof tops as we sit drinking Italian red wine and listen to the peel of the church towers counting time of our last night in Rome.

Tomorrow we go to Ancona where the ferry to Croatia waits.