Return to the scene of the crime....

Today we ventured out to the scene of my illustrious fall at the Florence train station. Equipped with my rented crutches and a strong resolve to conquer the crossing of the Marble floor unscathed, we set off for the dreaded station! We made it down the street and across several busy intersections and into the station where we once again retraced our steps to the ticket office. I just kept my head down and plowed ahead never taking my eyes off what felt like a skating rink. After successfully getting our reserved seats we went out to wait and see what track we would be departing. Deanne went to check the board while I carved out a clean spot on the shiny surface. As she returned , she had this big smile on her face and I thought, "Oh no someone else took a header!!" However it was good news. As she was looking up at the board she recognized a familiar face to all Seattleites and baseball fans everywhere...Edgar Martinez!!!! She came running back, and I looked, and at first he looked a bit different, and then he turned and sure enough it was Edgar. Not being shy I went over and just said "Edgar"? Big smile and he says " Where you from?" We say Seattle and he shakes hands with us and I told him last summer I met him at Barnes and Noble in Bellevue ( eastside of Lake Washington) and when I went outside I saw a kid with his mother and I said, "Hey kid, go inside, Edgar Martinez is there and you may get an autograph". Kid looks up and says, " I know, he's my Dad". Edgar's wife Holly got a big laugh out of that and Edgar today said he remembered that day in Bellevue. So a little lousy Karma and then some good at the train station. We went on into Rome, retrieved this monster bag for Caitie and came back to our home away from home. I must tell you one other funny story from our new friend, the hotel manager, who looks a little like Danny Divito and is usually very serious. All excited, he was telling us about a movie the famous Italian actor Roberto Benigni, who is proudly from Florence and won an Oscar, was playing in a smaller role in an Italian gangster movie. In broken English the hotel manager is doing a great job of telling us that Roberto is sitting at a outdoor restaurant having espresso. At a table a safe number of yards away a guy is stealing a banana and is putting it up the sleeve of his jacket. Suddenly a black car pulls up with brakes screeching and a Mafia guy jumps out with a machine gun and blows the banana thief away. Roberto does not know the banana guy owed them a lot of money, so as he is leaving another person comes up and asks what happened, and Roberto says " I don't know but don't eat the bananas!!!! He cheered up my day! Have fun...enjoy. Go Mariners!!

Mike