Yesterday was kind of like Tuesday.  Bill and I got up, had breakfast, and he went to work.  I came back to the hotel room, wrote a post or two, then headed to the mall so the housekeeper could clean.  I did some more shopping.  Ended up buying a Multi-Knacker, a device that was made in China, but will probably be very handy for us.  It cracks nuts and opens pesky champagne bottles or tight bottle caps.  It was about five euros.

Festive Nutella filled cookie at breakfast.

I also bought lots of black socks, trying to buy ones that were made in Italy instead of China.  I bought a new scarf, made in China, but looks Italian.  And I bought wine…  but that’s a given, right?

Lovely Italian cakes… except for maybe the ones that look like a pile of horse shit.

When I got back to the room, it still hadn’t been made up.  I took my iPad and went to the lobby, where I listened to the latest British and American pop songs interspersed with older hits and Italian pop songs that sounded inspired by Mentos ads.  I played Covet and listened to a snazzily dressed local talk on his blackberry.  Then I came back, put the iPad away, and had lunch at the hotel restaurant.  I ordered a half liter of white wine and a bottle of water, along with shrimp ravioli.  It was all delicious, but I was rather buzzed after the wine.  It was more than I needed.

This ravioli was nice, especially after I drank the wine.

I started looking around YouTube and found a video of Renee Alway in jail.  About a year ago, I posted about her on my main blog.  Renee was a contestant on Cycle 8 of America’s Next Top Model. She did very well and had a lot of potential.  Sadly, she is now in prison.  I was watching old ANTM episodes when Bill came back.

I took him to the mall and showed him its hugeness.  He said we’d go back tonight and load up on Italian stuff like olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  And maybe a 10 liter bottle of wine…

Purchase one of these and fill  it with vino!

What a concept!

Afterwards, I told him he could take me to McDonald’s if he wanted to.  He refused.  I don’t actually like eating at McDonald’s anymore, but I also wasn’t really in the mood to go out.  This dark, cold weather makes me want to hibernate.  But we ended up going to a place called Me Gusta, which was located very close to our hotel.  I had a sirloin with fries.  He had roast beef with pecorino cheese and greens.  Instead of wine, we drank beer.

Wonder how many glasses have been broken because they were set up this way…

An amuse…

Better quality than McDonald’s.

Bill’s roast beef!

Remember this for next time?

Then we decided where our next stop will be.  We are going to Vevey, Switzerland, which is very close to Gruyeres.  Bill wants to see the Giger Museum there.  I want to go somewhere that has a bed that won’t kill my back.  I booked us a room in a five star hotel.  I even sprang for the lakefront view.  It’s going to cost us, but what the hell… it’s Christmas time.  And it’s also Switzerland, where bargains don’t come by every day.  I suspect we’ll come home with cheese and chocolate and lots of beautiful photos.

I had actually had my eye on the hotel I booked when we lived in Germany the first time.  Bill had wanted to go to Gruyeres then, when Mr. Giger was still alive.  The hotel was beyond our budget then.  It probably still is, but what the hell?