The second day in Medesano, we promised ourselves a day of rest and relaxation, and maybe we'd just zip into Parma in the afternoon to look around. Besides we, especially myself, were still suffering with a bit of lingering crud.
We should have listened to Rory and Jasper when they said they didn't want to go to town that day! We cajoled them into the car but then there was a last minute phone call and Vito was delayed.
When we finally left we had a death defying drive into town to catch the bus. We got to Parma and looked around. Went to the cathedral which had some stunning frescoes on the cupola. Then we went and bought food because we'd arranged to cook a chile relleno casserole for dinner. We also bought an international electrical adapter since our camera battery was dead.
Feeling pretty smug we got to the bus stop 20 minutes early and, just to be safe, I asked in my rudimentary Italian where the bus for Medesano came. I was told by one bus driver that it came to this stop--yeh! But the next one I asked said it came across the street. I began asking a random sampling of people and the answers fell into four distinct groups; 'yes, it comes here', 'no, it comes across the street', 'no, it comes somewhere over there', and finally 'I don't know'--probably the most honest answer.
Well, 6:28 came and went and then 6:45 and we began to get a little worried realizing that Vito was going to pick us up in Medesano at 7:15.
We tried to phone and couldn't get through. Now mild panic set in. We went to the main train/bus station to see if there was any other way to get to Medesano. By now it was nearly 8:00 and there wasn't anyone around who could help us through the labrynth of the Italian transportation system.
We began to consider taking a taxi the 15 or so miles to Medesano but didn't really think we'd be able to find the house in the dark, as it's a few kilometers out of town.
In desperation I tried the phone again and miraculously, Erica answered. I told her where we were and she said that Vito was waiting for us at the Bus stop in Medesano and she'd let him know to come pick us up. Yes! Saved, once again.
On the way back home, Vito told us of a similar experience they'd had with Servas hosts in Australia. The hosts came 50 km to pick them up but they'd missed the ferry. When they called the hosts said, no problem, mate, we'll come pick you up at the next one. According to Vito, the hosts ended up making 5 or six 50 km trips to get them.
That night, we got home late and had vegetable soup and crostini that Erica made. It felt great to be home.
Now, we were faced with a dilemna. We had planned to leave the next day, after our 'day of rest.' After looking at all the options, we invited ourselves to stay one more night in Medesano and leave the day after, feeling like the guests that would never leave. But Erica and Vito are the most gracious hosts in the world and said that that would work better for them too.
So the next day we really did rest, only walking into Medesano in the morning. We came back and worked out our travel plans for the next week (Nice, to Barcelona, back to Nice for Halloween, and then back to Italy for a week at an Ecovillage).
That night we had the chile relleno casserole and another friend, Maria Pia came over and brought a delicious strudel for dessert. Unfortunately, I was suffering from full blown sinusitis by this time and my face felt like it would explode. Vito wanted to go walking in the woods at night, and if you can believe it, I declined.
When they heard about my infirmity, they instantly set about making a tisane (an herbal tea) from 'fresh grass' as Vito called it, a mixture of fresh herbs from the garden. I felt better instantly and by morning was on the mend.
We left on the train from Fidenza to Nice the next morning.
Thanks Erica and Vito for a stupendous time!
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