Sperlonga

After leaving Wendy's amazing B&B I took the train to a little town called Sperlong. Wendy had called ahead of time to reserve a room for me at another B&B run by two guys (boyfriends). She had told them I would call them when I arrived at the station if they could then pick me up. Neither of them spoke English but fortunately when I mentioned the name "Wendy" they understood and arrived in 10 minutes or so after my call.

They were sweet guys and the B&B was almost brand new. While not as big or grand as Wendy's place, it was perfect for me. They tried to ask me if I needed anything but there was a definite language barrier so they called over a friend who was able to decipher my requests - I needed to mail a package (unload a few of my things to Caroline's house in France) and where I could catch the bus to the beach. The friend translated and then took off. The guys drove me around to show me the bus stop and then one of them said he would meet me at 4pm to take me to the post office. I thanked them and them changed into my bathing suit to head to the beach of Sperlonga.

The bus stop turned out to be a bit of an issue to find. I figured it was not in the area the guys had indicated when a woman leaned out of her window above the corner and gesture with her hands while yelling in Italian. I figured it must be a ways down the blocked and walked on. Still not seeing anything that indicated a bus stop a guy on a bike asked if I needed help. I asked him where Sperlonga was and he pointed so I figured I'd walk there. He became very agitated and instructed me to remain where I was. After quite some time the bus did indeed show up and I hopped on.

The bus ride to the beach was about a hour hour or so, a bit longer than I had expected. Unlike the bay in Long Beach this beach was packed with sunbathers and sectioned off into parcels by the hotels and restaurants. You could pay for a beach lunge chair or lay your towel on the small strip of sand that was not claimed by a cafe or hotel.

Not having a towel and not wanting to spend 15 euros for a beach chair - I strolled along the sand and got lunch at one of the cafes. Not wanting to miss my 4pm appointment for the post office - I hurried back to the bus stop and walked home.

The post office turned out to be a nightmare. Not only did I have to fill out various forms that were then thrown away because they didn't know which one they needed, but they took only cash and charged me over 60 euros! The experience left me in quite a bad mood by the time we left. However, the boyfriend of the B&B owner cheered me up by driving me around the beautiful Sperlonga area, taking photos of me, and even buying me an ice cream cone!

The next day I took the bus to the beach and laid my borrowed towel out among the sunbathers. The water was beautiful and shallow for quite a way. There were families, couples and friends all over. The temperature was perfect and everyone was swimming.

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