It's empty nest, again. James and Jackie, Robert and Mandy departed yesterday, and the Captain and I are on our own. Today was scheduled for boat chores. A gentleman picked up our laundry yesterday and, lo and behold, it arrived back, beautifully done by early this morning. By the time it arrived, we had already defrosted and cleaned the fridge and freezer, changed the filter for the watermaker and cleaned out the bilge. WOW! We're way ahead of schedule. (How often does that happen!!!!)

So...we ventured off Moonbeam to work off more of the list. At the marina office, we were able to firm up our rental car for our weekend 'vacation' to Cinque Terre where we will meet up with my bro, Randy, and his wife, Joy. We plan to do our next big provisioning on our return from the driving trip, before we turn in the car but...we thought it prudent to check out the local supermarket...just in case it wasn't the best. But it was! On a trip like this, markets are usually compared to each other, but in this case, Il Castro is the motherlode of supermarkets. It makes our big Publix pale by comparison. The produce is gorgeous. The meats and cheeses are spectacular. And...the prices are very, very reasonable. They even sell Buitoni frozen pizza...here in Italy. Go figure! (Don't worry. We're not going to buy it.)

When we first arrived at the market, Ken noticed some nice looking foldable carts near the entrance. He mentioned that perhaps we should have one on Moonbeam, since we so often have to schlep stuff some distance. One looked more substantial than the other, but was also heavier. (Ah...the constant compromises in life.) There were no prices on them, so we just proceeded on our way. Since we don't have the car yet, we were only going to pick up some light essentials like yogurt and ham and cheese, but study the aisles in advance of our major shopping.

Even though the market was 5,000 steps from Moonbeam, we did buy a few heavier items...like the AJAX with bleach which is hard to come by, but so necessary on a boat. (I think bleach has been banned in most countries...at least those we've been to...and since they only had two bottles on the shelf, we took them both.) Our total bill for these two bottles, a large dishwashing soap, four yogurts, and packages of sliced ham, and sliced cheese was 12 euros. Now this is a bargain. On the way out, we went to look at those two carts we saw on the way in, and maybe buy one. Guess what. They were gone. They weren't for sale. They were just parked while the owners shopped. Had we picked up one before we shopped, we could have been quite embarrassed!!!!

Continuing back to the marina, we came upon a McDonald's...fortunately only the second one we've seen on this leg of the trip. I couldn't resist going in to check it out. It was all too similar: a one euro menu, 1.50 euro items, 5.50 euro meals...and then, the big kahuna: 8.50 euros for the Big Mac, big fries and super-sized soda. The most interesting menu item was the hamburger with ham...(prosciutto). Really! I couldn't make that up.

Our next stop was the massage parlor...a full service facility. The Captain needs someone to rub him in the right places...and while it was supposed to be open, it was locked up. It took several calls but Ken was able to line up an appointment for later in the afternoon...with an Asian masseuse.

In between these stops, we got a good look at this town of Ostia, south of Rome, near the airport. It appears to be a holiday area for Italians. Walking along the marina, one can see that a lot of money has gone into it. It is a large and relatively new facility with modern water and electricity stations on the docks. There are many boats here, but few of the mega yachts we saw in Stabia. The quay area surrounding the marina is interesting. There is a modern arcade along the promenade with many chic and upmarket boutiques as well as stores offering high-end boat and brokerage services. But...there are many empty shops. Like many of the nicer marinas we have been to, it seems as if they were built with grandiose plans and lots of capital, but perhaps the GFC threw a wrench into the works, and they have never lived up to the plans. Walking along the promenade and beach in town, we saw many new apartment complexes side by side with older units, some in disrepair. The beach was busy, since this is a holiday week here. I though it interesting that with few exceptions, the beachniks were sitting under umbrellas, rather than working on their future dermatological issues...I mean tans...as we had seen in Croatia and Montenegro.

And, 10,000 steps later (as measured by my Fitbit) we were back on Moonbeam, chowing down on the leftover pizza from last night...which was delicious.