Modena is not so modern-a

I learned something today. Don't go to a small Italian town on a Sunday. Especially if you have had a lot of water beforehand.

On Sundays, outside of the bigger cities, Italy closes up. And even in the cities, some stores close and people tend to be homebodies. Modena was a ghost town. Nothing was open and almost no one was out. So much for buying balsamic there, at least today.

I found a couple of cafes open on a street that had some hotels. Ate a spinach thing with a carrot torte and a bag of olive chips with the locals and watched some athletes being interviewed on the screen. Went to use the facilities....if you were there, you would have heard me exclaim, "Are you kidding me?". And then, going out and checking the door, "Wait, is this really unisex?"

Those of you who have been in Turkey, or Israel, or other countries that are more developed in some areas than in others, know there are different kinds of bathrooms, and you hope you get the good kind. In Turkey, there are so-called "Western bathrooms" and "Eastern bathrooms". Western is what you know. Eastern was what I found in Modena. Let's just say there are two places to put your feet and a hole, and all your energy goes to praying you won't lose your balance.

Never thought I'd find that in Italy. Good thing I had previous training.

I did find a beautiful church open. It was interesting to see the priests readying it for what seemed to be a wedding later. I walked past the confessional booth and was surprised that the "confessor's area" was not secluded. It was just two armchairs facing each other with a little table in between. Kind of like therapy in the States.

I talked with a young interracial couple outside the church. I wonder what they must confront in their lives in Modena. There are definitely class and race issues here, although that is slowly changing as more foreigners relocate here. But African-Americans are not seen that often, except those selling knockoffs in the market areas, which influences stereotyping.

A highlight on the way back to the station - a rosy-cheeked woman with a nice smile roasting fresh chestnuts at a roadside stand. They were wonderful. The paper bag was burning hot when I got them, and it made my tote bag smell great.