Back to a very Italian Reality

So here I am back in a politically confused Italy, where comedians, rather than politicians, have been calling the shots.  Many people I know voted for Beppe Grillo - a famous TV satirical comedian - in a protest against the establishment and in the hope of bringing down the corrupt and unworkable system.  The result is that a comedian holds the balance of power here! It couldn't get crazier.

I am jet-lagged - wake up each morning with a hangover without the night-before party to compensate.  There are three suitcases of dirty washing and it's been raining non-stop for three days.  But I'm not complaining.  In Cambodia my email was hacked, my Facebook account was hacked, my bank cards stopped, and I had a scary experience with third world medical facilities.  I'm still trying to straighten it all out.   And I feel rather like the guy with the suitcases on the carnival float.

We arrived back in the middle of the Pietrasanta carnival afternoon.  It's a small community affair, unlike the big international carnival at Viareggio, but we enjoyed an hour or so among the floats before heading for the supermarket.  It's good to be back, even in the rain.  Italy, crazy, crazy Italy, has begun to feel like home.