SEPTEMBER 4, 2012
When we arrived at the Aker Vacation Home in Piovere there were many instructions to follow. Klaus and Evelyn are very seasoned home exchangers and they know the importance of giving good instructions. We, also, are seasoned exchangers and we think we are pretty smart about finding hidden keys and such. Don, being a graphic person, never read the instructions Evelyn emailed us. He just printed them out, thinking that if he needed to read the instructions, he would. Typical male! Who needs to read instructions? So, here we were, arguing about which tree the instructions said to park under.
After selecting a tree to park near, we had to find the correct unit, #7. There were lots of photos with the instructions, but being doofus Americanos, it took us a while to find Corpo A, the first clue. Then, the decision was, where to go from there--straight ahead, down the stairs, to the left, to the right???? We didn’t want to invade anyone’s private space.
We both wandered around and finally Don found it! Eureka! But, what about the key??? Not under the mat, under the flower pot, on the door frame. Oops, we forgot to print out the page about how to find the key. So we called Evelyn, who reminded us that they got a lockbox like we used to have in Truckee. Go around the unit to the deck, far over in the right corner, behind the shutter, there is the lockbox. She gave us the code and we were able to move on to the next step in the treasure hunt.
In the lockbox is a key to a secret closet under the stairs, the Cantina. Which stairs??? There are twenty sets of stairs sprinkled around the complex. So, we resorted to the map included with the instructions, which was very helpful in selecting the location of the secret closet. Use the lockboxed key to get inside the Cantina. Wait! where are the dancing girls, how about a beer, and nachos too. No, no, this is a storage closet Cantina. Now that you are in, turn right, the key to the house is in a ziplock bag, in the mop bucket, under a rag. Ok, got that. And, it opened the front door. Yahoo!
Now it was time to turn on the utilities. First the water. At the end of the second flight of stairs--what??? Which second set, there are so many to choose from--turn to the right. Under the stairs is a little red door. It is a little tough to open. Ok, got it. Light switch is on the wall to the right. It is pretty tight and Don can’t fit into the space. Ok, in I go, my eyesight is bad, can’t read a thing in the dim light. Don sneers and squeezes himself into the space, using the flashlight feature of his cellphone, he calls out the reading, turns the knob.
Next, the electricity. The meter is in the cabinet on the wall behind the blue door. Which blue door, where is a blue door??? Oh, look! Here is a white door with a blue frame. This is it! The meter is the farthest left in the middle row. Press the button until it displays A3. Don won’t listen to the full instruction, so he is pressing and pressing and different numbers come up, and flash by so fast he can’t read them. Finally he calls out the readings while I dutifully record the numbers. But, you don’t turn the electricity on here, you turn it on at the meter near the kids room inside the house. OK.
Time for the butane gas. Down the stairs to the parking lot. Oh! How to choose which stairs from so many choices. Down we go, the residents in Unit 2 looking askance as we go by, vociferously discussing stair choices. In the parking lot we turn right and find the second set of meters. The meter is clearly labeled with the Aker name--that is what the instructions say. Nope! No label, but we figure it out. Turn yellow valve, left side of round gray pod, brass knob, push several times. Ok, now we are done.
No. There is more. Back in the house, two yellow valves, one for the stove and one for the heater. Ok, got those handled. Whew!! Time for a glass of wine.
Once we got
the drive done, the house found, keys located, utilities all turned on
and our luggage unloaded we sat down for a rest and to enjoy the view.
The deck off the living room overlooks the beautiful Lake Garda and
Monte Baldo. The setting is very placid and serene, with little
sailboats floating atop the blue lake and the reflection of the grand
mountains in the glassy lake surface. We just sat there, on the deck,
glass of wine in hand, and soaked in the serenity as the sun lowered
behind the mountains. After awhile it began to get cool and cloudy. I
had to get up and make some dinner, Don did a bit of work with his
photos and the computer, and it was off to bed.
After selecting a tree to park near, we had to find the correct unit, #7. There were lots of photos with the instructions, but being doofus Americanos, it took us a while to find Corpo A, the first clue. Then, the decision was, where to go from there--straight ahead, down the stairs, to the left, to the right???? We didn’t want to invade anyone’s private space.
We both wandered around and finally Don found it! Eureka! But, what about the key??? Not under the mat, under the flower pot, on the door frame. Oops, we forgot to print out the page about how to find the key. So we called Evelyn, who reminded us that they got a lockbox like we used to have in Truckee. Go around the unit to the deck, far over in the right corner, behind the shutter, there is the lockbox. She gave us the code and we were able to move on to the next step in the treasure hunt.
In the lockbox is a key to a secret closet under the stairs, the Cantina. Which stairs??? There are twenty sets of stairs sprinkled around the complex. So, we resorted to the map included with the instructions, which was very helpful in selecting the location of the secret closet. Use the lockboxed key to get inside the Cantina. Wait! where are the dancing girls, how about a beer, and nachos too. No, no, this is a storage closet Cantina. Now that you are in, turn right, the key to the house is in a ziplock bag, in the mop bucket, under a rag. Ok, got that. And, it opened the front door. Yahoo!
Now it was time to turn on the utilities. First the water. At the end of the second flight of stairs--what??? Which second set, there are so many to choose from--turn to the right. Under the stairs is a little red door. It is a little tough to open. Ok, got it. Light switch is on the wall to the right. It is pretty tight and Don can’t fit into the space. Ok, in I go, my eyesight is bad, can’t read a thing in the dim light. Don sneers and squeezes himself into the space, using the flashlight feature of his cellphone, he calls out the reading, turns the knob.
Next, the electricity. The meter is in the cabinet on the wall behind the blue door. Which blue door, where is a blue door??? Oh, look! Here is a white door with a blue frame. This is it! The meter is the farthest left in the middle row. Press the button until it displays A3. Don won’t listen to the full instruction, so he is pressing and pressing and different numbers come up, and flash by so fast he can’t read them. Finally he calls out the readings while I dutifully record the numbers. But, you don’t turn the electricity on here, you turn it on at the meter near the kids room inside the house. OK.
Time for the butane gas. Down the stairs to the parking lot. Oh! How to choose which stairs from so many choices. Down we go, the residents in Unit 2 looking askance as we go by, vociferously discussing stair choices. In the parking lot we turn right and find the second set of meters. The meter is clearly labeled with the Aker name--that is what the instructions say. Nope! No label, but we figure it out. Turn yellow valve, left side of round gray pod, brass knob, push several times. Ok, now we are done.
No. There is more. Back in the house, two yellow valves, one for the stove and one for the heater. Ok, got those handled. Whew!! Time for a glass of wine.
No comments:
Post a Comment