I conquered the lido today!

So we all have those things, when traveling, that seem very difficult to understand & are even a bit intimidating. For me, one of those has always been the "lido". A lido in Italy is essentially a seaside bar or restaurant that has lounge chairs with umbrellas you can rent. They are overrun & utterly bustling with Italians in summertime & especially in Agosto (August), their biggest vacation month. I have spent way too much time in avoidance, seeking out a hard-to-find spiaggia pubblica (public beach) when it would have been far more convenient & enjoyable to try out a lido. Well, today I did it!! From figuring out where to park (as a gruff attendant barked at me in far-too-fast Italiano), to where & how to pay for our rented beach space & even to ordering a panino & bruschetta... I had total lido success & felt silly proud of this little win. Bravissimo for me -- no longer are lidos a waterside mystery. Next up: the bidet!