Saturday, my friends had errands/work so my big plan was to get cash and then go see stuff. You’d think “get cash” would not be a two hour event. I went to the metro to see if they took credit cards (they do not at this station), then I briefly considered using my last euros to buy a one way to another metro and hope for an ATM but decided that could be scary so I left on a quest for an ATM (note that I saw not a single bank on my like 7 mile run earlier in the morning) but surely these people have an ATM somewhere… I walked for… I don’t know… forever… no ATM… so then I started asking people. First guy (at the church) says “no, sorry, no bank anywhere around here)”, I’m thinking well this stinks, I have a credit card and a debit card but am stuck one of my four days here hanging out at home. I went back to the metro to make sure no credit cards. Then I asked more people and I got a more positive response. I found an ATM! But it was the kind where the ATM is in its own little room and you have to stick your card in to open the doors… and my card didn’t work… I walked on looking for another ATM, returned and tried again, a few times, and one time… it worked! But then the machine inside wouldn’t take my card. It also wouldn’t take the woman’s card who came in after me. She just spoke Italian but I got from her that there were more banks on the street parallel to the one I was on. So I walked down and over, and found another ATM! This time just out on the street (no doors)! But my card didn’t work. As I’m walking away, the ATM woman was there trying to tell me something which I could not figure out. I was pretty discouraged, frustrated… so I decided to try the street ATM one more time… Success! Two hours later, I had cash. I decided people who spend two hours trying to find cash don’t have to have cultural experiences for lunch so went to McDonalds (before my church adventure yesterday (a couple big churches, popped up to look at the Colloseum, etc.).
HOWe Things Are... 
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