A laundromat may not be your ideal location to spend a Saturday afternoon. Even less so if you are out and about with a small child. But I have to admit that my Saturday afternoon doing laundry was actually quite pleasant.
My family and I are currently staying in a mountain cabin in the Italian Alps, in Val di Sella, a remote valley an hour east of the city of Trento. Lorenzo, my 8-month-old son, wears reusable cloth diapers and washing machines are my best friends. We have an internet connection in our cabin – but no washing machine.
So we drove down 15 minutes to the closest town, Borgo Valsugana, and found a laundromat.
When I went there for the first time last week, as Lorenzo slept, I was happy to see a corner for children with games and books.
So when we returned on Saturday, I brought Lorenzo along, sure that he would enjoy the experience. And he did. First we sat on the small chairs around the low table and played with the wooden house and the small furniture inside. Then we pulled all the books off the shelf and I tried to read something to him. But Lorenzo j…