Thursday 1 May: National holiday with lost leopard

Sleeping about two hours, I woke at 7 am and loaded two weeks of clothes, sheets, and towels into my largest suitcase and hauled it six blocks to the lavanderia, the Indian-run laundromat I like so much. Of course, it was closed for the holiday. I realized the date: 1 May, International Labor Day, a holiday in much of the world and most of Europe, including Italy. That’s why everyone was staying up late the night before! May Day is a big deal in Rome, with a big free rock concert in Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano (Madonna and U2 have played it in the past). I though about going, but the public transportation was running on a short schedule and was packed worse than usual, and I’ve had enough bus twister for now. There was plenty going on in Trastevere, as always, so I passed time just wandering the labyrinthine streets of my neighborhood.

I noticed a photocopies flyer posted all over Trastevere. From a distance it looked like someone had lost their cat. I know a few cats in the area, and went over to check the flyer out in case it was one of them. To my surprise, someone had lost not a cat, but a leopard! Their Leo, a young leopard who likes bloody steak, was lost. My first thoughts were, how big is this leopard, and does it like bloody redhead, too? However, the flyer described it as a cub. From the pics, Leo is a cute little guy. A big city is a bad place for any pet to get lost. I hope they find Leo; I would be upset beyond words if Eddie, Erik the Red, or Xander got lost. I have pics of the flyer on Flickr, including a translation at http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielcmack/2459128656/. It’s not likely that any of you readers will see Leo, but in the off-chance that you are in Rome and you do see a wandering leopard cub, please contact the owner.