A PERFECT DAY

I'm in love again.   (No, I haven't met a handsome mature Italian man....darn!). I almost picked a language school in Ravenna, but decided on Bologna instead.  Darn!

Ravenna is just a lovely place.  There are no mountains, no sea, no rolling hills surrounding the city, just the flat plains typical of this part of the province of Emilia-Romanga.  But it's got a charm and appeal that are indisputable (in my opinion).  It was a 90 minute train trip east of Bologna that brought me to this engaging city.  There isn't much to see, other than a lot of churches and basilicas, but it's pretty easy to navigate.  The city is a short walk from the train station.

This is the first church I passed....but I didn't see a way to get in.  It made a nice picture, though.

I was at the main piazza after only a ten minute walk.

This is the second church I passed...again no entry, but a great tower.  This may be a second leaning tower in Italy.

And I was able to sneak a peek of this lovely courtyard.

I passed by a large theater, and guess who was the greeter in front.  Yup, there's my constant companion, Signore Girabaldi.

My first destination was Dante's tomb, housed modestly in this marble cupola.

And here is the tomb of this illustrious figure.

The Basilica of San Francesco was my next stop.  Couldn't get in here either.

But I did go into this one...the Bascilica di San Viale.

I took this second outside photo on the other side of the bascilica.  Notice the similarity of architecture in these first three religious buildings?

I decided to try out the camera on my iPad this day, and I have to say it performed extremely well in the typical dim light inside this bascilica.  I think the quality of the photos I took inside are all superior to any I've taken before.

I'm not able to position pictures and type text beside them like I could when I was blogging with my computer.  My only option for blogging on my iPad is a mobile app that doesn't have nearly the functionality I had on my PC.  Maybe I'll meet some young computer genius who can suggest something better.  Another inside shot of the dome...I haven't got centering down pat yet .

In back of the basilica was a mausoleum containing three ancient tombs--this one contains the remains of Galla Placidia, a powerful Roman empress, and two other family members.

There were some beautiful mosaics there, this being the most notable.

On the way to my next destination, I happened upon this street demonstration.  I asked a stander-by what it was all about.  It was a neo-fascist group demonstrating against current political policies.  The demonstrators are in the background.  When I passed by later, the crowd was filling this street.

Some of the streets weren't very pedestrian-friendly....you had to keep you ears alert for traffic at your back.

A typical city street....

A small change of pace...this is the Neoniano Bapistry.

And next to it is the Duoma.

Last stop was the Bascilica di San Apollinare Nuova.

The ladies adorn one side

And the gentlemen the other

And the altar in between them.

I spent four hours wandering around Ravenna and wish I'd had the stamina for more.  This is a city where I could happily live, but without the neo-fascists, please.

Then to cap a perfect day, I got a table without reservations at a very popular trattoria that was a short walk from the train station but quite a long walk from where I'm living.  They said they were full up with reservations, but they were kind enough to squeeze me in.  

The specials for the evening were "all about pork" and since I really haven't eaten any pork, and since this region of Italy is known for it, my camieriere (waiter),Tomaso, offered me a sampling of three pork dishes.  I was also given an appetizer on the house.  It was a very tender piece of delicious bread topped with pork lard, seasoned ground pork crumbles, shavings of parmeggiano reggiano, and balsamic vinegar.  I didn't think about taking a picture, but you can imagine.

For primi, I had house made tagliatelle with a delicious seasoned pork sauce, and I did take a photo.

For secondo, Tomaso gave me a sample of two pork dishes--one was pork ribs braised in a tomato sauce, quite like osso bucco.  The side is mashed potatoes with celery root alongside some pickled vegetables.

Then came this delicious roast pork with rosemary.

Believe me, I was in pork heaven.  Afterward, I was given an after dinner liqueur on the house.  This was not only the best meal I've had in Bologna, it's one of the best meals I've had in Italy.  When I was close to finishing, some Americans were seated at the next table, which was only an arm's length away from me.  So I had some very enjoyable after dinner conversation with them.  

When Tomaso came to check on my satisfaction with my meal, I asked him if the chef was single, because I wanted to propose to him, at which time he informed me that he was the chef.  We all had a pretty good laugh about that.  Imagine being served personally by the chef--quite a perquisite.

On the walk home, I stopped at the main piazza and was entertained by a fire eater-twirler.  He was pretty amazing.  

All in all, A PERFECT DAY IN BELLA ITALIA!

BACK IN THE SADDLE

So here I am back in my beautiful Italy, this time in a medieval city that has a few tourists and much interesting history to offer.  It is, for instance, the site on the very first university in Europe.  Another very interesting fact is that the citizens of Bologna chose to free their slaves back in the 13th century. That fact alone is enough to make me love this city.

I spent the first two days here in an old hotel in the city center.  It was very noisy, and I didn't sleep very much at all.  On Saturday, I moved to the apartment of my designated host for my two week stay here.  I have deviated from my norm of renting an apartment alone to increase my opportunities to practice the language.  It is a difficult transition, particularly because my host, a woman close to my age, is very particular about how I must do things and where I must put things.  Being the strongly independent woman that I am, it is difficult for me to be in such a controlled environment.  We shall see how long I last here.

Until last night, I hadn't slept for more than 3 hours, so I haven't had much energy for sightseeing.  Also, I had some errands to do on Saturday, like getting telephone service and buying a couple of cables I forgot so that I can download photos to my iPad.  I don't have wifi at my host apartment, so I won't be posting many blog entries here.

I have walked around the city center a bit, and here are some initial pictures.  These twin towers are a landmark here.  They have become my touchstone.  I look for them to know where I am.

I think there has been a statue of Girabaldi in every Italian city and town I have visited, and Bologna is no exception.

Piazza Maggiore is the central point of the city.  There is a church here, but it's not the city's cathedral, which is unusual.

The city's offices are in this once upon a time palace.

On weekends, there is a variety of entertainment in the piazza.  Last Sunday, I listened to a pretty good Italian salsa band.  

On weekends, sections of two main streets are closed to traffic, and people pour into the area to walk, window shop and bargain hunt at this street market.

I finally found a cover for my cell phone at this market for the bargain price of 5 euro.

Here, as in every Italian city I've visited so far, there are many street entertainers.  This fellow is a one-man band.

And you will typically see people in white face standing statuesquely.

A unique characteristic of Bologna is that many city sidewalks are covered--in Italian, portici.  You have little need for an umbrella when you walk the streets of the city center.

At the language school, I am meeting people from many different countries--France, Spain, Belgium, Israel, Japan, Korea, Australia, and Switzerland.  There are also a few Americans here.  I was pleased to find a few people close to my age, but the majority of students are young.

So far, I've sampled a couple of typical Bolognese dishes--tortellini in butter and sage and, of course, tagliatelle in Bolognese sauce.  Delicioso!  Believe it or not, I haven't had one lick of gelato yet.

So far, I'm enjoying this city, especially because there are no hills to climb!

LOSING MY HEAD

My mother has often said that I would lose my head if it wasn't attached to my body.  I hear this comment from her when I can't locate something or when I leave something at her house after a visit.  

I left the U.S. to begin Part 2 of my nomadic travels on October 15.  On the flight from Chicago to London, I was handed one of those forms you have to complete for Passport Control when you enter another country.  When I looked in my purse for my passport, I couldn't find it.  (Small panic)  So I checked the pockets of my carry-on luggage, and no passport.  (Medium panic)  After rechecking my purse, my luggage, the seatback pocket, my seat, the floor around my seat, medium-high panic set in.  I had the passport in my hand when I boarded, at 

the instruction of the airline attendants.  So I was pretty sure it was on the plane somewhere.  Maybe I had dropped it on my way to my seat, which was the third row from the back of the plane.  That was a lot of ground to cover on a plane that had 45 rows. 

When I replayed my entry onto the plane, I concluded that the most probable scenario was that I had laid it in a seat two rows ahead of me when I 

needed both hands to lift my luggage into the overhead compartment.  I had my passport and a neck rest in one hand and I had picked up the neckrest and probably left my passport on that seat. I notified a flight attendant and asked if she could 

check that seat and the ones in front and in back of it    (for safe measure) for my passport.  She asked the occupants of those seats to check for it, and no luck! Now I am in major panic mode, but trying to remain calm because I knew it was in my hand when I 

boarded the plane.  I kept thinking, though, that someone might have picked it up and put it in their bag or pocket, thinking it was their passport.  It would have to be an American, but since the flight 

departed from the U.S., there were a lot of Americans  on the flight.  So this possibility nagged at me for the long 5 hours left until arrival in London.  When we landed, the flight attendant made an announcement about my lost passport and asked people to look around their seats for it, but still no luck.

I waited until everyone had left the plane to begin my search.  The first place I looked was in the seat where I had laid the neckrest when I was stowing my carryon, and WAH LA, there was the passport standing up at the side of the seat.  I don't know why the man who was in the seat didn't see it or feel it, but at this point relief washed over me.  I retrieved my carryon and hurried on to Passport Control.  There was an incredibly long line there, probably 200 people ahead of me, and while inching my way up, I got into a conversation with a couple from Tennessee.  We were talking about traveling, and I shared some of my nomadic experiences.  The man asked if I wrote about any of them, so I told him about my blog.  As soon as the sentence left my mouth, I realized that I had left my brand new toy--my iPad--on the plane.  I was so focused on finding my passport that I forgot to retrieve it from the seatback pocket where I had stowed it for landing.  

Now I'm back in panic mode, but trying to stay calm, because, after all, the universe has been very good to me, and I believe most people are honest.  I am nervous, though, and anxious to report my "brain skip" as quickly as possible.  But I can't backtrack, and I can't move ahead any faster than the line ahead of me does.  I have to go through Passport Control before I can notify someone at the airline of my second loss of the day. 

I was directed to the desk in the baggage claim area to report my loss.  This was another very slow line.  By the time I was able to speak to someone there, the plane had been on the ground for an hour.  The woman at the desk went to try to find the attendant who met the plane to ask if my iPad had been found. I waited 20 minutes before I got word that it had been found, and someone was on their way down to return it to me.  Another wave of relief, but honestly, I would rather have lost this iPad than my passport.

You could say I had some bad luck that day--that it's true I lost my head, because I really wasn't operating at the attention level needed for international travel. But you could also say I'm lucky, because I found my passport, and an honest person found my iPad and turned it in.  I prefer to think of myself as a lucky person rather than an airhead!

After a comfortable night's stay at a hotel close to Gatwick Airport, I boarded another flight to Genoa, Italy, and arrived there safely with no mishaps.  I then took a train to Bologna, where I will be for the next two weeks.  I'll be attending language school here, hoping to refresh my memory of prior studies, and maybe advance a bit also.  

I have arrived safely, with my head still attached to my body ;-)

MY NEW TOY

I don't think a person is ever too old for a new toy.  My new toy is an iPad, and right now I'm talking to my iPad and it's doing all this typing for me.  I can even dictate the punctuation marks.  Needless to say, I'm simply awestruck by this technology.

I'm spending a little time now getting acquainted with my new iPad.  One of the things I discovered is a feature that takes very strange pictures called Photo Booth.  Here are some of the very strange pictures I took of myself.

                                         Does this look like I'm in heaven?

This one gives new meaning to "having your nose out of joint"!

                                            Here's a psychedelic me.

And talk about being two-faced!  Nah.... not me.

R

I'm not sure why anyone would want pictures like this, but I have to admit it was pretty fun just playing around and seeing yourself with the twisted face or a stretched face or a squiggly face.  Some pictures were just too scary to post here.

Anyway, my new iPad has lots of features that are yet to be discovered.  I'm not sure I'll find another one that delights me quite as much is being able to dictate emails and blog entries and have all the typing done for me.  This is going to save me an incredible amount of time while I'm traveling.

Speaking of traveling, I'll be heading out again next Tuesday, October 15.  I'm in a state of high anxiety at the moment.  There is so much I need to do before I leave.  

I ran into some glitches doing this blog entry, and it will probably take me some time to figure out how to work with the app I have to use now.  But I'll figure it out on the road.

Hope I get some comments from friends and family so I know you're out there!

FRIEND TIME

The day after I returned from California, I repacked my suitcase and headed for Virginia Beach, Virginia.  It’s pretty amazing to think that in the course of two days, I traveled the entire width of this great country—over 3,000 miles from coast to coast.  I went to visit my friend Gayle, who retired recently, quickly sold her home in Michigan, and moved back to her hometown.

Virginia Beach is a beautiful city that spreads itself generously along the Atlantic Coast, just east of Norfolk.  There's a naval base here, so this is a typical site.

Gayle's mother still lives here, and Gayle’s been enjoying time with her, as well as the company of her youngest daughter Leah, who is living with her for a few months.

Gayle and I have enough in common to enjoy a good friendship, but we are different is some significant ways.  Gayle is very athletic, where I am definitely not.  She hikes, bikes, runs, and indulges often in her favorite sport, kayaking.  At the time of my visit, she was in the midst of final preparations for a six-week, 631 mile kayaking trip down the Alabama River.  She and a friend are doing this trip together, just the two of them, and it’s by far the longest run they’ve ever attempted.   People often comment on how courageous I am to travel alone around the world, but this is a woman who is truly brave.  She’s traveled to more than 50 countries, about half with her two daughters—backpacking, camping, staying in hostels, eating street food, etc.  I would never attempt this type of travel.  I really admire Gayle for her spirit of adventure. 

I kayaked for the first time with Gayle and her kayaking meet-up group.  And here’s the proof for those of you who might think I’m blowing a little smoke ;-)  It was comforting to have a partner for the first time out.  I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, and I think I might become a fan.  It certainly would help me build the upper body strength I need to schlep my luggage around airports and train stations hither and yon.

Here's Gayle in the sleek new kayak she bought for her upcoming trip.

We also spent several afternoons at the beach, and this, as most of you know, is one of my favorite pastimes.  The tourist season was over, so the beaches weren’t very crowded.  It was beautifully relaxing.

I ate a lot of crab cakes and enjoyed a parting lunch, with Gayle, her mother, a kayaking friend, Jenine--and delicious blueberry-basil mojitos.

There's nothing quite as sweet as time spent with a good friend. The weather was very warm, and the 60 degrees that greeted upon my return to Michigan was a little shocking!

Now I’m settled in the apartment of another friend in Ann Arbor, while she explores the wilds of Chile.  I’ll be her guest in absentia for a couple of weeks, then move back to where I was before I went to California.  No moss grows on this female nomad!

SISTER TIME

The icing on the cake for me after the wedding was my last day in California, when, for the first time EVER, my two sisters and I spent a day together alone—just the three of us.  We went to a Six Flags park and saw lots of animal shows.

   Porpoises

       Elephants

A white tiger

A tiger being fed from a milk bottle

   Birds

We could also observe other animals in their zoo-like enclosures.

     Penguins

   Sea lions

      Land lions

    Monkeys

           Giraffes

We didn't go on any of the rides, although this old-fashioned roller coaster was very tempting.

We all suffer from vertigo to some degree.  This ride made me dizzy just looking at it!

We had a great day, and I hope it’s not the last opportunity we have to enjoy some private sister time together.  

It rained a bit on the way home and when we stopped for dinner, we noticed this double rainbow.  It's the second one I've seen since returning to the U.S., and I'm sure this must portend good fortune for the coming year.  

WEDDING TIME

I’ve been on the move here in the U.S. almost as much as when I was traveling abroad.  I just returned from two separate trips—the first to California for a family wedding and the second to visit a friend in Virginia.

My niece’s oldest daughter got married at age 20.  She and her husband looked like children to me, but that’s just because I’m at the other end of the lifeline.

But I’m sure most of my friends will agree that this looks pretty young.  

Madison, or Maddie as we call her, is a beautiful person, and she was a glowing, beautiful bride.  Her new husband Kenny, clearly adores her, which makes him okay with me. 

My sister’s house was a whirlwind from the moment I arrived.  Maddie requested that her Grammy make her famous apple crumble pie as a dessert for the wedding party, so my sister made 15 apple pies.  The first day I was there, I peeled apples for a few of these.  I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but my sister’s apple pie is definitely worth the calories.

My younger sister Tonya and I helped my niece Shelley with preparations for the wedding party, which took place at her house.  

Each table had a beautiful flower arrangement and candles.

There were candles in glass jars hanging from the trees.

Madison chose to have a barbeque, so we ate pulled pork, smoked brisket of beef, macaroni and cheese, grilled vegetables, and cornbread.  Besides my sister’s apple pies, there were also chocolate pies and a wedding cake.  It was a step away from the norm as wedding dinners go.

It was hard to keep dry eyes when the newlyweds danced for the first time as a married couple.

I lost it during the father/daughter dance—it was just too touching to hold back the happy tears.

This is the very proud mother, my niece Shelley, and my lovely sister Kendra.  They were just beaming all evening.  

Madison's lovely bridesmaids were all dressed in yellow, but with different dresses--I liked that.  The girl on the far left is my great niece Ellie and the one to the right of the bride is her sister Katie.  

The young fellow in front is the fourth of my niece's children, Jonathan, who struck this pose whenever he knew his picture would be taken.  Pretty silly, but funny.

The couple will have a delayed honeymoon in December, a generous gift from my sister and her husband.  They are both still in college and will enjoy this belated celebration of their nuptials during their winter break from school.  

My wish for these two is enduring love and happiness.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEWLYWEDS!