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Today we found the snow

Ooooohhh, so cold! We went off driving into the surrounding mountains today and finally found our white wonderland! Not far out of Budva in the surrounding hills we crossed the snowline. We went on to Cetinje, a charming town but covered in snow (not literally) and rather treacherous to walk around in. We did our best for a while. The highlight was seeing a lovely gentleman in a Santa suit coming towards us. He was real!!! A real long white beard and the closest thing to a real Santa I’ve ever seen!! He walked up to us and I thought he was going to object to us taking his photo…he didn’t, he handed us a lolly each and went on his merry way….how special was that!!

We then found a place to eat…nothing special, just a Pizza place and then headed off back to Budva given the slippery roads and the early descent of darkness. Oh so cold walking back to our apartment. We stopped on the way and booked a table for NYE dinner, back past the square where they are setting up for an NYE happening, then home to warm up before we venture out again to dine tonight…in what we are told is a very nice restaurant. I’m now having a warming glass of wine, Ariane is rugged up in blankets and Hammy is snoring!

Ciao for now!

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Kotor to Budva

More time in beautiful Montenegro. It really is just lovely. Yesterday morning after a yummy breakfast at the hotel we wandered around the town of Kotor. Ancient little town with all that entails…narrow streets, cobblestones….you’ve heard it all before but I must say it is one of the more lovely towns I’ve seen. It is a walled city, small and charming. It is surrounded by a moat and then a river. There are the ruins of a castle on the hill which we didn’t climb, probably would have been blown off the top if we had. After our little passeggiata we got in the car to head towards Budva. We detoured to go up a mountain which was to afford amazing views. But we got half way and the wind was howling something frightful so we decided that the view from half way was good enough. We got out to take a photo and really nearly got blown away. The snow on the mountain was being blown off!!

So off we headed towards Budva. We were early so we decided to go to Sveti Stefan which is a very pretty island (which is now a hotel island). We walked around but the island/resort is closed so we couldn’t go there. Still it was very pretty, lovely coast. You can see why this is so popular in summer. It might be closed up now but at least we have it to ourselves instead of sharing it with millions of Russian tourists in the summer. We found a nice place for lunch overlooking Sveti Stefan. We are getting very used to eating in empty or nearly empty restaurants.

We arrived in Budva in the afternoon. It is a big resort/ concrete high rise town but fortunately with a delightful harbour and a lovely, lovely old town. We are staying in the old town just seconds from the harbour….perfect!!! This time we are in a 2 bedroom apartment which is very nice. A bit of room to spread out!! The owner is lovely and full of advice. We hear that it is ‘the place to be’ for NYE so seem to have landed on our feet which is good. A bit embarrassing to say that we went out last night to a Chinese restaurant and had lemon chicken etc!!!!!

We’re going to do a bit of exploring about the place today….nearly 2015!!
Love for now

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To London and beyond

It has been 10 days or so since I left Bologna and headed for London. 10 days without a post. Its been a busy 10 days and a wonderful 10 days.

Arrived safely in London on 17th December with Hammy at the airport to meet me. Good thing that was too because I had so much luggage and duty free that I could hardly stagger out of the gate.

It really was so good to be with Ham and Az. Family time was overdue. So I happily settled onto the blow up mattress. Told my knees to just man up and get used to it which they dutifully did.

That was Wednesday. I had a couple of days to take in London again before the weekend and this I did. She is such a grand old dame you just have to love her really. Back on the Tube and the buses. So easy to get around and impossible to get lost.

First night Ariane was out and Ham and I went to the local pub for dinner. That was lovely. English pubs are really something else, so cosy by the fire but the prices are a bit of a shock when first hitting London from Italy.

Day 1 got to know the new neighbourhood where H&A live now. A whole different area since I was last in London. Off down to Upper Street Islington to peruse the shops, make sure Ottolenghi was still there. On a mission to find a decent coffee which I didn’t manage on Day 1…H&A told me where to go but somehow I missed it.

Then I got on a bus and headed off into town to wonder around the obvious places Somerset House, along the Thames, Trafalgar Square etc. Back on a bus and home. All good and feeling very acclimatised already.

Day 2 A perfect coffee at the place I finally managed to find and then on to the London Museum to see the permanent collection which I had never done. I’d been there for exhibitions e.g. Dickens but just loved their permanent collection. It was really great. Then walked down to St Pauls and got on a bus to Oxford Circus for a walk along Oxford Street. But so many people and dark so early so didn’t stay there long. On the tube and home. We were going out to dinner to a local restaurant LeCoq. Ariane was working late so Ham and I had a delicious pre-Christmas pub crawl before we all met up. Mulled cider, mulled wine and just plain wine…or a combination of Lager and Ale as the mood takes you (Ham for the beer, me for the wine). Mikey also joined us for dinner before he headed to Australia next day. Delicious meal.

Saturday we all went to the Borough Market (so crowded it was impossible), some shopping for Christmas Day and then to the Christmas Markets along the Thames. That was lovely. But very cold. Over the bridge to St Pauls then home for a break before Christmas Carols at the Royal Albert Hall. This is of course right up my alley even to the shedding of the mandatory tear at the first carol. It was however a little marred by the fact that Ham and Ariane were both unwell. They had the Killer Bug that I had yet to experience…but wait for it!!

Sunday Ariane felt crappy (and so did Ham but he carried on for my sake) so Ham and I went off to have a Yum Cha in Chinatown. It was delicious. Then we went to the Portrait Gallery to see the Permanent Collection. That was nice too but Ham was feeling crappy. Then to Somerset House to buy some supplies for Christmas Day such as Mince Pies and Marmalade. Then home to takeaway and to watch The Fall.

Monday I was starting to feel Killer Bugged but went off and met Hammy for lunch at his work which was lovely. Then I walked from his work to Brick Lane and down Brick Lane to Spitalfields Market, around the market for a while and then walked until I found a tube to take me home. Tea and home and more of The Fall.

Tuesday…chores to do for Christmas. Last minute presents to buy. Then I met Chris at the tube and we went off to collect the meat for Christmas Day (and Christmas Eve). Of Duck and Gammon and pigs in blankets, as well as cheeses. Having done the essentials Chris and I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum which was lovely, stuck our heads in the Museum of Natural History and then came home. That night Hammy took Chris and I around to Mikey and Wana’s flat to get us set up and then we all went out to The Albion, a pub near H&A, for a most delicious meal in a gorgeous pub. Chris and I then slept at Mikey and Wana’s for the next 3 nights.

Christmas Eve. Chris and I set off to the Tate Britain to see the Turner Exhibition only to find that the Museums had all closed for Christmas…bummer!! What to do?? All Museums closed we discovered after trying the National Gallery next. So nothing for it but to find a wine bar known to Chris from 40 years ago!!! Have some wine, go shopping for travel books and then to the matinee performance of Charles III. My early Christmas present to Chris. It was a great show. Then home and let Christmas begin!! And what a lovely Christmas it was….except for the Killer Bug that was haunting us. Christmas Eve it was Pigs in Blankets, Sausage Rolls and Christmas Pies. Then Christmas really got into full swing with presents over Skype with Rose, Ang and Kirst, what better way to start Christmas, it was Christmas morning in Melbourne. I got a Kindle which tickled me pink!! Then off to M &W’s place and to bed.

Finally…we arrive at Christmas Day. A very special day starting with presents..all very successful and very special. I got a kitchen Magic thingo to make soups etc in Italy. Great idea. The day was so relaxed and lovely…a day of grazing, drinking and culminating in the most divine meal of Duck, Gammon, delicious vegetables, Marmalade pudding and trifle…who could ask for more. We watched the movie Elf between main course and desert…perfect. Chris left on Boxing Day morning, I re- ensconced myself at H&A’s and we had a quiet and relaxed day eating leftovers and drinking. Then more episodes of the addictive Fall.

Next morning a car to Heathrow and flight to Zagreb and on to Dubrovnik. Pick up car rental and head off to Kotor. It was dark and wet by the time we got there. Hotel Monte Cristo….lovely old building with good restaurant for our sustenance before bed.

PHEW…That’s a very boring match up but will suffice to keep the record alive.

MONTENEGRO…what a beautiful place. The weather is patchy at best. Thunder and lightning overnight and rain on and off all day but with enough rain free periods to get a few walks in. We drove around the inlet, the Boka Kotorska. Walked along the waterfront at Perast, admired the gorgeous view of mountains with a sprinkle of snow on top, the bay and the little villages all around the inlet…just lovely. We made our way to a charming restaurant called Restaurant Catovica Mlini, an old mill by a millstream. It was lovely and the food fabulous. Seafood is the go here although the meat is also good. We then got a ferry over the inlet and headed home in hail!! Down time now as we put our minds to accommodation in Sicily for next September!!!

Up to date at last. Sorry about a long and boring email but I’ll try and be better at keeping up from now on given that I’m on the move again!!! Bye for now…even though Hammy and Ariane are only upstairs!!

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Of leaving Bologna

Now I gear up to leave this city that I have grown to love over the last 2 months. I have made my first attempt to pack and have been totally defeated in my efforts to fit everything into my case…it is positively scary. I will have to start again and think of a different strategy somehow.

I have had my final cappuccino, bought my final meal, picked up my permisso di Soggiorno and have just returned from my final passagiatta around the city. I am in the process of finishing off my final bottle of wine!!

The city looks amazing, it really does. There is something so pretty about a Northern Hemisphere Christmas.

I have enjoyed the weekend. On Saturday I went to the Medieval Museum (which I had neglected to do until now), it was great, I then had lunch in one of ‘my’ restaurants (Bucca di Manzano, Rose). Then I took myself off to see the Burattini a Bologna which is a traditional puppet show…the Punch and Judy of Italy and closely related to the puppets we saw in Lyon. That was fun but I felt like a fish out of water with all these kids and their parents. It was in Italian but I could understand a bit given that it was pitched at 6 year olds.

Then I had a gorgeous day yesterday. One of my friends from Italian classes, Jiao, and his beautiful Italian wife Marta, took me to a Palazzo in the country call Palazzo Albergati. This beautiful Palazzo puts on a most sumptuous lunch one Sunday a month. It was an incredible meal in amazing surroundings. Needless to say I acquitted myself brilliantly, eating the wonderful traditional Bolognese winter/ christmas fare to excess. The desserts had to be seen (and eaten) to be believed. So I could barely move when we left after a tour of this amazing palace…a mini Versaille hidden in the Bolognese countryside. On the way home Fabrizia rang to say she and Giancarlo wanted me to come to dinner. Being the resolute person that I am I rose to the occasion and went and ate another meal with Giancarlo and Fabrizia and a Romanian friend of theirs. You would have been proud of me…or horrified as the case may be!!

The good thing out of all that is that Giancarlo is going to pick me up in the morning to take me to the station which rescues me from the walk to the station with 2 cases + extras(however I manage to take everything). My next worry is actually getting onto and off the train heaving the cases. This is the biggest worry travelling for such an extended period. Fortunately I can leave some stuff with Chris in order to be able to actually get on the plane to London.

Next missive will definitely be from London.

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Winding up in Bologna

Time for one more post before it’s Arrivederci Bologna.

Things are really starting to wind up now and it is not without some sadness that I prepare to leave this lovely city. It has been good to me!

One last Italian lesson tomorrow and although it feels as if I know absolutely nothing I’m sure I do (know at least something!!). Still can’t open my bloody mouth though!! Despite my complete dumbness I have enjoyed the lessons and they have all been just lovely at my school.

Last visit to Fabrizia (dentist) was today. She has a few extra presents under the tree this year thanks to me but certainly the teeth she fixed look much, much better. She has given me all the moulds etc to take home…they weigh a tonne and will be likely to bemuse customs!!

And best of all it looks like I will have my Permisso di Soggiorno before I leave. I could see on line that it looked as if it had been processed but no word at all of where or when to pick it up so I was starting to panic thinking I would have to leave without it and then it would probably never be found. In my panic I took myself back to my communist friends yesterday, the CGIL. And once again they took me on board and straightened me out. God I love those guys, I’m a convert! I now have an appointment on Saturday morning back at the horrible Immigration Police place but hopefully all I have to do is pick it up. I have a time and a number so let’s see what happens!! Talk about cutting things fine but if this works it will be fantastic.

I spend a lot of time walking the Christmas streets when I’m not doing my homework which takes me some 3 hrs/day mainly because I’m so slow and thick. Matteus, the Swiss man in my class takes half an hour!!
I was going to try to get to Modena before I left here but now I have to go to the Immigration Police. Also one of the ‘boys’ in my class tells me about a villa in the country that once a month puts on a meal. He and his wife are going and he has invited me to go along which I will do if it all works out and fits in. They have a car so they would drive me.

Then it’s start to get the luggage organised and get myself down to Roma. It is Chris’ birthday so we will go out to dinner to celebrate. Then, next day off to London, and the Christmas spirit will set in. I’m so looking forward to being with (one of my) family and also to speaking English!! Chris will follow me to London a few days later.

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Beautiful Bologna

It’s been a while since I wrote one of my missives mainly because nothing seems different or important enough to write about. Having said that I have just returned from my evening passagiatta and I feel inspired to talk about how wonderful Bologna is looking and what a vibrant city it is.

On the weekends the city is closed to cars and the people come out. It being close to Christmas the people are out in droves, I am sure that there is no-one left inside in all of Bologna. I stood at the top of one of the main streets (Via Rizzoli for Rose and others who know the city) and all you can see is a mass of people…there is nowhere that the road is visible, the same with Via Independenza…masses and masses of people with the lights of Christmas above. It may sound awful but it isn’t, it is cheerful and alive. People are just strolling along, no-one is rushing, the night is clear and not at all cold. It honestly is just perfect.

In other cities the Christmas crowds are intent on getting their shopping done, in a hurry and wanting to finish and get out of there. Here, there are no ‘malls’ just shops lining the streets and people are strolling around. There is a massive Christmas tree but in true Bolognese style it is crooked which for me symbolises what I love about the city. It is slightly sleazy, slightly ‘crooked’ but so totally alive. I’ll try and attach a photo!!
I’ve spent a lot of time this weekend trying to get my Italian in order, going over the lessons and writing up vocabulary etc. It depresses me to be so inadequate but I just have to keep going.

Tomorrow is a public holiday- something about the immaculate conception that for some unknown (to me) reason starts the official celebration of Christmas. So people will also be out and about tomorrow. It isn’t, however a holiday from school. It’s lessons as usual which I’m sort of happy about. It’s my last week and they’ve added an extra half hour of grammar….I think they think I’m a hopeless case!! As I look back on 2 months in Bologna, there have obviously been ups and downs with the worst times always when I’ve been with you guys and then have to adjust back to being alone, but I am absolutely sure that Bologna was an excellent choice to start off. It is off the tourist trail as well as being a lovely city. There are now little Christmas markets everywhere, mostly fairly tacky and there is little that is original in this world but fun to explore nonetheless. They are selling Vin Brûlée (mulled wine) and I’m such a regular customer at one stall that she gives it to me for half price. I saw her making it tonight and the amount of sugar she put in made me rethink my strategy of having one each day after school.

My last week starts tomorrow and despite my great appreciation of Bologna, I just can’t wait to go to London to be with Ham and Az for Christmas. I’m in need of some family time!! Chris is also coming over to have Christmas with us which will be lovely, specially as H & A Have solved the accommodation problem with Mikey and Wana very kindly letting us stay in their apartment.

So close to Christmas now and no matter how happy I am to be in London, I will always miss you both, Ang and Rose, not to mention the sunshine and outdoors.

christmas

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Life goes on in Bologna

Life goes on in Bologna and with each week that passes I feel a little more at home and a little more part of this city life. I speak a tiny bit more Italian and that helps although those moments when I can’t articulate a word are still there!!

This week there is a strong ‘careful what you wish for’ message as I move into my third week of Italian lessons. I was whinging about not having enough conversation practice and now I find myself playing with the big kids and totally overwhelmed.
My conversation class, starting today goes for 1.5 hours and has 7 people from Japan, China, Korea, Switzerland, South America…all of whom (except Korean and he’s caTCHING UP!!) speak far better Italian than me. Hence I miss one hell of a lot, have to ask again and again and remain mute when possible. Having said that it is amazing how tolerant people are. I guess we will see how it goes.It is always the way and I can imagine finally feeling comfortable in Bologna when it is time to leave. I miss have my mate Madeleine but am getting on with it.

I have 2 major things in my life…the dentist and my Italian classes (not to mention the time consuming homework). With these 2 things I am totally occupied during the week. Today I was taking it easy, pottering around in my nightie, decided to look at my emails to find that Giancarlo had sent an email to say the cleaning lady was coming this morning…shit. I flew up to get dressed, washing and dishes everywhere, things to do etc, etc when the door bell went…I was flying to get dressed as I heard the key in the door…oh dear – chaos. Anyway, all good, I left the chaos, apologised to her and trotted off for my morning cappuccino. Then I came home, stepped around her to clean my teeth and get going to the dentist.

My new cap is now in place and looks beautiful. Fabrizia is also spending hours cleaning my teeth and giving me treatment to keep my gums healthy. The problem is that the new cap looks so beautiful it makes the old horrid one next to it look awful. We discussed this at length. She has already done the impression, the XRays and the technician is on the case. So I made the fairly momentous decision to have the one next to it done as well. I can come back from either Rome or Lucca for her to finish me off in the New Year. I think she is actually cheaper than Australia and doing a fabulous job. This will really put a lot of pressure on me but I think I will regret it if I don’t do it now. So we are trying to get more times in the diary for her to start me off now to finish in the New Year. Financially I can only hope that this work will funded by Jeannie…I think she would approve. If not, there may be a spot of bother. Having said that it will need to be done soon anyway, I’m sure of that and I’m on a good wicket with Fabrizia.

I had a very quiet weekend just wandering around…I’ve latched onto the appearance of Vin Brûlée (mulled wine)…this sustains me on my passagiata’s. The Christmas markets are interesting, though there is little new under the sun. There are also still museums to interest me and I went to the Archeological Museum this weekend. Giancarlo and Fabrizia asked me and the 2 Americans to dinner on Saturday night. That was nice although I cannot warm to the Americans. They leave this week and it won’t be a loss to me.

It is now only 2 weeks until I depart for London via Rome. It’s hard to believe really and I look forward to that just so much.
Off to start my massive amount of homework