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On Italian classes and a weekend in Venezia

Another update on the last week. Hard to believe it has only been a week since I left Ham, Ariane and Rosa in Lyon feeling so sad!!
Started Italian lessons on Monday with Madeleine the German Mountain Bike Tour Guide and Hyun, the 16y.o. Korean and perpetually tired student.

The lessons are enjoyable and absorbing but progress is almost indecipherable for me in terms of being able to actually communicate in Italian. From this perspective it is very frustrating but the school, the people and the lessons are enjoyable.

Madelein loves me to pieces and has befriended me as her buddy. She is a dear and it is really good to have her struggling along with me.
The school puts on things in the evenings and we have been participating. So, there has been a little walking tour of the city followed by aperativo’s in a very funky student bar. There has been a night looking at frescoes…all described in Italian and therefore thoroughly incomprehensible. And there there has been the Cooking classes…OMG I am Mrs HOPELESS!!! But it is fun and you get to eat your produce. I haven’t got a fabulous kitchen here so there is no way I’m going to be able to practice but I have learnt about risotto, soups and then how to make pasta. I just really wish Ang was doing the pasta making course because you would have loved it and learnt heaps, Ang. I am struck by how badly we have gone about it with our efforts in Melbourne…far too ambitious without the technique!!

Oh well, we’ll have a go when I get home and see if we can get it right. I have the recipes translated into English!!

So the week flew by and on Friday afternoon it was time to head off to Venezia. I arrived in the afternoon and was meeting Chris at 6pm at the Rialto. So I had a little time to wander the street and marvel at the beauty of this extraordinary city. When I met Chris she had booked at a restaurant she wanted to try out. Then for the first lesson of the city…it is IMPOSSIBLE to find your way around. Every single time fucking Mr Google told us it was a 20 minute walk it would take at least an hour and more! When it said 30 mins you could kiss 2 hours away. It is a labyrinth as you will all know. Then there is the up and over, up and over technique which is just fine for the first hour or so but my little legs were starting to protest after 3 hours!!

Anyway Friday night was a lovely meal and so nice to catch up with Chris and spend some time. There is no friend more comfortable than the one you’ve known since primary school. Great meal, Aperol Spritz, lots of vino then home to bed.

Next day was spent at the Architectural Biennale. This was interesting…surprisingly for me who knows nothing about architecture. Then the walk home which I swear must have been a good 10 kms cos the Biennale was way, way way along the Grand Canal. We bought a bottle of wine and collapsed in the hotel before going out later for a ‘not too far away’ meal. A huge day.

Sunday we were off on the Vaporetta (water taxi) over to San Giorgio island for an exhibition of art in glassware which I thoroughly enjoyed. Then off to another exhibition Chris wanted to see. By now it was getting late and left us with a mad rush to get to my train in time. I really was running out of energy at this point and after picking up our cases, the final dash with case nearly did me in completely.

A quick comment on the fact that there are many yachts moored on San Giorgio for the Tongan brand. How amazing if you got yourselves this far!!!

But, I made the train and collapsed, fortunate to have a seat on a chocka block train. Then the 20 minute walk from the station before finally being able to get the shoes off, treat the blisters and get the fee up. A lovely weekend mainly because it was just great to be able to spend the time with Chris. There were no tourist sites covered. They are left for when I’m back there with Tull. But so, so many tourists, particularly on Sunday when Italians join the throngs of Americans, Chinese, Japanese and English. I reckon Venice has the most tourists of any Italian city, all competing with space to get over the canals!!!

Today back at school. Tomorrow also have the next dental appointment. Tomorrow it is exactly 3 weeks until I leave Bologna. This is so hard to believe. Chris thinks I should spend the 6 weeks from 18th Feb to end March in Rome and knows of an apartment that has just been renovated that would suit me. I think this sounds like a good idea and will do it if it all works out. Nice and central for you to visit Ang!!

That’s the update for the last week.

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Of very happy days in Bologna and Lyon

I thought it was time to do another email/ blog which will be a catch up since I stopped a week or so ago. So much has happened in that time that my head is spinning. I’m so sad now that it is all over so it is a good time to recap on good times to make sure I remember why I am here!!

Well I went very quiet because Rose arrived and she was a secret…a beautiful secret that entailed lots of deception to keep Ham in the dark, hence least said, the safest!!

The anticipation of her arrival was wonderful, I just kept getting more and more excited. Down to Roma to pick her up and here she was in Bologna with me. It was the very best thing in the world to be able to share my life here, to wonder the streets with her, to send her up the massive tower and to wait for her while she walked the 10kms to San Luca. We went to the odd museum, wandered the streets and ate out some wonderful restaurants and some you would describe as quirky (of the medieval variety). We drank Aperol Spritz, Beer (Rose) and wine. Rose immediately diagnosed my foot problem as having bought shoes too small so a new pair of shoes has done the trick!!! Having someone sharing my apartment was a great joy! It ended all too quickly (of course).

Last Wednesday we headed off for a day and a night exploring Milan. What a surprise for me at least because I didn’t know what to expect. It is a wonderful elegant, beautiful city. We stayed in a great hotel and spent a day in pouring, pouring rain but not missing much of a beat in terms of seeing what we wanted to see. Da Vinci’s Last supper, La Scala, Fine Art Museum and the magnificent Duomo. We went to a great Restaurant for dinner and spent the night chatting to a delightful co-diner.

Then….finally…it was time to go to Lyon and spring our surprise. It is hard to explain the excitement of that…I was in a total knot of excitement. Seeing Ham and Ariane again was enough to set me off. Taking them to the pub where Rose was planted was beyond everything. I think it’s fair to say Ham was surprised and very happy.

4 days in Lyon followed. What a fabulous city! It was an orgy of wonderful food in one superb restaurant after the other. For the record we started in a local place near our hotel Les Fines Gueules on Thursday night, then lunch on Friday (Ham’s birthday) at Le Nord (Paul Bocuse) and the Michellin Starred extravaganza on Friday night Le Mere Braziere. Saturday saw us at a Creperie for lunch (totally delicious) and Saturday night a real treat at Le Canut e Les Gones. Sunday was misery day for me as I had to say goodbye. It was made even more miserable when I completely broke a front (lower) tooth at breakfast. The food experience in Lyon was the reason we were there but the city itself was a complete surprise for me. It is a most wonderful city. An enchanting Old City with hidden treasures and beautiful buildings everywhere. There was much to see and do and a beautiful city to wonder. Apart from after dinner on Friday night when we nearly drowned, the weather was terrific and good for strolling a enjoying a lovely city.

Needless to say I’m totally hopeless at leaving and this was even worse given the intense anticipation and the wonderful joy of being with Ham, Ariane and Rosa altogether. I have been a misery bags ever since but it will pass. Back in Bologna and lots to do today. Started Italian lessons. They are shorter (2 hrs) than I thought as there are only 3 in the class. A 25y.o. German girl who’s job is a Mountain Bike Tour Guide!!! A 16 y.o. Korean boy who speaks neither English or Italian and says just about nothing…poor boy and then the elderly Australian woman. Because I’m in total beginners class it isn’t too challenging YET!!!! They also do little excursions as part of the deal so this afternoon we are going on a little walk to get to know Bologna…a bit late for me but the others are new to the city and I thought I’d better go although I’m feeling totally like a fish out of water.

Then there is the saga of the tooth!! Giancarlo’s wife is an orthodontist so she is going to have a look at it for me this afternoon and refer me on as appropriate. It isn’t covered by travel insurance (no teeth that have existing fillings!!) so that is going to be a significant blow!!

Oh well, life goes on and you can’t have good times all the time. Once I’ve been to the dentist I’ll get stuck into the vino to try to move on!! I’ll look forward to next weekend with Chris in Venice, that will help I hope but there is nothing in the whole world for me like being with my family and that has been just too, too wonderful. Ang the pressure is on you now!!!

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Back again after a day in Padova

Just when I was going to stop emailing/ blogging for a while (and I still will), I got agitated and decided to take myself off to Padova for the day. I’m not long home, totally exhausted. I think it was the hardest of my explorations walking-wise.

Firstly there are these Giotto Frescoes…World Heritage etc etc. You can’t buy tickets when you get there, you have to buy them the day before so I did all that and off I set early this morning. You have to be there 45 mins before your allotted time so I had to charge there from the train. I have seen them before, with Dinny in 2002, but wanted to see them again.

I spend the time on the train whenever I go anywhere working out what closes at 12, what closes at 1 and what stays open, then I have to remain very focussed to zigzag from one site to the other to fit in as much as I can. So when I got to the Giotto Chapel they offered me the prior time which I jumped at. It is of course brilliant but honestly for me once you’ve seen Ravenna everything seems dull. Nothing shimmers like those Mosaics. Still and all it was gorgeous. Then I charged off to the Duomo through the most wonderful market with fantastic produce that makes the mouth water. The Duomo was good…some little gems to see, then to the Battistry that is covered in marvellous frescoes. When I got to the Battistry which is a tiny little space the man on the door was trying to tell my something and I just didn’t get it. In the end he through his hands in the air and let me in. So I’m sitting there and all these people are arriving, then ‘Here comes the Bride’ starts up on the organ and there I am in the midst of a wedding with no-one else touristy and the exit blocked. Ahhhh so that’s what he was saying, oh shit. I looked at him and grinned and he found a way of getting me out without colliding with the bride. That’ll teach me!! But on the other hand I wouldn’t have got in unless I’d been just been dumb and I would have missed some fabulous work.

Then I had to charge to the other end of town to the Orta Bottanica. The oldest Botanical Gardens planted in 1545 by the medical faculty to study the medicinal properties of rare plants. It was gorgeous but there is also on the site a massive bio-diversity garden very similar to the Eden Project in UK. Gorgeous!! but bloody miles away. By this time I was exhausted but back I plodded to another Basilica…just in time!! Then I wanted to go to this other site next to it but had missed it. It was closed tip 2.30 and it was 1.30. This was actually fortuitous because I was dead on my feet. So I took a one hour lunch break in a nice little trattoria nearby. That was nice. Then back to the Oratorio which was well and truly worth the effort with some gorgeous frescoes by Titian and others. This was actually a bit of a highlight.

There was more to do but I’d managed to fit in the highlights so wondered back through town. Padova is a lovely, lovely town as are so many in Italy. I was struck by its connection to Venice. There are masks all over the place already in preparation for Carnivale, there are little canals reminiscent of Venice. After wandering for a bit, I decided I couldn’t stand a museum so headed back to the station to find a train back to Bologna. Home at 6.30pm…a long long day.

Then I looked to see if I’d won my fortune on the Cup…alas but I can’t tell you how close I came to putting money on ‘the barman’…great name. And that the Japanese horse dropped dead is awful, what drama! Well I got through Cup day in a very different way but certainly quite as occupied as anyone.

Quiet day tomorrow for sure, my feet are telling me so!! This is certainly where the blogs peter out a bit!!

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Quiet times in Bologna

My posts will start to settle down from now on as I work to find a life in Bologna without the aspect of touring/ moving. It is hard but it will happen and writing an email/ blog each day will not be of great interest to anyone. So…every few days/ weekly depending on what goes on. When I have things of interest to report, I will of course. A trip to Lyon is coming up so I will be full of it then I’m sure.

The weekend in Bologna was quiet for me but not at all quiet for Bologna. This place just teems with people over the weekend. The centre is closed to traffic and out come the people in their masses. It’s gorgeous, but it’s oddly isolating as well. It’s a weird feeling having no-one you know nearby yet being part of so many people. I wander around and get to know the city…still finding surprises everywhere and places I haven’t been but gradually becoming more and more familiar. I buy my daily gelato and I sit in the sun…I’ve worked out the sunniest spots to sit and fortunately the sun is still shining very bravely despite losing a lot of it’s heat. Yesterday I went to the National Art Gallery which I enjoyed for a couple of hours. I’m getting to know the Bolognese artists but wish I knew more. I may just explore the option of courses that teach me, although I only have space for one course at a time and it will be a major challenge to learn Italian when I return from Lyon.

AlJazeera has become my friend, as did Tyrion Lannister…sadly that friendship ended and now I’m trying to bond with Nucky Thompson again but it definitely isn’t the same…give me a dwarf any time!!! I have started to read The Age each morning with my coffee. I love going out for my morning coffee and my Dolce Vuota (cwassant)!!, it gets me out of the house and now I take the iPad with The Age to keep me up-to-date…to the extent that I even chose a horse to bet on for the Cup this morning…Ang has my instructions!!

Everything around here closes at 12.30-1pm and doesn’t open again until 4pm. I find that really hard to get used to. For these 3 hours the trattoria’s are full, full but if you don’t want to have a massive lunch the rest of the place is totally deserted. I don’t know how the Italians aren’t fat, fat but they aren’t. I think it must be all the walking they do.

That’s it everyone. Ups and downs. Times when I miss home just SO much like Cup Day which you wouldn’t know was happening here. Times when I wonder what the hell I’m doing but overall I’m managing and surviving and enjoying Bologna…it’s a truly great city. I live for those precious times when I meet up with one of you…hence the onus is a bit on Ham and Ariane at the moment/ this year. I just can’t wait to see them and get a few great big hugs.

More when something happens

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Ravenna at last

My god…wow!! It has been a long held desire to get myself to Ravenna to see those mosaics. 6 World Heritage sites…and there’s more!!

It was absolutely amazing. I just can’t imagine why Ravenna is not a bigger tourist centre, it is truly amazing. The only thing I can think of is Aachen that Ham, Az and I went to a few years ago. That was magic too but there are so many more mosaics here.

Anyway I just loved it. It makes up for all the lonely periods and tough times when you can see the worlds most wonderful sights at your doorstep.

I got up and got going nice and early, on the train before 9 and this time there was a train!! It was quite a tiring day as I scooted from one site/sight to another. As always when I hit the tourist trail, I sit down in the middle of the day and consume a huge lunch. Ravioli with just butter and sage is to die for. Ang I want you here doing a pasta making course. The pasta is totally different to the stuff we eat. It is so fresh and divine. Lots of walking going from one amazing venue to the next so by the time I got back on the train I was mildly exhausted.

This seems such a short post for such an amazing day but really that is what it was just being blown away by churches and baptistries covered in the most amazing green, blue and gold mosaics that almost move before your eyes. It is extraordinary. I also went to Dante’s Tomb (pretty special when you think of the mighty man) and probably only saw half of what I could have seen given the limited time but I did tick off all the WH sites.

Just had some tea and ready to settle down for the last 2 episodes of Game of Thrones….OMG the end of the last episode left me in a state of agitation. I just love this and will be upset when I no longer have it!!

A quiet weekend ahead I think. The hole in my shoe is getting bigger si I might have to do some practical shopping.

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A Pilgrimage and enlightenment

It was a most weird night last night. I live in this secure old building that was once a Palazzo and has an inner courtyard. Very pretty and you can’t get in from the street without a key. However about midnight there was a helluva racket with about 6 young people in the courtyard making an awful noise. This went on for ages, they’d go away and then be back. Not doing any harm, just laughing and yelling and drinking. That did away with a night’s sleep so I was late rising and shining.

I decided to do the other hard thing that needed a tick. Get myself to San Luca. It is this massive church on the hill that Bolognese people see as their symbol. For example coming into Bologna on the train the other day someone in the carriage said ‘San Luca’ and as one they all stood up to exit the train. The look for it as their landmark. The Virgin performed a miracle once and now they have a massive procession every year in May when they bring the old girl down from the church. The thing is that its 5kms out of town so the trick is how to get there and back. To walk is 10kms and the uphill trek is really a big deal. So I’d been working this out and I got on this quirky and slightly embarrassing tourist train attached to a tractor that takes you up. To redeem my punctured pride (after attaining the heights of the Asinelli Tower yesterday) I walked all the way back. 5 kms might seem like nothing but the walk down from the Basilica aint easy. Its quite steep and alternates steep declines with stairs. Anyway I earned the ‘dolce’ I had at the end!!
There is the longest portico in the world that you walk through. It connects the church with the city gate of Porto Saragozza….. 3,796 meters in length. So it was a mild achievement for the mumma.

Each day I find my tiny bit of sunlight to sit in for half an hour before summer dies totally. I did this and then cam home when all sun had diapered. That was my day, the sum total of it. I think my email trail is petering out!!

I’m going to make my third effort to get to Ravenna tomorrow. God know if it will work!

Now for another episode of Game of Thrones. Only 3 more left, then what…any suggestions from my loyal readership???

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Up the Torre Degli Asinelli

Today I decided it was the day to go up the tower. The biggest hurdle for me was just making that decision. Decided to go when it opened to try and beat the crowds but when I got there it wasn’t open when it said it would be. Oh well, what a shame….off to get my usual cappuccino. Then I thought I should have another look and it was open…that reprieve didn’t last long. So up I went and to be honest it wasn’t one bit as hard as I thought it was going to be, in fact it wasn’t too hard at all going up or coming down. It’s a secret that it wasn’t that hard!! I was so excited that I posted some photos on Facebook as a bit of a boast I guess!! Its another thing to tick. The next is going to San Luca…the church on the hill with the massive walk through over 3kms of portico. I’m exploring the best way to do that. I think you get a bus up and walk back but I’ll work that one out.

Then (and this is very mundane) but the battery has run out on my camera and I went off in search of a new one. As with all things that I have to work out it means being sent from one place to the next. Anyway I found this lovely man who said that my beautiful new camera hadn’t yet been released in Italy and he had ordered the batteries but he had no idea when they’d be here. He rang around and ascertained that they would be here one day and he was in the process of taking a battery out of one of his cameras for sale (he was a lovely man) when the postman walked in the door. He looked at it and at me and said NOOOOOO, never!!! he opened it and there were the exact batteries I needed. That was amazing, it really was.

I did some shopping. The cleaning lady was coming so I had to clear out of the house. Basically I just wandered around for ages, sat in the sun when I could find a sliver of it and came back after she had left. She changed my sheets and towels and cleaned the place…I pay but its a good service I have to say!!

No more to say for now. More tomorrow as long as there is something to report!!

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A day trip to in Parma

I killed the mosquitoes and had a great nights sleep last night. Nose still drip, drip dripping but up I got and decided that today was the day I was going to Ravenna. I looked up the timetable, decided on a train and off I set. Got to the station and that train wasn’t on the board for some reason. I asked someone and I still don’t know why but the next one was in 2 hrs which was definitely too long to wait and too late to catch. So…I looked at the board and decided I’d go ‘somewhere’. There was a train going through Parma which I decided to get. Off I went to Parma and it is such a gorgeous city, it took me completely by surprise. The home of Parmesan and I believe Prosciutto.

I digress to tell you that although I really love Italy, the other thing that annoys me second only to the bureaucracy is the fact that everything closes at 12.30 and opens again (if you’re lucky) at 3pm. If you’re going on a day trip this is very restrictive and annoying. By the time I got oriented and got myself where I wanted to go the time was very limited to get to the Duomo and the Battistry. Both of which are gorgeous and awe inspiring. Then bang, all over and closed. So what does a food obsessed lady do except of course eat. I went to a lovely restaurant to try the food they are famous for. I had a positively lovely lunch which included a local ravioli (to die for) and a stuffed veal (to die for)…was very tempted to have the horse for which they are also famous…horse tartare no less but didn’t in the end.

Then I went to the National Gallery which I also loved…always in these amazing buildings. I think I might take up religion in my last phase of life…there are so many beautiful works of art.

Then time to get back to the station and back ‘home’. Every in my carriage on the train coughing, spluttering and dripping so the chances of getting a virus on a virus are high. Dark by the time I landed back in Bologna at 5.30pm. Australia in the news here again..again covering ourselves in glory by a blanket ban on anyone entering the country from West Africa. Am I proud of my country?…not a bit of it…they are calling it an hysterical response here.

Wine, bread and cheese for tea. I’m eating FAR too much.

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About getting a Permisso di Soggiorno

A day of official business…this is the worst thing about Italy, the bureaucracy. It is a nightmare.

But to begin…I had the worst night’s sleep of all time last night with (would you believe it) mosquitoes buzzing in my ear all night. On top of that I have a rotten cold with a dripping ++++ nose that didn’t help. My first purchase for the day was a large can of fly spray so I can get revenge on those buggers by killing them.

Then, much against my better judgement, I set of for the posh club. Met the Director who was just lovely and has invited me to go there any time for coffee or the restaurant they have there. Then there was the English classes…well the teacher didn’t really like the idea, didn’t think it was the right group etc etc and wouldn’t be of assistance to me. Honestly I have to say it is a relief. It means I can tell Fabrizia that I tried but can also slip out of it. I agreed with the teacher and made a rapid exit. Not sure about going back for my coffee but who knows. It might be useful.

Then I set off for my appointment at the Centro Lavoratori Stranieri- CGIL. I must say I felt so out of place in a room full of African, Asian and Middle Eastern people desperately needing their help. I was without doubt the stand out rich ‘stranieri’. Anyway after a long wait I was called in and they were amazingly, fantastically helpful. I absolutely could not have done it without them. They filled in all the forms online, they told me exactly what I had to do and were incredibly nice as well. May the gods bless a certain Camilla. They didn’t ask me to join the party and they didn’t charge me anything…I call that a good deal.

Then I had to chase up proof from Giancarlo that I was staying here which he provided via a printer in his wife’s orthodontist surgery where I picked it up. Then off to the Central Post Office. There you take a number for the one counter that deals with Stranieri. They were at 135 and I was 143 so I watched a lot of people trying to get through the process…many of whom had no Italian, lots from Asia so even the reading would be a problem. I watched this very abrupt woman dispense with them and surprisingly quickly she got to me. I thought for sure I would be sent away but thanks to Camilla’s great work she couldn’t find anything wrong. I just had to pay 150 Euros + the 16 Euro stamp I had to buy at the Tabbacchi. This on top of the $160 I paid in Australia. As Chris pointed out it would be cheaper really to pay the fine if you got caught. Anyway, it went through, I think as much to the woman’s surprise as mine.

Just got back home very relieved. At 4.30pm now it is chilly and light is starting to fade. It’s going to be a long cold winter I suspect.
So that is my day. Just so it is recorded for posterity:

CGIL- Centro Lavoratori Stranieri, Bologna Via del Porto 16/C.

My overriding impression is how much better Italy treats its immigrants than we do in Australia. This office helps them extend their visas and supports them in finding work etc.

Lots of love from this Stranieri

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Bologna for another weekend

I got up this morning thinking there was nothing at all on the agenda and found that that wasn’t the case, at least for the morning. Giancarlo’s wife, Fabrizia rang at 9.30 to say she was going to have coffee at this ‘club’, an old naval club where only members can go and until recently you had to wear a tie etc.(like the Melbourne Club). She introduced me and arranged for me to be able to go there. There is a bar/coffee place and a restaurant. Giancarlo’s parents also turned up…they are so lovely!! Anyway Fabrizia then set to work introducing me as her ‘guest’. They have English classes every week and she then insisted that I attend the English classes in case they wanted to talk English!! This is really not what I would have chosen to do but it is so nice and well meaning of her. So, tomorrow morning I have to turn up, introduce myself and see if they want me to sit in on the class….god how daunting is that!!! Then she tried to get me to join a Pilates class a friend of hers runs…I baulked at that.

Then Vivienna decided she wanted to go to this Museum and had me setting off with her while the rest of the family went to church (she NEVER goes to church…she is just lovely!!!… but has now returned home to Milano).
So she only had a small amount of time and scooted around a bit and left. I stayed on for a few more hours. I honestly think it’s the best Museum I’ve ever been to. It is in an old palace but completely fitted out C21. It uses all this technology to create the most amazing displays and has you understanding the history of Bologna amazingly. How I want to share these things with you all!!

After that I wandered around a bit, had some lunch and came home. The absence of Daylight Saving makes a massive difference.

Giancarlo just rang and had me turn the heater on for the first time so things are going downhill fast.

So tomorrow I must go to ‘my club’ for an hour or so then head off to see the communists and see if they can help me with my Permisso di Soggiorno. Then who knows what the rest of the day will hold….no plans right now and no museums open on a Monday so I think it really will be a quiet day. What I have to work out is what to do on quiet days.