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!!!