Novotel Bologna Fiera - Open 16 Dec 2007

... decided to not be present for my arrival. I have found an internet cafe and decided to write. I also was able to post a few more pictures but on Facebook so I'll send you links and hope they work!<br><br>http://www.facebook.com/al bum.php?aid=110883&amp;id=514314153&amp ;l=2e1a71a8f0<br><br>http://www.faceboo k.com/album.php?aid=114357&amp;id=51431 4153&amp;l=719f9180c6<br><br>Give it a try!<br>Love to all!<br>Benita<br>

Short train ride from Florence after a hair raising trip trying to return the rental car in confusing, congested and traffic restrictied Florence (don't rent a car downtown go to the airport). Bologna is an university town (even Johns Hopkin has a campus). Very historical town with a great plaza area like most towns and a great antique market.

... cabbies, who would not take us, we found a gypsy cab and Mandi bargained him down to a 35 euro ride home. And that's how we ended up blasting along the very roads we had biked earlier, in a random cab just hoping to get home. And we did, he dropped us off right in front of our door. <br><br>The next day, we were headed for the Cinque Terre, and I'll tell you more about that in the next.<br><br>Jael

So we spent a bit of time the night before we got here trying to secure some accomodation. We found the hotel online and it seemed like a good value even if it was a bit out of the way. Whats a 20 minute bus ride anyway. So we get on the bus, which is the right bus going in the wrong direction; we found this out when we got kicked off at the last stop. So we get off and then get on the next bus headed in the other direction ...

... a bus to Rome at 415 am. we all went to teh secret bakery together that night and said our goodbyes. <br><br>i had kinda of a rude awakening from the apartment on sat morning. my roommates left their nasty food in the fridge and broke the glass on the bottom. so we all will have pay for that i guess. i know nothing about it and i was really upset to find out that something broke that i didnt even know about and no one confessed apparently because they all left ...

... of Nuttella is nearly the size of a watermelon. Alex showed me the train station, then we took a huge unintentional detour on the way home. I packed up and then walked back to the train station making it there in 15 minutes which was 30 less than it took to get home the first time. I bought a ticket, the lady at the counter laughed at me when I read the "when does the next train leave for Bolzano" line verbatim from my Italian phrase book. I paid 22 euros ...

Rosa se vuelve a Milán y yo me acerco a Bologna. Es tan bonita como me habian dicho. Aunque está lloviendo me recorro todas sus calles medievales. Me emociona pensar como sería la vida universitaria cuandoera el centro de la cultura europea. Lamento no poder quedarme mas tiempo, pero Mireia actua hoy en Reggio y no me lo perdería por nada del mundo.

... about 50 or so, maybe more. It showed a picture of the station prior to the bombing. L said there was still a clock, that survived the bombing, that was stuck on the exact time the bomb went off. As we were in the waiting room, an announcement came on telling of the binario the train would arrive at. M and I didn't hear it, but we rushed to follow A and L. At the binario there were lots of people as they had previously cancelled a train, and ...

... our next stop was in a much older and pokier part of the factory at the engine assembly room, where both V8 and V12 engines are built for all Ferraris and Maseratis. Then, having seen some of the parts being put together, we finished off at the car assembly area where each of the current F430 and 599 models progressed through the production line, starting out as mere skeletons and finally rolling off as the completed head-turners. The most frenetic movement ...

... So we celebrated after that game with the Italians, who reallt drove crazy: they blocked the wohole city centre, jumping and singing with their flags in their hands, climbing on phone boxes and driving around with cars and motorbikes until late at night.