Savoia Hotel Country House Bologna

I climbed a tree today, I sat in this tree on a branch. Protected, Buffered. Cradled. I read my book, sitting in a tree.
Feeling guilty of all I am not doing. I watch people riding by ringing their bicycle bells. I am strangly humbled. I sit in this tree and watch, the water fall from the fountain, making its delicate shapes and slapping to the base as it loses its fight with gravity.
I notice with a small ...

... from rocking out of tight situations.

Ferrara Highlights
9200 meters of city walls commissioned by Duke Ercole d'Este and built between 1493 and 1505 with walking paths on top.

Castello Estense de Ferrara--a defensive structure from the early middle ages that dominates the old city surrounded by moat. The Castello Estense was menacing from the outside and lavishly decorated on the inside. You could feel the history and understand the ...

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.

... journey. We promptly got lost, so we caught a train for a couple of stops to a one horse town with only one road north so we knew we wouldn't get lost. Okay, no problem. But little did we know that there are no back roads in Bologna. No bikepaths. No sidewalks. No shoulders.

The way they get around in Italy is long two lane highways punctuated by roundabouts, with speed limits of 70 ...

... create a spaghetti carbonara or other dish if I have all the ingredients", and not like "I'll make a pasta dish with whatever's in my fridge." This upholding of culinary traditions also makes Italians very sensitive to the quality and taste of Italian dishes made by others. They can point out what ingredient(s) is/are causing a dish to be less tasty than normal. With this type of attention to detail, one can imagine how good the food must be.

Despite all ...

... a special night, but then we were too tired. How sad. The next day, we just walked around the city and got some gelato at their favorite gelato place, which is definitely off the beaten track. But the gelato was really really good. So we got to see some of the city and returned to Florence, which was an adventure because we couldn't figure out how to use the machine to buy the tickets and though we requested to ...

... lighting candles. I gave her a wide berth, silently hoping that God heard her prayers. After that, I made a lightning trek to STANDA for some snacks for the train and asked a Trenitalia rep which was my train and leapt aboard. In retrospect, I should have been more careful. My first concern was when we left EARLY. Then my sinking feeling was confirmed when the actual occupant ...

... said he would give M and me an Italian lesson. Oh joy! M and I read part of a very entertaining short story. A. told us afterward that he was the author of the book. Bravo! About 6 PM we went out. The P's are so very nice and hospitable. They took us to San Dominica Church. Talked the guard into unlocking a side chapel where St. Dominica's tomb is. Michelangelo worked on the altar when he was 14. Behind the altar is a ...

... br>
Once inside the gates and his passport was checked, our cameras, phones and anything else capable of taking photos were locked away in the reception room and then we were transported by bus across to the far side of the factory site. But that was pretty much where the close supervision of the dozen or so owners and their guests ended. For the next few hours I was amazed how the tour guide didn’t seem to mind how far away we wandered from her in ...

... very lucky to escape with a tie instead of a loss. Next up we play Ghana, I think a win will put us into the second round but am not 100% sure of that. We then got the evening tour of Bologna, going out for gelato and to hang out in the university square. In Italy, they are just getting started at 11 pm and will go until very early in the morning. It was very festive and a interesting to watch in its own right, in addition to the world cup.