June 2009

We left Minneapolis at 3:25ish, after a slight delay due to an Indian woman’s anxiety attack. After her husband’s pleas for either a roomier seat or anxiety drugs were rebuffed, they left, and the baggage handlers had to rummage through and “deplane” their bags. Arrived Amsterdam 11 p.m. Minneapolis time/7 a.m. Amsterdam time. Arrived Bologna…

An earlier start today, as we have learned that everything closes at 1, and that by 1 we will be exhausted and sweaty and will need to go back to the hotel to dry out. A creepy mime greets us in the Piazza, a small part of the endless activity there. We see a Ferrari…

Got an early start today, and discovered a whole area of town not seen before, just outside our hotel. Toy shop, meat shop, restaurant, bunch of cops standing around waiting for trouble that never happens. First stop — The Basilica of San Francesco, built in 1237. Outside are the Tombs of the Glossarists — airborne…

Awoke late today. Despite the best efforts of our most hard-working maid, our room is starting to smell funny. Heat. Bananas. Cheese. Bad combo. But it’s raining, which is lovely. A cool drizzle. The Italians are freezing. We are loving it. After breakfast, we spent hours and hours at the Archeological Museum, an amazing collection…

What’s left to do? Ah, the Museum of Medieval History. Most museums we are accustomed to feature collections gathered from around the world, typical of an era or a people. But in Bologna, the collections are of local history. Bologna is unique in that, while other cities exalt rich men with massive tombs, the Bolognese…

On our last day in Italy we unexpectedly found ourselves in the middle of a huge event called “Par Tot” (meaning “For All”). I had a great vantage point standing on the edge of the Neptune fountain, joined by our friend Patrick from MN. That’s me with the camera to the right of Patrick (guy…