The Red, The Fat, and The Learned

Get ready for a long one folks...

So as I mentioned in my post last Friday, I headed to Bologna for the weekend! My first trip as a sidenote to this long trip. I wanted to go somewhere relatively closeby and easy to navigate to treat this weekend as a “practice run.” Bologna is only about an hour away by the fast train, and it is also a college town that was on the list of cities that actually celebrate for St. Patrick’s day, so I thought it was a win-win.

Friday after work, I went back to my apartment, changed, grabbed my bag, and headed to the central train station for my first REAL train ride while here (I’d taken one before when I was in Italy a few years ago, and I have taken the train between Durham and Raleigh… but I’m not going to count those right now… because I don’t want to). Not the metro. Not an amusement park ride. I get there early, but of course it takes me a good 20 minutes of waiting and staring at the departure board to realize that my train was up there but listed with its FINAL destination, which was not Bologna.

Luckily I still made it onto the train with about 5 minutes before.. Takeoff? I don’t know what you call it for a train…

Anyway, the train gets moving, and I am planning on listening to some calming music that feels like home to bring me to a really good place mentally as I start my solo adventuring… and of course… my headphones are bluetooth.. .and are not charged. So, scratch the music listening. I end up writing in my notebook for a bit, but then really, it’s only an hour away. By the time I finished page 1 I was there. So I get off the train and of course it takes me another 20 minutes to figure out how to EXIT the damn train station. I swear I went in a circle of going up an escalator, over, down stairs, and repeat. I think Europe has an issue with having arrows on signs that don't really mean anything to me… like a down arrow with no stairs or escalators or elevators in sight...what am I supposed to do, teleport through the floor? Come on now. But don't worry, there was a clear sign to find the "Kiss and Ride"

I walk to the hostel that I’m staying in, and luckily, no issues there or getting inside. I find the key that the host had left for me, and I start following the signs. I walk down the hall, I see a door straight ahead with a sign that says “8 mixed dormitory.” Not my room, but in the correct vicinity of signs that I am looking for. I turn to the left and see stairs. No lights. No light switch. So I stumble up said stairs in the dark, and at the top a light turns on by motion sensor. There are 2 doors, one on the right and one on the left. The right has no signage. I am expecting the left to say “All female dorm” or some such thing because that is the room I am staying in. Instead it just has a sign with the name of the hostel on it, but I hear voices behind it. Ok. So I refer back to the email the host had sent… Quote

“Your room is at the first floor and i leave the key with your name in the desk at the ground floor.

Your bed are named E and is without locker.

The room are the " 5bed female dorm" and is on right , but you'll find easily .”

Unquote.

Ok. So. Got the key, check. I now remember that the first floor in europe is the same as the second floor in America… so I’m correct there, check. Annddd my room is on the right. Cool. So I stick my key in the lock… doesn’t quite fit… a voice from inside,

“Chi?!?!”..

uhhh...uhh..

”Chi??!?!!!”..

”Uhmm.. Leslie? I think I’m staying here?”

still fumbling with the keys, still not fitting...door opens… adorable small asian lady glares at me and points to the other door.

Apparently that was not part of the hostel.

So I try the other door. The key fits, I walk in, there is a little desk and a few signs that make it clear I am at least in a hostel-owned room. Back on track. I look to the right, wall, I look to the left, doorway leading into an open area with the voices. I walk in, the 4 or 5 folks sitting at a kitchen table all stop talking and turn to look at me. Deer in headlights.

“Are you lost?” (with, might I add, a little condescension)

“I don’t think so”

“How did you get in?”

Holds up keys.

“Uhh.. All female dorm?”

They point to the left. Ok. Thanks…?

So I walk back, three more doors… an all male dorm to the right, a closet in the middle, and the 5 bed female dorm on the left. For those of you paying attention, you will notice that from the time I walked into the building, I took 5 left turns to get into my room… and not a single right turn.

I walk in, there are actually 6 beds, the lights are off, and one lady is already lying in bed (time check- 930pm.. Maybe earlier). So again, fumbling in the dark, I try and see which bed looks to be untouched and therefore would be mine… because of course there is no sign saying “Bed E.” I set my stuff down on the bed I determine to look the least slept in, and I bolt.

I love this

I head back down the road towards an area of town where the internet told me I would find “dreadlocked punks and student bars,” my kind of place. I wander a bit, just taking in the fact that I did indeed find the dreadlocked punks, and noticing how BUSY it felt compared to where I had been out in Milan. I finally decide I need to grab dinner, so I choose the first place I see that looks casual enough that it wouldn’t be intimidating, fancy enough that they would serve a real meal (my goal was to get REAL bolognese this weekend), crowded enough that I knew it was good or cool, but empty enough that I had a shot at getting a table. I walk in, I ask

“Tavola per uno?”..

”ahhh mangiare?”

“Si?...”.

..(meaning can i get a table for one? Oh are you eating? Yes? Please? Pretty please?)...

Walks away, comes back, gives some explanation in Italian that I didn’t understand a word of, but by her body language understood she was telling me she could not seat me. Great. Ok. Moving on. I wander a bit more, even more self-conscious about my choice now, and end up finding a little pizzeria where I grabbed a slice of pizza and a beer and sat at the counter by the window and people-watched.

By the time I finished my pizza, I was only half way finished with my beer, so I got another slice :-).

I wander a bit more, looking to maybe get a drink somewhere else, but I tell you, Italian nightlife is just DIFFERENT. No one is alone. There is no place to just sit and have a drink where you can appear open to conversation like if you were to sit alone at an American bar. It just doesn’t feel the same. So. I skip the drink and head for the gelato. I try to take it outside and casually eat it while leaning against a wall and watching the busy people stroll by who have people to be with and somewhere to go. I decide I look awkward, I finish my gelato, and I bolt. Back to the hostel I go.

I sleep surprisingly well given the thunderstorm battle of snoring that two of the other girls partake in through the night and wake up without an alarm around 730am when the others start to stir. I get dressed, grab one little pre-packaged breakfast type pastry from the kitchen, and I bolt.

I stop at a neat little caffe for a cappuccino and a pastry. Need to learn the name of it because damn it was good.

While I ate and drank I planned my day and marked out the sites I wanted to see on the map. As soon as I am done, I head out!

I don’t remember the exact order of my stops, so I’m going to switch from narrative mode to list mode. I got lucky with the weather and had barely any rain so I was ACTUALLY able to hit all my stops and ENJOY myself:

Piazza Maggiore with the Fountain of Neptune

The central piazza of the city filled with all sorts of people at all times of day.

San Petronio Basilica

One of the largest churches by volume

Archiginnasio

This building was really pretty cool. For the first few CENTURIES that the University of Bologna was open, it consisted of buildings all over the city. This building was constructed to try to allow for a central location for the school. It was used as such for I think 100 or 200 years before just becoming the library and a place of cultural interest. If I remember correctly, I think part of the building was damaged in WW2 raids, but they rebuilt it using as much of the original materials as possible. The walls are decorated with hundreds of family .. crests? is that what they're called... of the students and professors that attended the university.

They also maintain a room on the second floor called Teatro Anotomica (I’m not exactly sure WHAT I expected here…) where they used to place cadavers on the table in the middle to teach the students anatomy. So cool.

And then a room on the other side of the building is temperature and humidity controlled and holds thousands of books from the middle ages. I even saw a few famous names I recognized!

San Stefano Basilica

This Basilica is actually a combination of 7 churches on one campus. Apparently they are built on old ruins of a temple, but I couldn’t really find any information about whether part of the building WAS ruins or an old temple USED to be on the grounds but is no longer, etc. So. It just was what it was.

Torre Asinelli

The two things that ANYONE will think of as points of interest in the city of Bologna are the two towers, Due Torri. The city used to be filled with thousands of towers, but after centuries of war and natural disasters, very few remain. The one tower that really catches your attention is the Torre Garisenda. It is actually leaning MORE than the tower of Pisa by about 0.3 degrees! Very cool. The other tower apparently has a slight lean, but it's not really detectable, especially when seeing it next to sideways Susan over there. The Torre Assinelli actually allows access to the top, just like a lighthouse. So I bought my ticket for right around lunch and climbed the 498 steps the top! (That’s 6 sets of 83, Uncle Dick!) Really neat view.

Museum of music

Bologna was actually named a UNESCO city of Music in 2006- the first in Italy! So with that, I just had to visit the Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica di Bologna.

Failed Orto Botanico

I had on my list to go to the Botanical Garden which is run by the University. The University is the Oldest Continuously running university in the WORLD founded in 1088… just think about that for a second….. And then the Botanical garden is the 4th oldest in europe. Pretty cool. So it was on my list, I get there, I walk in, and then I remember I don’t care that much about plants. So. I turn around and leave. Sorry! I love me some nature and spending time in it, but when I have places to be and culture to experience, checking out what types of flowers the school is growing in their greenhouse just wasn’t cutting it for me.

Two Pinacoteca art museums

…..Incredible Collections of art including some by Raphael (the only name I recognized) and a bunch of other folks that I’m sure are famous and very talented.

MAMbo

The modern art museum of Bologna.

And while on my way to MAMbo I happened to walk into a street market! I didn’t buy anything but finding it made me happy.

And of course in between a few of these stops I patronized a few caffes for an espresso and a snack.

I had finally completed my list and it wasn’t even 5pm. I spent a couple of hours wandering and window shopping. Finally it was an acceptable hour to attend aperitivo at place called Le Stanze. The atmosphere inside was very cool, and I even saw my first Italian bachelorette party! I had a couple of drinks and some food and drunk texted my mom and sisters that, “wow guys, I’m in EUROPE.” That’s where I was at.

I then went out to find a real dinner at a place called Trattoria Anna Maria because I had read a good review, and of course, got turned away because I didn’t have a reservation. Don’t they know that I can eat REALLY quickly if I need to? Ended up having the Italian equivalent of a pepperoni roll at the italian equivalent of a fast food joint and called that dinner. Disappointing, but… sustained me.

I then decided I NEEDED to stop at the english pub before I headed back to the hostel. After all, it was St. Patrick’s Day, and I didn’t see an Irish Pub so this was as close as I was going to get. I get there, and they have an actual BAR. (Woot!) Most excited I had been in awhile. I grab a stool and order a GOOD BEER (Woot!) and then quickly realize I had stolen a guy’s seat. He was nice about it and instead of asking for his seat back, he introduced himself and his two friends. Turns out they were 3 russians who had all moved to Bologna in the last 5-10 years. We talked for about 5 minutes, they went outside for a smoke, came back to say bye and left. So close to being social. So close.

I am exhausted. My hip hurts from walking around all day. My feet hurt from wearing my boots that were meant more for fashion than function, but I wore to try and minimize my “tourist” appearance. I am ready for bed at, yes, 930pm. I make another gelato stop and go to bed.

The plan for Sunday had been to wake up early, catch a train to Parma, and get to a Parmigiano-Reggiano farm by 830am to tour and taste, buuuttt I screwed up my alarms and didn’t wake up in time. I take my time getting ready and packed, catch a 930am train instead to Parma, and decide to still attempt to enjoy a day in the town.

I was not so lucky this day, and within about 30 minutes of the train pulling up… it was pouring. Absolute downpour. I attempt to make a few stops, but I end up hiding in a caffe for a couple of hours, screw up ordering lunch at another place, and begrudgingly stop at a museum on my way to catching an early train home.

The museum(s) ended up being a neat stop, and they were on my way anyway, so it worked out. The first room on display was an old theater built in the 1600’s to host some big name when he was supposed to come to town. Teatro Farnese. He never came and it sounds like the theater was only used a dozen or so times for big weddings and events, and otherwise has just sat empty. Very strange but very, very beautiful.

The actual museum stop I made was the Nazionale Archaeological museum. It was very small and had little to no english information so I really didn’t know much about what I was looking at, but the rooms were again temperature and humidity controlled so I know everything was old and important. The coolest thing they had (I thought) was an actual MUMMY. I mean they had a few egyptian coffins, but one was the actual MUMMY. WHAT?!?!? And the rest I just don’t know :-)

Caught an early train home, stopped at the grocery store while I was already in Centrale, and went back to my apartment and collapsed on the couch. I hadn’t even been gone 48 hours but it felt like 4 days. When I went into the office Monday pretty much everyone asked “Why Bologna??” but I still stand by my decision. I think this city hopping is going to take some endurance training.

See you soon!