Blogging From Bologna

Buongiorno from Bologna, Italy!

Ok, a few words of warning...this is my first blog so I'm not sure how things will turn out. Will I remember to save it? Will I ever find it again? Will photos be uploaded properly? Labelled? Added where I want them to go? Jane and Rod, I hope I'm able to channel your knowledge! Fingers crossed, here goes! And thanks for reading! Leslie

David and I are well and having fun! We have been in Bologna since the end of May and are here until mid-July when we drive to Nice, France for five weeks.

So, what have we been up to? Well, great times visiting family and friends, lots of amazing sights, delicious food and wine and some hilarious language mix ups.

As this is our first posting (and thanks for your gentle...and not so gentle...nudges to get the damn blog going!), we'll give a quick summary of what we've done so far. We then hope to post more regularly!

We left Canada on March 31, flying into Gatwick, London then onto Manchester. It was the weekend of the huge snafu at Heathrow Airport, where over 20,000 bags went astray! We managed to avoid all that by choosing the right airport, one of the many examples of our travel angels looking out for us.

We decided to spend our first night at the airport hotel in Manchester to try and catch up on our sleep, rather than subject our friend to our sleep-deprived stupours. Struggling to stay awake until 9 pm, we finally fell into bed, not bothering to set the alarm. Fifteen hours later, we awoke dazed and confused! Apologizing profusely to the front desk for missing the check out time, we went around the hotel roundabout a few times before figuring out where we were going. We spent our first few days in Bolton, near Manchester, visiting Kathy, a lively 91 year old family friend.

We then headed up to Glasgow...in sleet and snow. Of course, we Canadians were blamed for the weather! David grew up in Glasgow as a teenager, so at least HE was able to understand people! Most of the time, I didn't have a clue! We stayed with David's Aunt Betty and had a lot of laughs with her and her friend, Pete.

After Glasgow, we took the ferry to Dunoon to stay with Neil and Rhona, David's cousin and his wife. More laughs and much wine. (Not that there is any relation between the two.) We were back in the land of dogs as Neil and Rhona have Molly, who looks a lot like Saturn. David's Aunt Margaret, Neil's mom, was in fine form. She turns 80 in November and is throwing herself a ceilidh. If we're still in Europe, in the land of 10 euro flights, we'll be there!

David holding up Lamont Castle

We flew from Glasgow to Barcelona and then caught a train to Servian, France. We stayed in Servian for two weeks, a small hilltop town with about 3500 residents. I dusted off my high school French from over 25 years ago and we managed fairly well. I did have one major glitch though...when asking a local fellow where he was born, I either asked him if he had a nose or if he was nude! (note to self...clarify glitch with Denise D).

Servian seen from the vineyards.

Swan's House in France, our home in Servian.

We explored the area by bike and bus. David linked up with a local fellow, Frances, (Frances of the nude nose) and they had some great bikes rides in the mountains. I ran on the paths beside the vineyards, enjoying the views and wishing mightily that my running buddies were there to share the views and the post-run coffees and croissants. Kirsten, thanks for your warning about the pastries...you were right! They ARE scrumptious!

Servian has a market in its town square three times a week. As we cooked at the house, we bought most of our food at the markets, becoming addicted to tapenade, baguettes and the cheeses. Oh, and local wine too.

After Servian, we flew to Sicily, the Italian island off of the country's toe. For two weeks, we stayed in Taormina, a fancy schmancy resort town hugging the coastline in the shadow of Mount Etna. And yes, Etna suffered a small eruption while we were there.

Taormina was definitely a popular destination for Italians. We enjoyed watching well-dressed, well-coiffed, well-jewelled and well-heeled people stroll and strut during the passegiata, the lovely Italian custom of an evening stroll.

Leslie and David shopping at the market in Catania, Sicily.


Taormina's Greek Theatre with Mt. Etna in background on right behind clouds and ash!


A university friend, Lisa Bahan, joined us in Taormina for a week. A stage of the Giro d'Italia, Italy's version of the Tour de France, came through town and it was incredible to see it. The huge number of vehicles involved in the event was astounding! Sponsor cars, team cars for people, team cars for equipment, police escorts, ambulances, media cars, VIP vehicles and event organizer cars...they all took about 90 minutes to hurtle past us. And then the racers went by in a 90 second, noisy blur!

Lisa and David enjoying the cafe life and discussing the finer points of espresso.

Leslie at the Greek Theatre in Taormina.


When David left town to do his own version of the Giro, Lisa and I were often found comparing gelati flavours and discussing the merits of Sicilian wines. The three of us then rented a car to drive up to Bologna for a few days before we parted ways. Ciao and grazie, Lisa!


David and I continued by train to Nice, France for five days for the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix. Many of you know that David is a HUGE F1 fan and the Monaco event is the jewel in the F1 crown. Set in the streets of Monte Carlo, with the glittering blue of the Mediterranean Sea on one side and the Grimaldi castle perched on other, the race is quite an event. It was fun to people watch, yacht watch and absorb the energy of the masses.

Fashionista Leslie in Monte Carlo. In Nice

Flowers in the street of Old Nice.

Roller blading along the Nice waterfront, trying to minimize the effects of the delicious French food!

After Nice, we settled into life in Bologna. We chose this northern Italian city as the area is known for its incredible food and wine (lasagne, Parma ham, Parmesan cheese, tortellini, balsamic vinegar...even Italians swoon over the food from here!), it's the middle of a train transportation hub so easy access to Florence (55 min), Milan and Venice and it isn't too well known to tourists. This walled city also has the oldest university in Europe. For John Grisham fans, his book, The Broker, is set here.

Asinelli and Garisenda Towers, Bologna








Bologna is also famous for its porticoes, miles of covered sidewalks that provide shelter from rain, sun and snow. Thank goodness for the porticoes! When we first arrived, they sheltered us from the most rain that the area has experienced in 200 years! "Rain" doesn't quite capture the phenomenon. Deluge, downpour, torrents do. Our green plastic ponchos, although not quite the Dolce & Gabbana image we had hoped for, helped somewhat. Now, the porticoes are welcome protection from the searing sun.


There is a 3.5 km portico that leads from one of the ancient city gates up the hill to the Madonna di San Luca Basilica. It's a great place to run as it's scenic and sheltered.






Portico leading up to the San Luca Basilica.











We started Italian lessons as we felt our brains needed a workout too. And, gasp, we have homework! We have quickly learned that we need to do the homework BEFORE the wine.


I am a member of a wonderful book club in Victoria. (David calls us a wine club with a book problem. And his point is?) The first international book club meeting was held in Florence with Donna and Andy Carswell. David and I met up with them for a great afternoon. I think the only thing we read was a menu but we certainly lived up to the wine club reputation!

The first international Book Club meeting, Florence, Italy.

David and Leslie (gripping tightly) on top of the dome of Florence's duomo.

David descending the dome.

David and David, Florence.













So, this first entry is a long one but we wanted to bring you up to date. Although we have our laptop with us, some places we stay in do not have internet access (quelle horreur!) so we try to get to an internet cafe every few days. We love getting news from home.


Ciao!
Leslie and David









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