Bologna and beyond

Ok so where was I? In an internet cafe in Florence on Wednesday night, yes? Huh, I just reread my last post to catch up (I forget what I've told you and where to start) and it ends with the rather mysterious single word paragraph of "Shoes." Not so unusual really considering my general obession but I'm sure a point or curiosity.

Basically I had the most amazing shoe experience ever and couldn't even formulate the words to describe it. I have known for a little while that I needed to buy a pair of shoes because while my trusty Converse Chuck Taylors are still comfy and stylish and loved I am attending the ballet on Sunday the 9th of November and my options included Chucks, jandals or hiking boots. Très chic (I don't know if that's the right accent for the e, there are too many options on this keyboard.) So I needed shoes and had been vaguely staring in the window of shops to find something I actually liked and could afford and which would be semi-practical to travel with (stilettos = fun but not functional.)

So remember the rain? Torrential and horrendous and I hid in a cafe? Well when it let up and I asked where Piazza Independenza was it turned out I was just aroudn the corner from home. Heading along Via Nazionale, the street my street comes off, I suddenly noticed a little shop I had never spotted before with bright blue paint and overcrowded windows. I walked through the open door and discovered to my right an old Italian man making shoes. As I entered the store I was surrounded on all sides by shoes of literally every description, even hanging from the ceiling. There were jester's pointy shoes and big bright clown shoes, classic black brogues beside almost as classic huge black goth boots. The proprietor came out to say "Ciao" and was the most amazing man I've ever seen with a huge white beard dressed in an outfit which was white (well, underneath) and covered in colourful paint splatters, pants, shirt and boots all matching and made by he and his partner, of course. So I browsed this amazing little store and saw, sitting on the shelf between a jagged cut gladiator sandal and a big soled black boot, one modest little black shoe. 1930s/40s style with little laces and a small heel, I think I met my soulmate - we recognised eachother. Ok, so I exaggerate, but it was a special moment. And then it fit perfectly (in a shop like this you can't exactly ask for an 8 1/2) so then the fun of the hunt for the second shoe began! Literally every shoe is on display so we had to hunt for it, but when found it was never doubted that they would go home with me! So I had to go get a lot of cash (no visa for these aged hippies) but I am now the owner of handmade Italian leather shoes. I had some eek moments about the money until Mum reminded me that I worked damn hard for that money and ought to enjoy spending it on something so utterly me. So now I just glance often at my feet and sigh happily. So there lies the long and exciting story of "Shoes."

Thursday morning I packed and checked out around 10 to catch a train to Bologna. Got to Bologna a bit after 12, asked a guy with a lanyard where to get my bus, he put me on a bus and told the driver to drop me at the right stop. So I waited at the stop, got the right bus and got to my hostel, the Centro Turisto Camping-Hotel. It sounded a bit inconvenient but was really cheap, and it turned out to be great, bus is pretty straightforward so I'm happy. I didn't bother going back into town that afternoon, I did the hundred little jobs which add up - like laundry. Ha, you should have seen the outfit I ended up wearing to do my laundry! A skirt I got in Africa with the tank top from my swimsuit, the only clean woolen jersey I had and my raincoat! Awesome. But soon laundry was done and I could look vaguely sensible again. The hostel retaurant does cheap pizza which is really good so that was my tasty dinner.

Friday I headed into Bologna early to explore. I decided Friday would be Church Day so I hit about 8 out of the million and a half that Bologna had to offer. Saw the tomb of Saint Domenicus, very snazzy. I've become a bit flippant about churches but the Basilica of St Petronius was really amazing, so amazing that I went to church there this morning. It's very open and airy and light, with terracotta coloured pillars and edges which make it seem more welcoming than the plain marble or concrete ones. I liked it. I also went in to the Palazzo D'Accursio which houses the Municipal Art Collection in a wing of the old palace so it was cool art (with signs in English, bonus) in pretty rooms, well worth the free ticket. Also in the palace is the Morandi Museum, full of artwork by an artist from Bologna but it was quite reptitive stuff and sadly not very impressive after the majesty of the other gallery. Oh and the stairs to the first floor of the palace are really shallow and wide because they were designed to allow a horse and carriage up them! Those crazy noble families. I got a bit tired in the afternoon and was trying to decide what to do as I wandered the main piazza and I ended up in the library where I spent a delightful hour reading The Guardian and New Yorker. So now I'm all caught up on how McCain is election scum (something like 80% of his advertising budget is spent on negative ads about Obama) and why it's a myth that genius exhibits young (Picasso may have peaked at 25 but Cezanne was awesomest in his 50s) so I felt smarter when I left. Dinner was again pizza, but a different kind so it's ok, there is variety in my diet.

Yesterday I went to Ravenna, famous for it's mosaics but my motivation was pure Dante, he's buried there. The mosaics were certainly also impressive, I even bought a few wee giftcards with pictures of birds from the souvenir shop. I enjoyed walking around Ravenna although it isn't the prettiest city I've been in in Italy, in a way that made it seem more 'real'... I mean, not every Italian can live in Siena, right? Dante's tomb is majestic and I made a nice American lady take my photo in front of it, which I would show you but I forgot my camera cord. Next time. I caught a different bus to the hostel because it required no waiting but I missed the stop and had to walk twenty minutes back, following the bus stops, thank goodness it wasn't raining!

So today was Museum Day and I decided to go to church because I went a lot in Tanzania and found it really nice, being part of a community, and I find mass in another language very soothing. It's not as scary to be warned of brimfire if you can't understand a word of it! And the Basilica, as I said, it beautiful so I spent a lot of time staring at the ceiling. Then the museums! Bologna rocks because almost all the museums are free! I went to the Museum of Archaeology, mummies, vases and old statues; the Medieval Museum, illuminated books, armour and statues of Popes and Saints; the University Museum, old maps, model ships and wax anatomy models. I missed the Modern Art Gallery because I couldn't find it easily (the signs stopped before I could get near it) and the National Picture Gallery because it cost €10 - ha! I sat in a cafe reading and drinking coffee for about an hour, delight, before deigning to come and update all of you!

Tomorrow I'm going to explore Ferrara, which is the picturesque medieval city in this region, so I can compare it to Siena. Then Tuesday it's the early train to Venice and my exploration of the sinking city can begin! I think my hostel there has free internet so you can expect an update in a few days, probably a good deal shorter than this one unless I fall in love with a handbag, coat or man!