Bologna

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**We just want to thank everyone who has given us advice and recommendations on places to go, things to see, traditional foods and drinks, favorite spots, etc.  It has been so fun to check out your suggestions and makes our visits to these amazing cities even more enjoyable! Grazie!**

Bologna was a weird time for us. We had heard great things from various people and were given amazing recommendations, but I think we were picturing something different. I would absolutely fall in love with Bologna if I were a student at the university. The university section of the city takes up nearly half of the map, and is home to tons of restaurants, bars, and clubs- no shortage of places to meet up with your friends for amazing food and cheap drinks (count me in for a €10 bottle of Pignoletto!). But as two people who aren't night owls or party animals, Bologna didn't seem to have enough for us- especially since our budget is so limited! If we had unlimited funds I'm positive we'd be able to rally at the end of a long day of walking to go check out the night scenes or pay that annoying entrance fee to see an exhibit for 30 minutes. But for us, Bologna was a lot of meandering the streets, enjoying the beautiful city and awesome medieval towers, but not a whole lot of educational exhibits or silly fun. Sorry in advance if this isn't our best post...

On our first day in Bologna we checked into B&B Center Town, which provided us with a very comfortable bedroom and two bathrooms to share with the other guests. Mario, our host, was very laid back and accommodating. We looked over the map he provided us with, and headed into the main center of the city to find lunch. 

Osteria del Sole ws one of those amazing recommendations that was given to us. It's a little hole in the wall bar that only serves beer and wine, but locals absolutely love gathering there. It's the meeting spot for apertivo, to celebrate an event, or to just hang out and play cards (like the group of old men we sat next to). We grabbed some mortadella, parmesean and a baguette along with some stuffed tomatoes and eggplant, and brought our snack to this favorite local spot. Bringing your own food and sitting at the long, worn wood tables and enjoying drinks is the norm. We ordered a bottle of Pignoletto, the traditional and delicious sparkling white wine and enjoyed people watching: the old crew of men playing cards, the young professional group of guys in grape leaf crowns holding a stuffed white tiger (perhaps celebrating a graduation or bachelor party), the family sharing sliced meets and Pignoletto, the old man recycling all the wine bottles one by one. It was fantastic.

As I people watched, it reminded me of people back home. How much I would love to share these foreign experiences with certain people in different locations. The old men next to me had a fun flare like my grandfather and my dad(s); they played cards like they play 'Oh Hell' or cribbage-- with spunk. The women at the table behind us reminded me of the women in our lives (like our moms and grandmothers, who share a love for good, quality food) as they shared beautiful slices of cured meats, olives, and fresh bread with red wine. The fun crew of kids our age having drinks and laughing loudly reminded me of hilarious weekends in New Hampshire with our best friends and family. 

After lunch, we wandered through the streets for a while, and decided to go back to the B&B for a bit so that we could save our money for aperitif time. We finally whipped out our mini pack of playing cards and taught ourselves Rummy, which is so fun! We played for a couple hours, listening to Michael Buble, and watching the sun set over San Luca.

Around 7:00 we went out to drinks at Marsalino which has a nice outdoor patio across from one of the oldest residencies in Verona. We ordered glasses of Pignoletto and with it came a bottomless plate of pizza! We had planned to go out to dinner, but accidentally filled up on the free bacon and cheese flatbreads and happily made our way home with some extra pennies in our pockets.

The following couple of days were similar, with slow mornings that were extra  lazy because our B&B host Mario brought our complimentary breakfast to our bedroom- which was obviously enjoyed in bed. Yogurt, croissants, toast, tea, and tea biscuits. Carbo loaded up, we went into old town and climbed the tallest Medieval tower in Europe, Torre degli Asinelli. The view, as always was spectacular.

Seeing the city from above made us aware of things that intrigued us and inspired us to seek out. One of these spots was the Basilica de San Stefano. It's like those Russian Matryoshka dolls- layers of rooms with doorways leading to different styles of alters and churches. After enjoying the different styles of architecture all under one roof, we sought out Bascilia S. Domenico but it was unfortunately closed. We wandered our way back into town and had a meat plate with cheese, and our nice waiter gave us lots of suggestions for dinner. One of which was La Stanze. It had high ceilings painted to look like an old roman building and a huge buffet filled with delicious food.

We had to keep ourselves from having a full dinner there, because afterwards we went to Osteria del Osla, where we later shared a delicious tagliatelle and tiramisu! The following day we worked on journaling for a couple hours, reviewing photos, then headed out to wander the streets with no plans. That evening, I have no idea what came over us, but we decided that all you can eat sushi was a good idea. It wasn't. It was fun for 10 minutes while we grabbed sashimi salmon and seaweed salad off of the constantly circling conveyer belt, but after the 8000th plate we were both so full and so disgusted. Mike was so sick that he had to make himself throw up that night, and god knows i wanted to, but instead I felt gross for a solid 24 hours.

The next day, in an effort to sweat out our poor food choice, we hiked over and up to San Luca. It was about a 2 mile walk to the portico which was another mile of stairways and inclined walkways to the top. Not a great view of the city, but San Luca was a beautiful building, the portico walk was incredible, and there was a nice countryside view out the back. We had a nice picnic on one of the benches in the sun before beginning our three mile walk home. Back at the B&B we played more Rummy before getting tortellini in broth for dinner- so delicious. 

Our final day  in Bologna we woke up to the sounds of helicopters overhead, which we thought was weird, but got up and out and walked to a nearby market that's held on the weekends and got a yummy mortadella sandwich.

From there we walked into town, where there was a political protest going on, which explained the helicopters. People of all ages were chanting, dancing, and using the power of their voice to speak up. It was really cool to see. Police had their riot shields at the ready and were blocking off parts of the streets, but it was all very peaceful. In the city center a woman was giving a triumphant speech which was echoed by cheers, waving flags, and smoke flares. We were hoping for a quiet place to have a picnic, but literally the entire city was out and about protesting and celebrating their right to speech. We sat and journaled and read in a park, then relocated to a cafe, all the while the city chanted all around us. 

When we got back to the B&B I finally got a real wave of homesickness. We're exactly halfway through our trip, and it is such a mix of emotions. I absolutely love traveling- no two days are the same at all, we're seeing the most beautiful places and meeting fun people, we're learning tons, and we get to experience it all together. But everyday is pretty exhausting- we wake up and walk all day long, weighing the pros and cons of every purchase, soaking up different sights, people, and cultures all while being surrounded by people not speaking our language. It's all awesome, but I think my physical and mental exhaustion caught up with me that night. I also got overwhelmed thinking about our quick move out west once we return home, and it all seemed like a lot. Which it is! But Mike and I chatted for a long while, and I reached out to those closest to me who give me comfort and have also experienced adventures like these, and in no time my mind was reset. 

It definitely takes pushing your comfort zones to help you learn about yourself, your past self, and what you want in the future. It also just puts it all in perspective. Doing what you want to do/ love to do, following your passions, and making big life-changing jumps forces you to also make big decisions, and that can be really challenging at times. But going on adventures, whether they're big or small, is what fills your life with happiness and stories to share, right? So it may not always be easy to leave your comforts and your loved ones, but I think it will always be worth it. That night I really realized (with a help from my friends) how lucky I am to have a comfortable home and amazing friends and family on the East Coast to miss. But I'm also so blessed to have been able to take this trip with my partner-in-crime during the perfect time in our lives. Our move out West will be a whole new adventure to meet like-minded friends, live in a new environment filled with outdoor recreation, and create my place in the world with Mike. But for now we're in gorgeous Italy, being present, taking it day by day, and soaking up every second that this current adventure gives us.