Taking a break in Bologna

B Breakneck pace. Since starting this journey 46 days ago I've been sprinting-- replacing the heels on my boots in Zurich. Time to slow it down, relax into a city, find "my cafe" or gellateria in this case. So off to Bologna for 1 week. Midweek I added another week. Turns out there are lots of nooks and crannies to explore and Bologna is centrally located for day trips--in just 37 minutes yesterday I was in Florence!

Rain days. I took one and stayed inside all day reading a great book. Here are a few books I've seen in my travels. If they were small and light this would be my souvenir of choice. Just a few I've admired.

E-mail and posting to a blog without wifi in your apartment is a challenge. So I've relied on a pay as you go SIM card here in Bologna. Here's a note: When researching phones for this trip everything I read said just buy a SIM card and pop it in. Not so. To buy the SIM card it must be registered in the store using your ID or you take it home and register it on your own with ID which doesn't really work if you're without Internet access. And when your SIM card runs out the notice is in another language and you can't update it online so you have to go into the actual store 3 times to add money. Bottom line: only book rooms with Wifi and more posts will be coming soon.

Aceto Balsamico. A little teaser for a future post.

Kiosks in the supermarket are really loud. Having an apartment here I've made a few trips to the supermarket. The first time at the self-serve checkout I selected English. It pretty much announces to the whole store "tourist right here at checkout # 4". I quickly hit cancel and started over again and am happy to report I can now maneuver through the Italian prompts even when it asks if I'm using any plastic bags.

So for now I'm going to indulge in this with a friend.