So, happy belated Canada day. We had a wonderful celebration here in Bologna. We have a good contingent of Canadians at our program and many became honourary Canadians for the night. After a not so lovely dinner out (Italian service is the worst, especially at a specific Greek restaurant who decided that I would not eat that night), we met up with a ton of people at a local club. When we arrived, there was some weird Celtic/Italian band playing. At moments it felt like Great Big Sea, Italian style. We decided to wait it out after hearing that a DJ would start at 11. Well at 11:45 the DJ finally arrived. It was a ton of fun from then on as it was 80s and 90s night. All the best music.
Saturday was a little trip back to when I was 17 in Italy. Fede, who many of you have probably heard about at some point, came to visit from Brescia. We met when I was in Italy on a summer Lions Exchange ten years ago and is one of only two people from that trip that I really keep in touch with. Anyways, Fede came down to Bologna on Saturday. It was definitely a little strange seeing each other after so many years, but we quickly fell into the way we used to talk. I have to say, it was really nice to be traveling in a car instead of the train. We headed out to Ferrara, a medieval town about an hour from Bologna. It is a neat little place. We wandered around the old town, through the castle (with a moat that was green), and had a great meal (yum proscuito and melon). After Ferrara we decided to head to the other side of Bologna and go for a drive up in the hills. It was absolutely beautiful up there and a nice break from the overwhelming heat (high of 38 degrees in Bologna plus humidity). Back in Bologna we grabbed a gelato for old times sake (my favourite thing to do when I was last here) and then said goodbye. We've agreed we'll meet again in 10 years, but this time in Sicily.
Saturday night was an adventure and I feel like I can't entirely do it justice here, but I will try. So, when we were in Ravenna last week, Jake had seen a pamphlet for a concert on Saturday at the Ravenna Jazz Festival. Maceo Parker was playing and a few of us decided to go. We should have figured out that this would be an adventure early on, but whatever. I got on the train in Bologna with Jerry (Czech), Rachel (Oz) and Ben (US). Jake (US) and Ava (Oz) were meeting us there on a train from Florence. Well. When we were on the train, Jerry was fined 5 Euro for not stamping his ticket before we got on the train. I got a text from Jake saying they would be late, their train had broken down and then were missing their connecting train.
When we arrived in Ravenna, we had to figure out exactly where this concert was. I knew where Jake had seen the pamphlets, so we went back there and picked one up. It had the address, so we stopped at a hotel and got directions. Back at the train station, Ava and Jake arrived and we started the walk over to the concert. Well, we were in the middle of some industrial area, and there was no sigs of a concert. We found a bar and after what seemed like enough time for him to have bought a cow, Ben (in his passable Italian) had figured out that this concert of the Ravenna Jazz Festival was not taking place in Ravenna - it was in some town 30km away. Ergh. We were heading back to the train station when somebody said, well, why don't was grab a drink, so we did. That was a bad idea. While we were sitting having a drink mom and dad phoned. It was the first time I had actually talked to them since getting here, but we had some sorting to do before they arrive here next week. Anyways, after the drink, we headed back to the train station. In our decision to have a drink, we had also apparently decided to miss the last direct train to Bologna. So we had to sit around and wait for the 12:30 train to Rimini. Then once in Rimini and a significant battle with the ticketing machine, we had to wait until 2:30 for the train to Bologna. Finally at 4:30 we rolled into the hotel, exhausted. Basically we went all the way to Ravenna to have a beer.
Ok, Sunday, intending on having a pretty boring day, I was totally talked into going back to Rimini (crazy) to go to the beach. I went off with Nick (Oz), Barbara (Brazil) and Usman (Pakistan). It was Usman's first ever trip to a beach and I think there was a bit of culture shock. I mean, it's not like going to a North American beach. People here aren't big on covering things and I think he was a little overwhelmed. I had a lovely hour or so on the beach before Usman and Barbara returned from a quick tour saying we should rent a paddle boat. So off we went. It was a lot of fun and I have to say, getting away from the yucky shore water was quite welcome. Eventually after a day in the sun, we caught the train back to Bologna. It was by far the worst train ride I had been on - we were packed like sardines, standing for an hour, no AC, and only one window that opened. I was pouring sweat and pretty much done for. I was so happy to be back in Bologna. Anyways, that was the weekend.
On Monday, I had an interesting dinner out with some of our speakers. First, Alvaro de Soto who was a lead negotiator in the El Salvador peace process along with work in the Middle East on behalf of three Secretary Generals of the UN. John McNamara, the Director of Planning in the US State Department's Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization and John Prendergast the Co-Founder of the Enough Project (and apparently a personal friend of George Clooney's). Anyways, it was a lovely dinner with lots of wonderful Italian food and great wine. Definitely a great opportunity to chat with amazing people.
Some disappointing news - Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, is having to send an alternate speaker as one of the cases before the ICC is having to be recessed until Thursday, which was the day he was supposed to be here speaking and having dinner with yours truly. Ah well, I guess the other person will still be interesting. We are onto our week of reconciliation, so lots of law stuff. Today we have a prosecutor from the ICTY, so that should be good.
Anyways, that's it for now!
Saturday was a little trip back to when I was 17 in Italy. Fede, who many of you have probably heard about at some point, came to visit from Brescia. We met when I was in Italy on a summer Lions Exchange ten years ago and is one of only two people from that trip that I really keep in touch with. Anyways, Fede came down to Bologna on Saturday. It was definitely a little strange seeing each other after so many years, but we quickly fell into the way we used to talk. I have to say, it was really nice to be traveling in a car instead of the train. We headed out to Ferrara, a medieval town about an hour from Bologna. It is a neat little place. We wandered around the old town, through the castle (with a moat that was green), and had a great meal (yum proscuito and melon). After Ferrara we decided to head to the other side of Bologna and go for a drive up in the hills. It was absolutely beautiful up there and a nice break from the overwhelming heat (high of 38 degrees in Bologna plus humidity). Back in Bologna we grabbed a gelato for old times sake (my favourite thing to do when I was last here) and then said goodbye. We've agreed we'll meet again in 10 years, but this time in Sicily.
Saturday night was an adventure and I feel like I can't entirely do it justice here, but I will try. So, when we were in Ravenna last week, Jake had seen a pamphlet for a concert on Saturday at the Ravenna Jazz Festival. Maceo Parker was playing and a few of us decided to go. We should have figured out that this would be an adventure early on, but whatever. I got on the train in Bologna with Jerry (Czech), Rachel (Oz) and Ben (US). Jake (US) and Ava (Oz) were meeting us there on a train from Florence. Well. When we were on the train, Jerry was fined 5 Euro for not stamping his ticket before we got on the train. I got a text from Jake saying they would be late, their train had broken down and then were missing their connecting train.
When we arrived in Ravenna, we had to figure out exactly where this concert was. I knew where Jake had seen the pamphlets, so we went back there and picked one up. It had the address, so we stopped at a hotel and got directions. Back at the train station, Ava and Jake arrived and we started the walk over to the concert. Well, we were in the middle of some industrial area, and there was no sigs of a concert. We found a bar and after what seemed like enough time for him to have bought a cow, Ben (in his passable Italian) had figured out that this concert of the Ravenna Jazz Festival was not taking place in Ravenna - it was in some town 30km away. Ergh. We were heading back to the train station when somebody said, well, why don't was grab a drink, so we did. That was a bad idea. While we were sitting having a drink mom and dad phoned. It was the first time I had actually talked to them since getting here, but we had some sorting to do before they arrive here next week. Anyways, after the drink, we headed back to the train station. In our decision to have a drink, we had also apparently decided to miss the last direct train to Bologna. So we had to sit around and wait for the 12:30 train to Rimini. Then once in Rimini and a significant battle with the ticketing machine, we had to wait until 2:30 for the train to Bologna. Finally at 4:30 we rolled into the hotel, exhausted. Basically we went all the way to Ravenna to have a beer.
Ok, Sunday, intending on having a pretty boring day, I was totally talked into going back to Rimini (crazy) to go to the beach. I went off with Nick (Oz), Barbara (Brazil) and Usman (Pakistan). It was Usman's first ever trip to a beach and I think there was a bit of culture shock. I mean, it's not like going to a North American beach. People here aren't big on covering things and I think he was a little overwhelmed. I had a lovely hour or so on the beach before Usman and Barbara returned from a quick tour saying we should rent a paddle boat. So off we went. It was a lot of fun and I have to say, getting away from the yucky shore water was quite welcome. Eventually after a day in the sun, we caught the train back to Bologna. It was by far the worst train ride I had been on - we were packed like sardines, standing for an hour, no AC, and only one window that opened. I was pouring sweat and pretty much done for. I was so happy to be back in Bologna. Anyways, that was the weekend.
On Monday, I had an interesting dinner out with some of our speakers. First, Alvaro de Soto who was a lead negotiator in the El Salvador peace process along with work in the Middle East on behalf of three Secretary Generals of the UN. John McNamara, the Director of Planning in the US State Department's Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization and John Prendergast the Co-Founder of the Enough Project (and apparently a personal friend of George Clooney's). Anyways, it was a lovely dinner with lots of wonderful Italian food and great wine. Definitely a great opportunity to chat with amazing people.
Some disappointing news - Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, is having to send an alternate speaker as one of the cases before the ICC is having to be recessed until Thursday, which was the day he was supposed to be here speaking and having dinner with yours truly. Ah well, I guess the other person will still be interesting. We are onto our week of reconciliation, so lots of law stuff. Today we have a prosecutor from the ICTY, so that should be good.
Anyways, that's it for now!
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