Our Bologna Adventure - day 1

It was a treat to be introduced to the local fare at one of Bologna’s better restaurants opposite ‘ the seven churches’ - Sette Chiese – or Basilica di Santo Stefano.

These buildings are a conglomeration of various architectural styles, spanning over several centuries. The most interesting item to me was a dome, constructed of small house building sized red bricks, spiraling round and round until one oblong brick closed the gap at the top. The large nativity scene figurines, mostly gold in colour, were made either from paper mache, porcelain or stone.  The display was attended by a lady who kept rearranging the many dried and live greenery accompaniments, including lavender, giving the exhibition a fresh peaceful aroma.

Bologna, a city of towers, porticos, and many beautiful shops  – which made the items in Zara look very average –  is a great place to walk around. Amongst the shops are very old buildings, mainly churches but worth visiting.  That evening we noticed many young people heading into the Cathedral of Bologna, a large church surrounded by shops.  Maybe a carol service?  There was a poster outside, advertising a ‘notable’ tenor and organist.  So we strolled inside, waiting while the thousand or so queues of people seated themselves, filling about half the cathedral, only to find out that it was a prayer service, honouring the youth of the city.

A day on the Water, Venice, Italy, Day 2

There is nothing better for maritime lovers to be out on the water, in any capacity, even while on holiday! Today we  boarded our ferry and set off for our water adventure in Venice. The day was so – unusually, we found out – warm and balmy – the water was so calm that we could have reached out and trailed our fingers in the water, and the sky was so blue….  We travelled past the extensive mud flats with a few birds flying here and there, and landed on the formally arranged tree bordered Cemetery Island. Extensive, well maintained, and still to be completely filled, this sanctuary presented a preliforia of family histories of the area – some still in their telling. The monuments also offered a history of memorials over time, in the area.  After a time of peace and reflection we cruised to Murano, an island not only renowned for its lace making, but for its colourful houses lining its canals. We all disembarked, admiring the colourful buildings with their closed doors and drapes, suspecting that their inhabitants might have felt like goldfish in a bowl! However we  tourists all strolled merrily by, occasionally dropping into the few lace and souvenir shops that were still open during this off-season, admired the island’s thick furred cats and all arrived at the one restaurant that was open to enjoy lunch  off an Italian styled family run ‘international’ menu which very efficiently catered for the huge variety of ethnic groups that called by. We thoroughly recommend the soup of the day! Upon our return to the ‘mainland’ we chattered with some very interesting people from China and Germany who had  ‘popped over to Venice’ for a few days break. Oh if only we could do the same……  We concluded this lovely autumn day by strolling  past St Mark's Square through Venice’s very exclusive hotel and shopping area, noting that the Christmas decorations were appropriate to people who might shop in this area. For our last supper in Venice we dined like royalty at another family restaurant - Trattoria Vittoria that we discovered upon another visit and again enjoyed the décor, authentic Italian food and hospitality.  Next day we travelled by train -  you might have noticed that pic of the water as we travelled along the causeway from Venice on to Bologna – our next adventure in Italy…..

A day's Adventure in Trieste

Now that we are in Trieste, Italy, after overcoming our jetlag in London, it feels as if our adventure has really begun! As you can see in the pics. The weather in Trieste is overcast and very balmy. Our first ‘port of call’ was the Museo de Mare – the Trieste Maritime Museum.  Trieste was one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when it was the principal outlet to the sea of the Habsburg Empire. After it became part of Italy in 1920 Trieste’s ship building industry flourished. This small, well presented museum features a huge variety of models of vessels in the area and how they were made  - diagrams and tools.  Next we strolled through the narrow streets of the old  town and had a relaxing break in at the Cafe Tommaseo, one of  several historic  cafes in the area, all of which have their own special stories. Later we travelled by bus down the coast to the Mirimar Castle, perched on a prominent point on the west side of Trieste.   Specifically designed by and for Ferdinand Maximilian in 1860, today the castle and park grounds are open to the public and the surrounding waters are a well protected maritime reserve.  Back to the city and a trip on a local bus which wound through Trieste’s narrow old town streets hairpinning up the hill to the 14^th century Castle Quisto, set in parklands above the city. However it was closed…… Having noticed several flights of stairs on our bendy bus route, we stepped down to a town square to find a street market in full swing, and everyone seemed to be there, enjoying hot beverages, beers, food and gossiping.  Ideal on a balmy autumn early evening - especially with a chocolate waffle in hand! The day finished with  a light meal at the comfortable Pizzeria Crystal.  Trieste done!  Now to our hotel to prepare for our Venice adventure tomorrow……..