So let's work backwards, shall we? Obviously I'm here with my ears plugged and brain buzzing unpleasantly. It took me about half an hour to figure out how to log into to the wireless network. As I am not THAT technologically inept we can blame jet lag--it's very convenient.
I have dined on a local specialty--some fat tortellini with ricotta and spinach which I dressed with some salt and extra virgin olive oil. Some Emilian joker hundreds of years ago decided to recreate Venus's navel in pasta--and pretty dang tasty they are. Right now I'm sipping a slightly rough sangiovese, which I think comes from the Romagna part of Emilia-Romangna, but you know what? At this point I don't care. It's tasty.
I live next door to a giant shopping mall with a bancomat--or atm for you foreigners and a supermarket that is likely to fulfill all my dreams--as well as Your Food Fantasies. As exhausted as I was I had to wander around marveling. My takings were fairly modest--for now. Since I am an ignorant foreigner and cannot use the auto check out, I ended up in line behind an elderly couple who appeared to be buying three months worth of supplies.
Before that on my way to my apartment and mistaking the number I barged in on an innocent couple enjoying their evening. They were extraordinarily gracious about it, too. Folks must subscribe to the travelers' code. I mumbled something shamefaced about jet leg and retreated.
And you know what? That pretty much sums up my trip so far--me blundering around and helped by kindly strangers.
There's a bus from the airport to take folks to the train station in Bologna. It's a very handsome city by the way once I get out to explore. I'd written down the directions to my new home, but I had no idea where I was and just sort of stumbled in the right direction. I have arrived in the midst of a cold snap with temperatures in the 40s. The only smart thing I did so far was check the weather on the internet, so I had my Florentine leather jacket, and dressed in black as I was, I fit right in. I am way out, but I figure the exercise did me good after those plane rides.
On the LAX-Frankfurt leg, I was seated in the kid zone, and my heart sank. Fortunately my little three year old neighbor was an excellent traveler and the babies in the rows in front and behind didn't fuss that much.
Oh and if you happen to be a sap and lose your boarding pass going through security--don't worry. The nice airline folks will print you a new one. Don't ask how I know this.
And yeah, I started out the day in the dentist chair. A quick fix for a broken crown.
It can only get better from now on.
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