One of the best things about being here is I have no idea what the fuss is about mermaids, ramparts, or Blue Bell. Pure heaven, I tell you.

Gus and I woke up to a rainy morning, so we slept in a bit and took care of some work–he practiced and worked on college essays, and I analyzed my students’ AP scores and answered some emails. I made some eggs, which involved actually lighting the burner myself. I need to go to the store to find some colored trash bags. The Bolognese sort their trash in colored bags, and I currently only have blue for paper. I need the brown ones for organic stuff. Currently, my eggshells and peach pits are in the refrigerator so they don’t start to smell or attract friends until I can get the bags. I eventually got around to showering, which took some serious organization in our tiny bathroom, and then it came time to dry my hair. The hairdryer requires a special plug, which as far as I can tell only exists in wet areas like bathrooms and kitchens. Fair enough. It would be rather easy to electrocute yourself when you are within inches of every water source no matter where you turn in the bathroom or kitchen. The one such socket in the bathroom, however, was blocked and the plug wouldn’t go in. The only other one I found was in the kitchen. I’m a resourceful gal, so I dried my hair while squatting and using the microwave glass for an improvised mirror. Not my best work, but given that there is a hair salon on every corner, I could remedy the situation if needed. I might just have to go curly for the next 2 weeks.

After the weather cleared, we headed out for lunch. I had just read the chapter on food in Bologna from my book, so I was on a mission for one of the local specialties: tortellini. This is a food town, and every restaurant we have tried has been amazing. I got the tortelloni (big tortellini) with ricotta, spinach, and (of course) mushrooms in a pink sauce. Amazing. Each meal tops the last here. The weather was wonderful today–in the 70s after the cooling rain, so Gus and I walked down to the Piazza Maggiore and the Piazza Nettuno, known for its statue of Neptune. These squares are the heart of Bologna, and they are 5 minutes walk from our apartment. Bologna actually has 2 leaning towers–take that Pisa. You can climb up one of them if you are willing to do the 500 stairs. I’m not sure about that. Heights are not my favorite, especially leaning ones. We went into the cathedral, which was incredible, although they only finished the lower half of the outside. We noticed there is a nightly film under the stars in the main square. We are planning on going tomorrow to see The Shape of Water. Tonight’s movie was a French one, which we didn’t think we could handle in French with Italian subtitles. We did a little shopping; Gus needed some pants to complete an outfit. I found a photographer to do some of his senior pictures next Monday. After that, we rested a bit in the apartment and then headed out for a late dinner. Bologna has a lively after-dark scene. It is a university town, so there are lots of cafes, bars, and young people out walking around, and the weather was perfect. Interestingly, the people who built the town had every major road lined by porticoes, so even in the heat of summer, there is shade and a cool breeze when walking. I’m loving this town!