I find myself playing catch up with sharing our adventures. I suppose that is a good thing. Days have been busy and time has been passing. This will be a longish post packed with our recent adventures.
Back at the end of May, we went to Vicenza for a day trip. Known for the architecture of Andrea Palladio, we explored and saw some lovely buildings and had some lunch. I also accidentally locked myself in a bathroom of a little cafe. It was quite the comic moment. We travelled by regional train…a very crowded train,where we were reduced to standing in an aisle where there were no obvious hand holds to grasp onto. Luckily, the trip was about 20 minutes long, so we did not have to suffer for long. We headed to a lovely little park before traveling into the city center. Living within the confines of a city has left me thirsty for green spaces! It was nice to see some water, greenery, and some birds. We scoped out the city and eventually found a spot to eat lunch. It was a cooler day and the square we were sitting in was a bit of a wind tunnel, but we forged on. The spot was also the domain of some very aggressive pigeons who would dash down to a table as soon as people left and devour every crumb. A sudden clattering of plates and the shattering of glasses crashing to the cobblestones would be heard now and again as the voracious beasties descended. Our poor waiter was running interference,while taking care of customers, until his back-up arrived. This was the same cafe where I locked myself in the bathroom. There were two doors to the restroom. I locked the door where the toilet was, not noticing the small sign above the handle telling me in Italian not to lock it. To be fair, I did not see the sign. I wound up pounding on the door so someone could come and let me out. I was laughing at the ridiculousness of it, while the woman who let me out looked none to pleased. They had delicious cookies, though!
The main spot on our list to vist was the Teatro Olimpico. It did not disappoint!
With our ticket, we got to visit a couple of other sites. One was an archaeology museum, which was rather staid, but interesting. We sat in its courtyard for a little break.
Another was one the Galleries of Palazzo Thiene which houses interesting art collections. We enjoyed our visit there.
We wound down our day trip with a caffe and a lovely blackberry torta at a little cafe, where we watched a mama swallow feed her babies in a nest tucked into a corner of the portico. Our train ride home was uneventful, and we did have seats.
A few days later, we got to have lunch with an old grade school friend and her family as they were passing through Padova. It was such a lovely treat! Soon after that, we escaped the cobblestone antiquity of Padova and went to Ireland to visit friends in Donegal. Green verdant landscapes and magnificant views of a raging ocean greeted us. It was an amazing trip. I will save that for another post. It was truly magical. I have a billion and one pictures.
When we got back to Padua, we rode our bikes to Abano Terme for an overnight stay at one of the local spa hotels to celebrate David’s birthday. It was a fun and quite relaxing expererience!
Now that we are back in Padua with less than a month to go, we are trying to get to sites we haven’t seen and are filling the days between David’s research and final exam day with excursions and trips where we can. The weather has turned quite hot, as to be expected in the summer, so visiting some of the indoor places is really welcome. We finally got to the Scovegni Chapel. That color blue! Giotto’s extraordinary frescoes! So brilliant!
There is more to talk about and more to share. I know this post has gotten a little long. It is really hot out right now; so for the sake of staying cool inside, I am going to continue. Now, in case you think things are always grand and exciting living here, the mundane reality of life has a way of creeping in at every turn, like at this moment. We still have to do all the things of daily life, like food shopping, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, etc. Sometimes, dare I say it, I feel bored. David has a job to do here and I kind of have to invent my day. I don’t have my people here. Most of the time, I do pretty well with finding things to do, but sometimes, it is a little difficult. Sometimes a bike ride or a spin around the roller skating track can cure the problem; Or writing a post and editing photos. Or I can wander into yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site and see amazing art, like at the Oratory of St. Georgio. It is a good problem to have.
We were adventurous on Saturday and took a public bus to Sottomarina, the nearest seaside town on the Adriatric. We planned to take a boat ride, eat fresh seafood and do some sightseeing in the adjacent town of Chioggia. With our bus tickets in hand, (5 Euros one way) we got on a bus fully packed with lots of young people headed to the beach . It was standing room only. We squeezed ourselves in and held onto whatever we could. We sped down the roadway and lurched to a stop at each bus stop along the way; And somehow, miraculously, we squeezed more people on. At one stop, the bus police, who get on to check people’s tickets, couldn’t even get on. Instead, one of the officers made people get away from the front of the bus, packing us in more tightly, and half-heartedly told the driver he had too many people. We continued on. Someone smelled like onions. An older man thought his earphones were connected to his phone, but the loud music from the reels he was watching would blare out. It was a chatty crowd full of mostly good energy. Occasionally, someone would get off. Eventually, the guy who was sitting atop the carpeted hump above the wheel well got off. We took the opportunity! David slid all the way back to the window and I sat in front of him, between his outstretched legs. It was nice to sit down. The traffic got thicker. We crawled closer to our destination, and we were released from our sardine can. Sottomarina is so built up. The beachfront is lined with beach clubs and restaurants. You can pay to reserve an umbrella, cabana, etc. Hotels span the strip with bikes, motorscooters, and motorcycles traversing the roads almost in equal number to cars. There is an Aldi on the beach! We took a walk down to the water to get our feet wet in the Adriatic. So many people!
We did get to go on our boat ride, eat delicious seafood and wander around Chioggia. We also managed to get back to Padova, with comfortable seats.
I feel like the time here hasn’t gone fast nor slow. It has been just right. I have reached that point where I am comfortable navigating the daily life here and have a feel for the pace of living. Walking, taking public transit, and riding my bike on the daily is something I will definitely miss. Good, fresh ingredients make a meal worthwhile. Apertivo time is lovely and who doesn’t enjoy a brioche and capuccino for breakfast now and again? My Italian has improved, though, it really can use some more work. Never underestimate the power of telling someone, “Sto imperando Italiano.” Your mistakes will be forgiven! We have a couple of more small trips planned before we head home. I will miss my life here, but I am really looking forward to seeing my family and friends again. As much as I have been enjoying the experience, there is no place like home.
Forest Therapy and Forest Bathing Walks 