21st Birthday in Full Swing in Florence and Bolgna

The Bi-week birthday celebration is in full swing. Over the weekend, I hopped on a train to Bologna to visit Ben Byron. The adventure started with actually getting on the train in Florence. I was running a bit late and almost missed the train leaving, if it hadn’t been for some very nice Italian man that must have seen the look of distress on my face when I got into the train station. So after running down the platform to catch my train, an hour later I got off at the Bologna stop, to see none other than Benji!!, who was there to pick me up. We went back to his apartment, which makes our apartment look like a shoe box, and I got to meet all his friends. We had family dinner and then headed out to a club called Kinki, which was by far the most fun dancing since I’ve been here. The first night I shared a bed with Ben because we weren’t sure if his roommate was coming home or not. I hate sharing single beds. The whole night it’s a battle for space, a battle for the sheets, I almost got pushed off the bed (evidently Ben is a rather sound sleeper), needless to say I decided that the next night a better alternative would be the floor, sofa or bathtub.

Well rested (haha), Friday morning we woke up late and hopped on a train to go to Venice, again. I have to say, there will never be a time when I will say that I’ve been to Venice already and I don’t need to go back, it’s one of the most beautiful places on this earth, minus Amalfi. We walked around all the back alleyways, which can be very confusing because some of the building are so close that it’s a squeeze for two people passing. The streets wind around, occasionally leading you over a canal with gondolas passing underneath. There is music in the streets. My favorite was this old man in a small piazza, standing there is a radio full out singing Italian opera, with a crowd gathered around him just to enjoy his voice. This type of phenomenon seems to happen all over Venice, all the time. The city wasn’t half as crowded as it was last weekend, so were able to enjoy this city a little better this time. We walked, we ate, we people watched, and we finished our evening very appropriately. The only way it seems, to buy a pastry and go and sit by the Grand Canal and watch the boats pass by. After catching the late train home, we got back to play some very American games of beer pong.

Saturday was another late start. We walked around Bologna, and Ben gave me a very comprehensive historical tour of down town Bologna. We ate lunch at the great panini place, where we sat and talked for a very long time. This is one of the things that I love most about Italy. Sitting and talking is an expected part or you day, a good conversation is fueled by superb food, and nothing is rushed, and the wine is always good. We must have sat there for a good long time before we made it back out to wander again.

I discovered apertivi this weekend. Apertivi is another form of eating, drinking and conversation Olympics that the Italians have come up with. Between around 6 and 8, you can go to some restaurants when you can buy a drink and sit. With this drink, you get a platter of meats and cheese and fingerfood, and in some cases a buffet of finger foods. I have to agree that this would never work in the United States because people want to get a lot of food, get it quick, eat and get out. Apertivi is quite the opposite, its about sitting and talking over a drink, and never to get drunk. So after apertivi was over, we proceeded back to the apartment where we had a low key night of mixed drinks and Family Guy (a much appreciated TV experience).

The weekend was by far the best birthday weekend I could have asked for. After being in a country for two weeks where you really don’t know anyone, with the exeption of your two roommates, a friendly face and familiarity was the best thing I could have asked for. It was so nice to catch up with Ben after not seeing him since August. He’s really enjoying his time in Europe for what he’s told me, hes been able to travel everywhere and has made some really great friends and is generally enjoying his time in Italy to its utmost potential.

Throughout the weekend we talked a lot about Italian culture, its idiosyncrasies, fascinations, the small things that take a while to recognize. Its going to take me a much longer time to come up with a good idea of what makes an Italian an Italian, of the small differences between towns, the way to cook certain dishes. It is an endless learning process, that cannot be absorbed in just four months. I find it constantly entertaining and fascinating.