There's no O-S-C-A-R in this B-O-L-O-G-N-A!

June 4, 2016

Bologna: The learned city (claims the world's oldest University), the red city (for the terracotta tile roofs), the Pig city (for her adoration of the bountiful swine and all its fine cuts (think prosciutto, mortadella and salami)) and "la grassa/the fat one" (for the food, food, food -- and did I mention the wine?).  One thing it's not is uniformly prepared, packaged and presented.  Nope, no O-S-C-A-R in this Bologna.

Today we walked, ate, walked, ate, walked, ate and walked some more -- discovering the city with great sensual pleasure.

Red roofs of Bologna from tower

We walked up and down city streets and sidewalks, up and down the 76 meters of one of the city's 123 towers.  We walked with a food tour to discover the city's official chocolatier, the city's finest purveyors of wine, cheese, meats and producers of pastas and breads.  We walked before breakfast and after dinner and for hours in between.  We walked through the sunshine and the rain.  And this we know for sure: Bologna is suited to excite and satisfy the eye, the mind and the appetite -- from sole to soul.

Our journal question today we answered variously ("What's one thing that we've learned this year?") -- but Mariane really captured the essence of the hiker's heart with her observation that you can't put bananas in checked baggage.  It is, you see, the intent of the smart hiker to empty the fridge, pantry and countertops of perishables before setting out on a trekking journey.  And in the process we decide how to consume, freeze or pack our coffers before collecting our passports and heading out the door.  Mariane's banana, frozen in flight and defrosting into mush in her bag, seems a reminder of the silliness of the notion of absolute order and utility. The reality of the fruit turned goo reminded me of the eager proclamations of some of my clients: That just when they feel they have their ducks all in a row, the whole flock manages to run amok.

At the end of the day, ducks are ducks, bananas turn to goo and stuff happens.   It's life.  We count on our resourcefulness, determination and sense of humor to carry on . . . One step, one mile, one day at a time.