Day 19

Venice!!
Cooper, Orrie, and Jenna took the train from Bologna to San Lucia Station in Venicia. Five hours and one hundred and seventy nine pictures later they boarded the train and returned to Bologna. Every picture tells a story. And these pictures tell a story of a happy, warm day, a story of a boat ride the length of the Grand Canal, of finding an alleyway narrow enough for Cooper to span it from wall to wall, of a fabulous lunch in which both boys ate gnocchi, of birds eating their lunch off Orrie'shead, a story of the wind in everyone's hair and the sun at everyone's back, and finally, a story of the sea out the train window and a tired trio heading to see papa.

My day consisted of preparations for a four hour class that fell fifteen minutes short. I also managed some last minute shopping despite a credit card machine malfunction that necessitated finding an ATM.

At the end of the class, after I drove home one last time the difference between uncertainty and complexity, the students applauded loudly and then, as they exited, one by one thanked me for the class. Packages that come with bows are the best of all.

I hurried across town to meet the travelers in the piazza. I was twenty minutes early so had some time to sip a coke and listen to a woman channeling Enya fill the entire piazza with eerie wondrous music.

As always, few tourists in the piazza. Bologna is not Venice. Yet, as Cooper said, this was his favorite place -- besting Rome, Florence, and Venice -- because it was calm and peaceful here. And just maybe because the Roxy Bar across the street serves a fair vaniglia gelato. This same establishment, by the way, was made famous by Red Ronnie (Rossi Vasco) a couple of decades ago in a song called The Roxy Bar.

We finished the evening and our stay at Cantina Bentivoglio, the jazz club we visited the family's first night. This time, though, we were feted by Daniela, Carlo, and Trudy from the University of Bologna. The company was splendid. Everyone here has been so wonderful.

For dinner, Jenna and I both had tagliatelle with bolognese.

When in Rome (as they say).