Reggio Emila Day I
The last day in Florence came and went.
Eating breakfast half an hour earlier than expected, i got a renewed idea of being able to catch the 8:30 bus so that i can get into florence at nine. This morning i made sure not to eat everything in sight but to rather pack some of it up for lunch later on in the day. Having already packed after my three hour nap from the night before, i ran upstairs, grabbed my belongings, and scurried down the hill for the bus stop.
The morning sun was already heating the relatively cool hill, before i knew it i was drenched in sweat, an experience that has become the norm since arriving in italy.
Pacing myself, i made it to the bottom of the hill, past the buildings and parking lot, and found myself facing a long procession of cars. Not thinking that this would affect a person on foot, i passed them all until i found out the source of this abrupt traffic jam.
there was a huge cement truck taking up both sides of the street, and it was mere inches from the wall. the time was 8:26, knowing that the buses here arrive and leave at precisely the time they say they are going too, i impatiently watch the truck attempting to maneuver itself out of the bind that it was in. it finally makes space for me to pass, allowing me to view the bus pull out of the curb and make a sharp left for the city 20 metres ahead of me.
once again i spent another morning sitting on the bench in the park, waiting for the 9:00 bus.
after arriving into town and checking in my bag i made for the nearest cafe i could find. I had a lot of writing to do, and i sat and drank for nearly 4 hours trying to get through it all. a pleasant walk later to the internet cafe, and a walk back, discovering the duomo for the first time, and seeing the same green marble exterior as St. Minuto al Monte the day before, i marveled at the architecture until i hastily walked back to the train station.
arriving five minutes before the five hour mark, i picked up my backpack at the hold and waited for the train to arrive. it arrived fifteen minutes late, left fifteen minutes later, and didnt get to reggio emilia until 6 pm.
davide picked me up minutes later, and a short walk after that, i was at his home. the second we entered i instantly noticed the impressive library that the family owned. all along the front room, as well as in the halls, even the bathroom has a shelf of them. He showed me to the room where i was to stay, and i took a quick shower. after that we left in the car and he drove us past the hills and mountains, showing me the city surroundings that he has been used to for most of his life.
The view was astonishing. castles on top of hills, plains of hay, overlapped by hillsides of gravel and dirt, lying underneath green tall trees. up and up and up we went, stopping at a place with another astonishing view, catching up on the summers we have been having and discussing friendships.
We wove our way back to where we started from, where davides parents were patently waiting our arrival so that we could dine. both of his parents spoke english, and the whole meal was accompanied with conversations about immigrants, culture, italian history, spanish, traveling and other tidbits. The food was delicious and the company was engrossing, all in all a wonderful time.
After dinner i made my three birthday phone calls, reaching only my mother. I thought about how this was the first time that i would not hear from will or kel on my birthday since i could remember, and that humbling thought stuck with me as davide took me on a walk, introducing me to his city.
Reggio Emilia is situated right in the middle of via aemilia, an ancient road built to connect the coastland to a city in the northwest. this road was built before christ was born, and i got to actually see the divisions of roads that had been built thoughout the millinnia, thanks to a display on the side of the road. the road is literally cut in a rectangular fashion, and one could see layer upon layer upon layer of road that was built ontop of the previous one. it was fascinating to think about, and to imagine all of the people that has walked over every layer of road, and what the world was like at that time.
we passed a basketball arena, i got to see his high school, which is a beautiful building that was actually once a hospital, and we walked though the towns many squares, the first one had a concert going on, at eleven at night on a wednesday, davide explained that this was very typical at this time of year. the next square was dotted with tables upon tables next to chairs. wanting to buy me a drink for my birthday, we left this crowded area and found a much less populated area. during our walk i told him about my experiences with people in london, this continued during our drink, and we walked home chit-chatting away. he helped me make my bed, made sure i was situated, and we slept.
Eating breakfast half an hour earlier than expected, i got a renewed idea of being able to catch the 8:30 bus so that i can get into florence at nine. This morning i made sure not to eat everything in sight but to rather pack some of it up for lunch later on in the day. Having already packed after my three hour nap from the night before, i ran upstairs, grabbed my belongings, and scurried down the hill for the bus stop.
The morning sun was already heating the relatively cool hill, before i knew it i was drenched in sweat, an experience that has become the norm since arriving in italy.
Pacing myself, i made it to the bottom of the hill, past the buildings and parking lot, and found myself facing a long procession of cars. Not thinking that this would affect a person on foot, i passed them all until i found out the source of this abrupt traffic jam.
there was a huge cement truck taking up both sides of the street, and it was mere inches from the wall. the time was 8:26, knowing that the buses here arrive and leave at precisely the time they say they are going too, i impatiently watch the truck attempting to maneuver itself out of the bind that it was in. it finally makes space for me to pass, allowing me to view the bus pull out of the curb and make a sharp left for the city 20 metres ahead of me.
once again i spent another morning sitting on the bench in the park, waiting for the 9:00 bus.
after arriving into town and checking in my bag i made for the nearest cafe i could find. I had a lot of writing to do, and i sat and drank for nearly 4 hours trying to get through it all. a pleasant walk later to the internet cafe, and a walk back, discovering the duomo for the first time, and seeing the same green marble exterior as St. Minuto al Monte the day before, i marveled at the architecture until i hastily walked back to the train station.
arriving five minutes before the five hour mark, i picked up my backpack at the hold and waited for the train to arrive. it arrived fifteen minutes late, left fifteen minutes later, and didnt get to reggio emilia until 6 pm.
davide picked me up minutes later, and a short walk after that, i was at his home. the second we entered i instantly noticed the impressive library that the family owned. all along the front room, as well as in the halls, even the bathroom has a shelf of them. He showed me to the room where i was to stay, and i took a quick shower. after that we left in the car and he drove us past the hills and mountains, showing me the city surroundings that he has been used to for most of his life.
The view was astonishing. castles on top of hills, plains of hay, overlapped by hillsides of gravel and dirt, lying underneath green tall trees. up and up and up we went, stopping at a place with another astonishing view, catching up on the summers we have been having and discussing friendships.
We wove our way back to where we started from, where davides parents were patently waiting our arrival so that we could dine. both of his parents spoke english, and the whole meal was accompanied with conversations about immigrants, culture, italian history, spanish, traveling and other tidbits. The food was delicious and the company was engrossing, all in all a wonderful time.
After dinner i made my three birthday phone calls, reaching only my mother. I thought about how this was the first time that i would not hear from will or kel on my birthday since i could remember, and that humbling thought stuck with me as davide took me on a walk, introducing me to his city.
Reggio Emilia is situated right in the middle of via aemilia, an ancient road built to connect the coastland to a city in the northwest. this road was built before christ was born, and i got to actually see the divisions of roads that had been built thoughout the millinnia, thanks to a display on the side of the road. the road is literally cut in a rectangular fashion, and one could see layer upon layer upon layer of road that was built ontop of the previous one. it was fascinating to think about, and to imagine all of the people that has walked over every layer of road, and what the world was like at that time.
we passed a basketball arena, i got to see his high school, which is a beautiful building that was actually once a hospital, and we walked though the towns many squares, the first one had a concert going on, at eleven at night on a wednesday, davide explained that this was very typical at this time of year. the next square was dotted with tables upon tables next to chairs. wanting to buy me a drink for my birthday, we left this crowded area and found a much less populated area. during our walk i told him about my experiences with people in london, this continued during our drink, and we walked home chit-chatting away. he helped me make my bed, made sure i was situated, and we slept.