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Thursday, December 6, 2012

Milan 2012: Day 12, Bologna

We woke up to a beautiful sunny day, with temperatures in the low 20s. Our plan was to spend half a day in Bologna today and then get back to Milan to take the train to Lake Como. Very inefficient way of travelling but unless you have a car, you have to go back to Milan to take the train to Lake Como because Bologna is south-east of Milan and Lake Como north of Milan. Wait, of course we had many choices. We could have gone from Bologna to Florence, just ONE hour south, or we could go to Venice, one and a half hour north. But although we love Florence (museums, galleries, churches and great food) and Venice (totally magical and iconic, but too touristy), we were in Florence two years ago and Yi has been to Venice three times, the previous time in September.  So Lake Como it was, because it would be a shame not to go there and have a beer with George Clooney and Stacey.

It was a public holiday so people were out early with their families and dogs. The mood was so happy, we danced and skipped the 15 minutes from our hotel to Piazza Maggiore, the city square.

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All the buildings in Bologna have arched walkways so that you won't get wet if it rains.

On the way we browsed through a flea market. My daughter loves flea markets. "Let's stay longer in Bologna!" she said.

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I used to draw my own paper dolls and they wore the latest fashion. It was so fun. Did you play with paper dolls?

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I just don't get her interest in vintage stuff. I don't like owning something that had belonged to strangers.

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There were two live bands on the piazza. Do check out the video I posted on my hungerhunger account on Facebook.

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Neptune and his boobs-grabbing mermaids.

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Many streets lead off from the piazza and each one specializes in different trade. This one says 'drapperie' so I think it is a street for clothes.

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We like this street the most: the market street.

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This is one of the most famous shops in Bologna. It specializes in high quality balsamic vinegar, chocolates and other confectionery.

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I was most tempted to buy a bottle of aged balsamic vinegar but after last night's haul of cheese and ham which we would have to lug to Lake Como, I had to painfully walk away empty handed.

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'Fruits' made of marzipan from Sicily. I couldn't resist them and bought a couple of boxes.

12 comments:

  1. Hi Terri,

    If Hong Yi loves flea market, please bring her to my shop in Likas Square,ground floor, called
    Eco and Deco.
    Its not a big shop but she may find something interesting. I only sell used things from friends, though I have some new things too.
    My concept is to re-cycle, reuse and minimise waste. I dont buy plastic or paper bags but reuse clean ones donated from friends, hopefully to play a part, however small, for the sake of our environment.
    Please drop by if you have the time. Opens from 10am to 5.30pm daily except Sundays. Thanks!
    From: T.U.

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  2. tina: ok, will do! i didnt think about the recycling part...how true n wonderful of you to do your part! the chinese of my mom's generation and their generations b4 them were the true re-cyclers, never throwing things away. this generation deserves much of the environmental problems bc of extreme covetousness n waste.

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  3. Your photos are stunning, I must go to Bologna again. My Italian friend (who is now teaching in Bologna) insisted that I stop by Bologna while enroute to Venice.

    I was alone and had not done any research. I walked around the neighbourhood and streets near the train station but didn't observe as much as you both did. In fact, I left Bologna without much impression of the place.

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  4. Blurting: if i go to Bologna again, i will take some cooking lessons bc there r lots of cooking classes here. Well, good reason to go back since u didnt see much of it the last time:)

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  5. My mom is not too cool about vintage stuff either, but now she was more open-minded about me buying them. She would wash it kao-kao first before letting me wear it, of course.

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