Made it to Bologna!
Woke up at the Luton hotel at 3 am to catch an early, short flight. The airbnb host gave us self-check in instructions and let us go early as the place was empty. So kind!
It is unbearably hot right now at 10 pm. It was already 30° at 10 am when we got into town. We walked from the train station to orient ourselves and then got some groceries as we were peckish. We calculated that we would have paid ~$CA37 at home but paid only €7. We then faced the heat and wandered to the older part of town. Lots of nice shops with A/C (Benneton, I’ve missed you!) and then on to the University. Found a student cantine where we could get a cheap Alperol and kick back. They have aperativo with a plate of snacks after 1700 for €6.50. UBo students get even better deals.
It is too hot for us to have sit down meals. I’m ready to fall asleep every hour I don’t move. We have an Aldi near us. The breads, viennoiseries, cheeses and produce are reasonably priced. To the point that I may spend 89 days each 180 days here when I retire!
I’ll leave the Bolognese specialties to someone else. For dinner, I made a Niçoise—like salad as I couldn’t face much else. We ate in the airbnb and watched the UEFA 2024, in Italian. Another cool experience! We ventured out for passegiata and our second gelato of the day during half time (21:40) and there was a queue! La Grassa is living up to her reputation but it’s too hot for many specialties.
Tomorrow brings a bike rental, at least one museum and a Take That concert. I just need to survive this heat!