ERV Applications Submitted

It’s done.

This morning, we went to the Italian Consulate for our ERV submission appointment. The process was quick and easy … everything handled at the window in the lobby.

The documents collected; the fee paid; and we were sent off 15 minutes later … with the clerk reminding us that it could take up to three months for the visa to be granted. So be it. We’ll use the time waiting for the visa to prepare for the move.

Our official reason for being in Chicago now taken care of, we went off to enjoy a second day of sightseeing.

The weather was a bit more chilly than yesterday … the sky was overcast. Nonetheless, we found things to do to entertain ourselves. We peeked into the Holy Name Cathedral … with its amazing 23,000-piece wood-inlay ceiling; checked out the Water Tower from 1869 … one of the few buildings that was not engulfed by the flames of the Great Fire of 1871; strolled to the shoreline of Lake Michigan; and visited the MCA … Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art.

The forecasted rain started falling on the way back to the hotel … a soggy stroll it turned out to be.

Rather than going in search of an Italian restaurant in the ever-increasing rain, we had a late lunch at Doc B’s … across the street from the hotel. Yummy food … delicious Zarlengo’s snickerdoodle and brown sugar gelato sandwich for dessert.

The wind-blown rain is pelting the windows of our room … with no sign of stopping anytime soon.

A 4:00a alarm will get us going tomorrow … we will be heading back home.Read more