A Last Bunch of Baloney

Our final day in Bologna was gray and chilly, but at least it wasn't pouring rain. The three of us lingered in our AirBnB until our 11am checkout, then walked through the porticoes in search of lunch near the train station. Queen Rey-Rey's train to Venice was departing at 2:30pm, so we had ample time to enjoy (?) one last Italian meal together.

We found a tiny trattoria and spent the next two hours sharing spaghetti carbonara, tagliatelle, and lasagna, and a jug of red wine. It is not an understatement to say that I will not require pasta for the next year. Or three. Maybe four.

After ensuring Rey-Rey was safely on her train, we had the rest of the day to while away in Bologna, before our 11pm RyanAir flight. Today was a regular workday in Italy, so the streets and cafés were much quieter than yesterday.

We strolled the Christmas markets, then ended up back at Osteria del Sole, where we read books and sipped wine into the early evening. We discovered a new-ish Italian sparkling varietal, called Pignoletto. It's only been around since 2014, and is a frizzante similar to Prosecco, but created using method champenoise and a LOT less sugar. It's like Italian cava! I am pleased.

We caught a taxi at 7:30pm, with the idea of warming up in the lounge before our late flight, but Bologna had other ideas: First off, their epically shitty lounge closes at 9pm, and then our 11pm flight was delayed until 12:30am. Sigh.

So our Emilia-Romagna adventure ended a bit inauspiciously, but I shall not let RyanAir diminish what was an amazing trip. A new country! Fun with Rey-Rey! Christmas lights! Roman ruins! Gelato!

Wait...five days in Italy and I never got gelato! Shit. I may need to return sooner than expected...Читать далее