Donny W

Of course, right after I wrote the last entry about how the weather had turned for the better, the rains returned pretty regularly with intermittent periods of sun. But, no big deal -- it just made the sunshine that much more enjoyable. I did bring along a good light raincoat with a hood and I’ve gotten some positives out of the fact that I hadn’t packed it and lugged it all over Italy for nothing. So, from Reggio Emilia on to Bologna for a couple of weeks. Funny thing: I first contacted a school recommended by an old friend from my Brooklyn College days. He had attended it some time ago and wrote that he had “loved every minute of it”. So, the first exchange with the school was successful and they wrote that indeed they ... read more

In the last few days before leaving Cinque Terra, I contacted a few schools in Genoa (Genova) and was just about to commit to one of them when I decided to do some more reading and got the sense to look around some more first. And, up popped Reggio Emilia. So, I contacted the only school that I could find there and was so impressed by how patient and helpful the contact, Daniela, was that I knew that I would head that way next. After a bunch of back and forth emails, all the arrangements were made and then Daniela wrote me one last one asking if I’d like her to pick me up at the station and take me to the B&B that she had arranged for me for the first two nights. That was ... read more

Finished my stay in Firenze (Florence) last Saturday and headed straight to Cinque Terra - about three hours by train, with a change at the La Spezia station to a local train to Monterossa. It was soooo nice getting out of the big city for awhile and into a small town environment with hiking trails, beautiful vistas, few vehicles (and the ones that are here move very slowly and quietly), et al. Cinque Terra - literally, “five lands” -- a region along the Ligurian Sea (northwest) coast consisting of five small towns, originally fishing villages, but now heavily tourist-oriented and each one accessible to the others by train, boat or trail. The trail-walking is the best and ranges from a fairly arduous trek on the north end to a relatively easy stroll between the two most ... read more

First an observation: There are lots of bicyclists here in Florence. Since they are greatly surpassed by cars, motorcycles and scooters in terms of numbers, speed and mass, they would seem pretty vulnerable as they weave in and out of traffic. Nevertheless, except for of the three fully-equipped riders with all the latest gear on racing bikes I saw early Sunday morning when I first arrived, I have yet to see even one other bicyclist wearing a helmet. Another traffic phenomenon: motor scooters and cycles. At red lights, all the bikes that can manage it, weave their way around the cars to get to the front. Then, when the light changes, they shoot ahead en mass and roar down the next street at great speed. When there happens to be ten or fifteen in position, it ... read more

Decided to go to Florence. Met a couple (from Belarus) who studied there and who highly recommended the school they attended. So, I contacted the school, arranged for my attendance and accommodations and headed this way on an overnight train from Taormina last night. Another interesting experience. Particularly noteworthy were the train attendants. They actually smiled and wanted to be helpful, not something that was particularly common in my (admittedly limited) experience in Sicily. They helped make the trip pleasant, especially since everything about it was so new and, at first, a little daunting. The following is an example of their kind forbearance: During the night, it got warmer and warmer in my compartment and it seemed obvious that the “hot/cold” dial didn’t have any meaningful function besides providing an illusion of control. So, at around ... read more

I love all your comments. Sorry if I don't manage to answer them all. Not much time available to be online. But, know that I love reading them and taking in the caring support. Love, Donny... read more

Weather: A couple of days into this week, the sun started peeking through, the rain diminished and eventually stopped, and it gradually got warmer. Ah! On the physical front, I’ve been sleeping well and the bruising, after spreading over to the area around my left eye, to more or less match my right, is now slowly dissipating. Last Saturday, I moved to a shared apartment (there’s two of us, each with our own room), so I can do my own cooking -- when I don’t eat out with some of my school friends -- and allowing me to more closely follow the paleo diet that works so well for me. The apartment location is also in a logistically better part of the town than my previous residence, in closer proximity to markets, the school and where ... read more

What a week! As a 61 year-old Swiss student, who’s been here over two months, said as we chatted over espressos, “It’s not like we’re twenty-somethings who can endure anything like we did then.” Amen. All the students over around forty, complain about the cold - not just the weather, which has been mostly that and rainy, but the cold in the homes as well. Everyone is cold a good part of the day. Hardly anyone thought to bring winter-type clothing to a place so far south. Fortunately, I threw in a light knit cap and thin gloves, which helps a bit. Aside from the cold, during the first few nights here I went through a continuous pattern of sleeping for very short periods - from a half hour to maybe an hour and a half ... read more

Cold and rainy today, Sunday (when this is being written) -- my first full day in Taormina. I arrived the afternoon before, into Catania (Sicily) airport from Munich, having made a connection there following the flight from New York. This after being delayed in my first leg of the journey (Medford to San Francisco) and my second one (SF to New York), not getting my checked suitcase until the next day as it had missed the connection to JFK, sweating out a stop and go, agonizingly slow-moving traffic jam on the way from friend Shelly’s house to the airport in New York, a delayed flight to Catania because of snow in Munich, my checked suitcase not coming out at the final airport with the other passengers’ luggage and seeing everyone else (except for one other passenger) ... read more