I can’t believe the summer is over. My students gave their final presentations this morning. And then they packed up their suitcases and got on busses headed for the train station. It really is sad that it is coming to an end so soon. Campus feels so strange without them here. And with them leaving, it is starting to sink in that I’ll be leaving soon also. Fortunately, Ryan will be here in a couple days and we’ll have some more time in Italy before we really have to leave. I figured that today was as good a day as any [View Full Entry]

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It was another one of those crazy weeks. I cannot believe how fast the semester just flew by! My week began by making my third round-trip in four days to Castelfranco Veneto train station, where my dad would embark on his return journey. I offered to get him a cab. But he didn’t like the idea of a €90 cab fare. Instead he would take the train to Venice-Mestre (less than €4) and a bus from Mestre to the Marco Polo Airport (€3). The one word that encapsulates this final week is “overeating.” T [View Full Entry]

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When we woke up the next morning in Bolzano, the sky was drizzling its last few sprinkles of the day. We went downstairs for a super-delicious breakfast buffet… lots of strudel and an amazing fresh fruit bar. By the time breakfast was over, the rain had stopped and the clouds were being burned off by the sun. We took a long leisurely walk through the town and past the Italian Arch that is often defaced by Austrians who want Bolzano back for themselves. We also walked through a small open air market. This little town square was definitely some sort of [View Full Entry]

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I forgot to mention that we detoured on the way home past the computer lab at CIMBA. We still hadn’t confirmed any of our Saturday and Sunday plans. My colleagues had been offering a bunch of terrific ideas—from Lake Garda to Slovenia. My dad’s typical response to ideas was “It’s up to you, honey. I’m just along for the ride.” But eventually we came across a winner. My colleague Chris (another Michigander!) suggested Bolzano. It is only a few hours away by train. So that met our need to have a quick trip. It’s a small town in the Italian Alps [View Full Entry]

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As far as Travel Weekend 2 plans were going, all my dad and I knew was that we were going to go see Venice and hit some spots in northern Italy. But in true Lucas fashion, we couldn’t make a decision. Part of the reason is that I am “saving” some of the northern cities I want to visit for when Ryan arrives. Another part of the reason is that my dad wanted me to make all decisions and reservations (maybe so he could blame me if anything went wrong. Case in point: the 300-pound transvestite at the Royal Oak motel). [View Full Entry]

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Travel can really do a number on a girl… especially when she has to come back and teach a class the next morning. Needless to say, I fell behind on my blog. What follows is more of the Cliff’s Notes version of my week back in Paderno del Grappa. Monday: We went out to eat in Asolo. Right when we were about to order, the guy at the table next to me got a very yummy looking pasta with shrimp. So at the last minute, I quickly scanned the menu and found what I thought was the meal he ordered. But [View Full Entry]

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The walking finally took its toll. This morning we got up just as early as normal. But we simply weren’t moving very far or very fast. In fact, we ate breakfast before getting showered and ready to go. I also did a little catching up on email. Finally (at about 8:30), we headed down to the “lobby,” for lack of a better word, and checked out. We also had our bags held for us at the hotel so we could spend our last morning unencumbered. Thank heaven for small miracles. We had only a few small stops on our agenda, including [View Full Entry]

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Our first full day in Rome started early. We were up, again, well before breakfast. In fact, we were showered and ready to go by the time the croissants, breads, coffee, and juice were put out at 7:30. By about 7:45, we had wolfed down our food and were off to face the day! On our way to Vatican City, we accidentally found that the trattoria where we dined the night before was actually at the end of our street—not down our street, over and down to the Coliseum, wrapping around to Palazzo Senatorio (with or without the detour), and up [View Full Entry]

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Did I mention that we walked a lot? Now you may be thinking that the approximately five hours of walking we did during a less-than-24-hour period in Siena was a lot. So did we. And then we arrived in Rome. The first stop on the journey was our hotel. So, with bags in tow, we headed out of the Termini Station. We did not pass go. We did not collect $200. And we certainly did not hail a taxi. Instead, we followed the Internet driving directions provided by the hotel booking website and trekked to our hotel. We almost missed it. [View Full Entry]

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Travel weekend numero uno. Where do I even begin? It was fast and furious. In just three and a half days, my dad and I covered hundreds of kilometers… and no small number of them was on foot! As I write this, we are sittingon a high-speed EuroStar train heading back north from Rome. Thank goodness! I packed my bag on Wednesday night. My dad had Thursday morning to pack his bag (and learn how to use the little stove-top coffeepot in my apartment). After class I made a hasty reservation for a hotel, gathered my teaching stuff I needed to [View Full Entry]

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