Day 14: Mio Padre Has Arrived

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After class today, I hopped in the car and headed to Venice to pick up my dad from the Marco Polo Airport in Venice. It was a peaceful, stress-free drive. I cannot say the same about the return trip.

All was fine at the airport. We got his bags in the car. We paid our parking toll. We even got on the Autostrada without incident. But then the heavens opened up for a torrential downpour. It got so bad on the way back, that all traffic slowed to about 30-40 km/hr. At one point it even hailed! Eventually things cleared up enough that I could stop focusing all my energies on driving and spend time talking with my dad about his trip.

On the way back to Paderno, we stopped in Castelfranco for lunch. We ate hot panini at a little open air gelateria. Then it was off to the train station to get a few things straight. First, I wanted to make sure I knew exactly where it was so I could drive there in the morning. Second, we needed our train tickets for the weekend. Third, I wanted to know where the long-term parking was located. Despite warnings from my students that people at the train station are rude, our “guy” was terrific. He was very helpful and let me request the tickets half in Italian and half in English.

With our missions accomplished, we were off to Paderno. There, I gave my dad a tour of campus and we stopped at the Piazza for gelato. A little later we headed back to my apartment to unpack and take a nap. When we woke up, we headed back to campus so I could finish prepping my class for tomorrow. My dad walked around campus checking out the different trees and listening to the birds. We finished the evening by eating pizza at Il Sole, the local pizza place that caters to Americans. In fact, I knew more people in the restaurant than I didn’t know.

But the highlight of that night—besides the company, of course—was finding out the name of a singer I really like. I keep hearing a song on the radio that I love. And I was hoping that I’d be able to find it on iTunes so I can keep a different kind of memory of Italy besides just pictures. The song was by Malika Aiante, who was featured at a national music festival that showcases the best of all music in Italy. So she has the reputation of being very good. Her songs will definitely have prime spots on my playlist.

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Photos

Leaving the Airport
My dad arrived in one piece *and* with all his luggage. What more can you ask for?

Then the Rains Came
So it appears that my father not only brought a suitcase. He also brought the rain with him. But that's okay. It really snapped the heat wave.