The Last Stop in Europe

Well, it has been a fun couple days in Parma.  We don’t know anything about the city but that isn’t why we came.  Sticking our toes into the Italian food history was the plan and it couldn’t have been more successful for us.  We finish up with a nice breakfast this morning with new quiches, new cakes and the usual eggs, meats, cheeses and cereal.  Paula and Elena are both buzzing around.  All five rooms were occupied last night but we all seem to be spacing ourselves out for breakfast so no one is overworked.  We take a 15 minute walk after breakfast, say arrivederci to the ladies and the dogs and hit the road.

Our final destination is Bologna.  We don’t know anyone who has ever been here, Rick Steves says don’t bother and the other guidebooks give it a paragraph.  It seems to be the road less taken which is fine with us.  Actually our flight home originates in Bologna and we thought why not give it a full day to see what’s up.  We try to get our phone and car to agree on a route but Sami is not playing this morning so we have to rely on the car.  It only knows about the main toll roads so that’s that. 

The fog continues but the visibility is pretty good, just a little misty.  It’s only an hour to Bologna which leaves us a little time to embark on our final learning curve to gas up before returning the car.  The station is only self-serve—no one is here—and the plan is to feed euros into the slot until the gauge reads “full.”  No credit cards – no change!  We start with a ten which barely moves the needle so we throw in a twenty and success, we’re full.  It’s only a couple minutes to the Hertz check-in, the guy gives us the OK (va bene) and we’ve survived another drive.  This was a great deal.  We had the car for three days, full coverage with zero deductible and no drop charge for a total of 95 euros.

We grab a cab into the city to Hotel Porta San Mamolo.  We’re right inside the old city walls and walking distance to all the sights, such as they are.  Our check-in person gives us the spiel and the map and we’re off in a new city before 2:00. 

There is a big sight for us today—the international chocolate festival.  It is in the big central square with literally hundreds of booths displaying the latest and greatest chocolate treats.  It is a little chilly (mid 50’s?) and John opts for a hot white chocolate.  It is actually a cup of white chocolate fondant that is all sweetness and light.  Unbelievable but you don’t have two.  Mary is in her element wriggling through the crowds and checking out every sweet treat in the place.  People hand you little bites of their stuff as you go by and by the time you’re finished you’ve eaten two pounds of chocolate.  Our only purchase was a jar of pistachio topping but we don’t know what we will top.  We’ll figure that out later.

We waddle out of the square into the old market area of the city.  A lot of the shops are open today (Sunday) and we spend another hour browsing, eventually ending up in the university area.  This is the oldest university in the world founded in the 11th century.  It has evolved nicely; however, with a bunch of banners protesting this or that and all the kids sitting around on cell phones.  Very much a 21^st century student body.  There is an English pub calling our names and we grab a beer to make sure we will exceed 5,000 calories for the day.  All in all a pretty busy afternoon in a non-destination.

As a non-tourist town not all of the restaurants are open on Sunday.  There is one right across the street (Mura, the one in Parma was Mora) and we’re a little skeptical.  We really wanted the famous sauce Bolognese in some form, but the chef here is a Sicilian.  Most of the items on the menu are seafood with a small section of Bolognese specialties.  Our server brings out a tray of whole fish and we can pick our own if we like.  We don’t like.  Finally from the Bolognese menu we order the Mortadella plate with celery and lemon to share and Mary orders a pasta Bolognese.  Mortadella is the famous sausage of the city and was the first food product officially certified in Italy in 1661.  It was so famous that its other name is a reference to the city itself—we call it baloney, but here it’s always Mortadella.  John goes Sicilian and has the crispy octopus with mashed potatoes.  Our server warns that it really looks like an octopus but we assure her that we know that.  She had a woman a few nights ago who almost fainted when she saw her plate.  All the dishes are good but the Pasta Bolognese is fantastic.  John keeps reaching over his octopus to grab bites of Mary’s pasta.  Something to remember for tomorrow night.

The moving days are tiring for us even if we don’t do much so it is right back across the street and off to bed to read for five minutes.

What did we learn today?  There is no end to the events a city can use to build energy in its center.ners protesting this or that and all the kids sitting around on cell phones.