Bologna - My What Interesting Peeps You Have

When I get home, all I really want to do is eat. I learn from the hostel reception dude that there is one restaurant within walking distance of the hostel. Yes! I'm heading for it! As I make this decision, a very skinny, very pale, very lispy kid named Mike asks if he can tag along. Sure, I think - why not?

As we attempt to find the restaurant I learn that Mike is 19, Canadian, and has recently read On the Road by Jack Kerouac. He's traveling all over Europe but doesn't have a guide book, he doesn't ever get a map in the city he's in....he just meets people in hostels and then does whatever they are doing. He is currently with a group of 3 Argentinian girls. I don't think he realizes he's not actually having an adventure, he's simply leeching onto others. But I've no doubt got my own blind spots in personal growth, so who am I to judge?

We find the restaurant, but it doesn't open for 30 minutes, so we decide to see if we can find anything else. In the mean time Mike continues to chat my ear off on topics ranging from Audrey Hepburn (and how he doesn't think she is classic - pshaw!) to rolling his own cigarettes and getting pick-pocketed. The more we talk, the more subjects we disagree on, but young Mike doesn't seem to notice. I certainly do.

We find nothing else and decide to head back to the restaurant, only when we get there, we discover it's booked for the night - reservations only! D'oh! So it's back to the hostel and take out pizza* for us.

I can tell Mike is trying to prime me to be his next cling-on, but I'm not having it. I order my own independent pizza and let him figure out his own dinner with the Argentinian girls. I sit down to enjoy my pizza, semi-avoid Mike, and possibly post a blog when I meet Elena. She is from Rome, but has a weekend class in Moderna (the town just outside of Bologna). She was unable to stay in Moderna for the night, thus here she is. She tells me her English is not very good, however, we end up chatting for over two hours (I've noticed this is common with non-native speakers: they are essentially fluent, but claim to only "understand a little"...I guess that's European modesty (or insecurity?) for ya...) She is kind enough to explain the bus strikes to me and how they are frequent and usually only last one day. I point out that despite the strike, I still saw buses running during the "strike" hours. Yes, she says, that's Italy. (So does the strike actually accomplish anything? That I'm not really clear on.) She also tells me that the students were demonstrating against a reform of the school system. Huh, that's interesting - wouldn't have guesssed that.

She also tells me that both phenomenon were national events today, so even if I hadn't been in Bologna, I would've seen them (there goes my theory on "political Bologna"). I make a similar comment to Elena, but she verifies that despite the nationality of the two events I witnessed today, yes - Bologna is much more political than other cities or even other regions. Well, what do you know?

She also shares with me about the differences between the north and the south and how they are two completely separate cultures. The north feels as though it makes all the money and the south spends it all. The south thinks the north has lost all the tradition and is disgraceful. She told me there are still people who want a separate government or federality for the north and the south. I can hardly wait to get south of Rome and see for myself!!

Eventually Elena has to shove off to bed and I get a little QT with my computer. I tell Pete over IM about how "my new friend/cling-on" Mike wants to piggy-back on my plans to go to Florence, but that I've had about as much as I can handle of the kid (and beginning to really appreciate the merits of traveling alone). I was thinking of just quietly peacing out in the morning, but Pete informs me this is mean and I have to tell the kid I don't want to travel with him. Augh. I tell Pete, if the opportunity presents itself....

But between Pete and what I think is Arnold Swartz in Total Recall (in Italian), I don't really accomplish anything. (BTW - The scene with the man-baby growing out of the other guys chest was disturbing...particularly when he/it/they die. Lost my appetite for my proscutto pizza right about then....) So I decide to call it a night.

I go to the bathroom to get ready for bed and who do I see? Weird Vicenza roommate! (Unfortuantely she did not make the blog originally - how was I to know she'd be a repeat character? Here's the story: During my brief stay in Vicenza it was she and I in a 3-bed room. When I got there, she was sitting on her bed in her underwear and silk nightgown, brushing her hair and looking through fashion magazines, fililng her nails...she had quite the beauty regimine goin' on. She only speaks Italian and was only vaguely interested in trying to communicate with me. In the morning it took her like 3 hours to get ready (and not quietly) and still more hair brushing and hair spraying (spraying!) and grooming this and grooming that. It was quite the spectacle.

She finally left for "breakfast" and when I made it down to the eating area about 30 minutes later - she was still there!! I don't know what the heck she was doing, we only get a crunchy roll, one jam packet and a cappuccino for breakfast. How that occupies 30 minutes is beyong me. I'm usually done in less than 5. She doesn't acknowledge me in the breakfast area, so I just keep to myself (whatever lady). So back in Bologna, I'm shocked to see her and I enthusiastically say hello... nothin'. She doesn't even respond. Ooo-kay. It was nice chatting with you weird,-overly-grooming-but-still-has-bad-hair-lady. At this point, even though the coincidence is beyond coincidental and kind of creepy, I'm too tired to care and I just hit the sack.

Besides, tomorrow I have to deal with my 19 year old puppy dog and that pretense is none too exciting.

*Normally pizza (even take-out) is good in Italy...but I had this same take-out pizza the night before when I arrived at the hostel and it was not that great...even by American standards.