Day 14 - Still Doing Advanced Classes

# Campari & Soda: 0, # Gelati: 0

I'm sticking with the advanced classes from now on.  I have to work in them, but I'm learning new material, which is the point of coming here to Bologna.  The conversation class went better today.  I wanted to say something about Australians travelling a lot because it takes so long to get out of the country, once we've left we just keep going because that is the easy bit.  I couldn't figure out how to say all that in Italian.  The teacher, Donatella, wouldn't let me use English.  Instead, she got me to take it one phrase at a time.  I'm sure I got the grammar horribly wrong, but I was able to say it once I broke it down into small pieces.  I have to revise my opinion of her.  

After class I went to lunch with Kim at a nearby place, Ristorante Grassili.  It is down a dingy side street and looks rather dingy itself from outside.  However, inside it proved to be rather more upmarket than we expected.  Even though we probably lowered the tone, the staff were friendly and the food was good.   Restaurant food here is nothing like what you would eat at home in Italy.  Lots of cured meats and pasta (or pizza).  Mains are usually just a plate of meat.  However, at this restaurant they had plates of grilled vegetables and such like in a refrigerated cabinet near the door.  They are presumably meant for contorni but we were so starved for vegetables we ordered two plates full just on their own for our second course (first course was pasta naturally).  We finished up with dessert, thereby undoing all our good work.

After lunch I headed out to buy some reading glasses.  The lighting in the school is just OK and our photocopied handouts aren't always very clear.  I just got so tired of spending hours squinting at the page.  I've bought a rather ugly pair of reading glasses, but they have bright blue frames.  Out of all the glasses in the shop, they were the closest to purple in colour.  These things are important.

After my successful shopping trip I retreated to the apartment to do a mountain of homework.  The school didn't have any excursions planned, plus the weather is cold and wet and windy.  There was, therefore, no temptation to head out of doors.  Not even any temptation to eat gelati, the weather was that miserable.

I'm off to Vienna tomorrow.  Apparently there is going to be a train strike.  However, I don't think it will effect the train that goes to the airport.  It is a monorail which isn't run by Trenitalia.  I'll head to the railway station with plenty of time to spare.  If the train to the airport isn't running, I can always catch a taxi from there.  It is only a 15 minute ride.

I won't be blogging for the next few days as I won't bother lugging the laptop with me to Austria.  I bought a cheap ticket which allows carryon luggage only.  I also don't get fed, although I think I get a free (plastic) cup of water.