Aloha Everyone,
The weather suddenly became cold after an overnight rain. I wore two bottoms and 4 tops to keep warm.
Ravenna definitely will be one of our favorite Italian cities. We took another look at the inviting first impression of Ravenna as we exited the city. The station was absolutely clean.
Took a local train to Padova. Our transfer at Ferrara was much easier than Bologna. The challenge.was the distance between the train's floor and the station platform. In Ferrara, it was about 2 feet. We had to drop our suitcases then jump off. Not being able to find an elevator, J.J. and I had to lift our 2 suitcases up and down staircases.
Our first 2 nights accommodation in Padova is the B&B Hotel located near a residential and industrial area. In lieu of charming Italian ambiance, we have a spacious room with view and nice amenities including free WiFi in the room plus English TV channels.
We took a bus and ventured into the old part of the city for dinner.
University of Padova was established in 1222. Today, we were treated to their unique graduation custom. What we could surmise is that graduates dress up in an outlandish costumes while wearing a laurel on their head. It reminded us of Haku Lei where graduates in Hawaii don on their heads.
A large group of happy students were seated near our table of an open air restaurant. Following J.J.'s cue to inquire if we could take their photos, I jumped in and arranged them for our blog picture. With limited communication on both sides, we thanked them and left a couple of our blog site info cards. If one of you are reading this, "Thank you so much for your gracious hospitality!"
Aloha -- Cathi
