On Friday, we got moving early for a visit to Newgrange, or as the whole experience is called, Bru na Boinne. The same crowd as the Howth walk on Thursday went, but this time we got a group photo! Bru na Boyne is a group of Neolithic mound sites north…

We arrived in Dublin to some really refreshing temperatures in the mid 60s, much more comfortable than the 90s in Italy (and for what it’s worth, also back in Chicago!) Rory had found the clay that I left him in portmarnock and we set out to play right away. A…

We returned to Milan the night before our flight to Dublin and we stayed overnight very near the train station. Here’s a view of the quite elegant train station from our hotel (where we had a Juliet balcony!) Great trip to Italy! Grazie mile!

One of the draws of Bologna was its reputation as a great food city (within a great food country!) We can confirm that the reports are true. Add in some gelato and espressos and we had a very delightful bunch of meals in Bologna!

We visited two very different but both excellent libraries in Bologna. First, we went to the main public library, Salaborsa. Today, our last day, we visited a real highlight in Bologna, the Archiginnasio Palace and Anatomical Theatre (and library). The central feature is the marble table that would hold the…

So, porticoes. A portico is basically a porch for a large building, a covered entrance that can run the length of the building. And in Bologna, with the buildings all connecting to one another, the porticoes all connect so you can walk through the city, staying under the shade and…

The writers at cndkmen had a meeting and decided that if we cover Bologna chronologically, each day will be a cycle of porticos + other architecture, food, charming things, and us looking happy but very hot! So instead we’re going to do a few themed posts. Here’s a quick preview…

We continued on by train to Milan and arrived in the early evening and took a taxi to our hotel. We stayed in the fashion district, which is closer to where our friends Matthew and Patricia were, in the very trendy hotel hnow. That’s not a typo! I think it’s…

You might have noticed that I only mentioned one swim in days 1 & 2, which means I didn’t swim on Wednesday! Big mistake, one that I set out to correct on Thursday. I watched my time more closely and finished up work at 6, walked with John to the…

I flew to Nice on Tuesday. The train that runs along the coast to towns east and west of Nice is a short walk from the airport (well done, Nice!) and I very easily got on a train to Cannes. The view was of the Mediterranean much of the 35…