Here I am, looking out the hotel room window into the green shutters and terra cotta walls of Bologna. It’s just after 830 in the morning and the church bells have stopped ringing.

The sunlight that is shining down onto the roof tops has a color all it’s own. It’s different from the sunlight that we get in Northern Europe. Somehow not as clear bright but a rounder bright. It’s the difference between a LED lamp and a softer watt bulb.

I’ve been here since Tuesday and will go home tonight. I’m working on a EU project and every four months, they meet in a different country. The next one in June will be in Lisbon and the one in the fall will be in Rotterdam.

I’d like to stay a bit longer. I’ve been doing a great deal of walking, in part to get some breathing room as too many people around me all day long makes me cranky and impatient. Also because the food here is really heavy, different from the countryside. And also to see more of the city because it is beautiful.

On the other hand, it will be nice to sleep in a bed where my feet are not hanging over the edge. 😉

Tomorrow after work, we’re off to a weekend in the woods again. A place for the boys to run free and a place that’s quiet and free from too many stimuli. I plan to spend the whole weekend breathing in forest air and walking until all the thoughts in my head have worked themselves out. 🙂