Going to Rimini

Saturday May 7

I needed a break from walking around towns filled with palaces, museums, churches and castles, so I took the train today to Rimini to go to the beach. Once I got there, I didn’t want to waste time figuring out which bus to take, so I took a taxi to the beach, and had a chance to practice speaking Italian on the way. The driver was born in Rimini and spoke no English, so it worked out well.

The beach is my favorite place to be, and Italy is my second favorite, so what could be better than this? It was absolutely beautiful. The water of the Adriatic was blue, in varying shades. The sand was brown on this very wide beach and the seashells were mostly black clam shells. For four euros I had a beach lounge chair and I was in heaven.

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Rimini’s beaches go on for 15-20 km and they are very popular, especially in the summer. I’m lucky the season hasn’t really started, because the beach was not crowded, even though it was a weekend.

When it was time to leave, I found the bus stop and discovered which bus to take back to the station, so I opted for this choice. No Italian practice but it only cost one euro. Rimini was lovely. I’m so glad I came, even just for a few hours. It was so worth it.

The train ride back to Bologna was another Italian lesson, this time with two Italian women. I enjoyed being able to converse with them in Italian, as they spoke no English at all. They seemed to think my adventure in Italy was pretty cool.

After I got back, I grabbed a cab to Piazza San Domenico, so I could make the 6 pm Mass, then stopped in at Cafe Domenico for a panini made to order, and walked to La Sorbetteria Castiglione for a gelato from the most well-known gelato shop in Bologna.I enjoyed it the whole way back to my room. Tomorrow it’s an early train to Verona with no stops.