The trains were delayed heading out of Rome and into Firenze today. Thank goodness, by pure fortune, I had nothing on right after the train ride. So, no disaster, I hope my luck holds. Travelling went quite smoothly today, which was good because it was a real stinker of a scorching Monday in Verona. I finally scrounged together the three euro to buy some gelato in Verona, and it was delicious. Grappa and pistachio. In the intensely sweltering heat, the ice cream started running almost immediately. Well, I really enjoyed that. I'll tell you what else I enjoyed - going to the PAM supermarket and getting some sandwiches. Verona is a lovely city. Compared to Rome, it's cleaner, less hustley-bustley, and the buildings are little colour-blocked low-rise flats. It has nice back-streets, relatively well-lit and quiet, which makes for interesting meandering. I stayed slightly farther out, which is quite interesting, a bit like the quieter suburbs.
I'm not really fully convinced that the time has come to open up the wallet for a relatively pricier meal, nor do I think I have the patience to sit down and be fully committed to enjoying the relatively better fare. I'd rather be out there tramping! Luckily, there was not that much to go and see today. The next two days, in Bologna, should be relatively quiet as well. Then the coast - Vernazza, Monterosso, and then back to the museums again in Firenze and Paris, oh dread joys!
Knopfler was absolutely golden. He was in rich, rich form tonight, the last stop on the Europe leg for him on this Down the Road Wherever tour. Great tone and playing all round, it felt good being there. He spent a lot of time talking, actually. The mostly Italian crowd probably didn't get all his words, but they laughed at the wry, self-deprecating humour, and cheered when he said he was considering retirement, but that he loved this too much. I wish he'd played Telegraph Road, cos' I knew he wasn't playing Sultans of Swing, nor Brothers in Arms; but no big deal. He was superb tonight, cheerful, and all the feels came out for me. Romeo and Juliet! and Money for Nothing, and ending with the Geordie tune, Going Home: Theme of the Local Hero. I bade goodbye to Mark, for what felt like a last time, as he waved to the Verona crowd. Goodbye, Mark! I tell you what too, I really like the piano player, Jim Cox, who also played a bit of the accordion tonight.
----
I spent (in EUR):
60 - train from Rome to Verona
4 - bus tickets
8 - sandwiches, coffee and water
3 - gelato
177 - Mark Knopfler, Down the Road Wherever tour
53 - apartment in Verona
