Verona, and it's surrounding areas, are now what I call home. It's a mixed bag, mostly good, of feelings about settling in here for a while. There is a bit of homesickness of course, the challenge of finding my place in this city (what I DO here), and also the exciting challenge of learning a new language, making friends and being near to this side of my family. Speaking of which....

My cousin Jess from the Higham side of things has come for a visit. She arrived three days ago? Four? We decided to stay in Verona for the weekend. After much hunting, we accidentally found a campside about a ten minute walk from the city centre. It's up on a hill with a view of the city, and built onto the remains of castle walls. Our tent is pitched in the cannon tower under a roof of grapevines. And of course, we have made friends with the owners who are brothers. They have run the place for four years, but it has been a campsite for something like 23 years. There are also tent sites all up the old walls, which are about 6 to 8 meters thick at the top and angle down to be much thicker at the bottom. The old owner, from about 30 years ago, was a botanist. Hence the grapevines (over a hundred of them) as well as walnut and almond trees, fig trees, and many many olive trees. It's lush and green and one of the best surprises the city has the offer (I think).

Jess and I spent the last few days just wandering the city, thinking that today we will take on the churches and bridges. Not the best planning to do so on a Sunday perhaps. We have also learned that if you don't want to be stuck with tourist joints to eat at then get onto the task of lunch before 2pm.

A Dopo.