Italy @ MindSay

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Padova's beautiful scenery includes Italian shoes!

Padova is a very old city in the north of Italy with stone bridges over canals and vine encrusted medieval city walls behind beautiful brick buildings. There are even some Roman ruins south of the train station. The city is situated along the Bachiglione River, between Verona and Venice. If you find yourself wandering about that train station (which can be a dangerous place) walk s outh immediately to the oldest part of the city.

 Padova is an amazing place if you like 13^th century architecture and art history. Its one of the Petrie dishes in which the Italian Renaissance was spawned.  I recommend visiting the Palazzo della Ragione, built in 1285 by the architect Leonardo Bocaleca. Admission is four euros and there's many stairs to climb, but the upstairs bathrooms are probably the best in the city. Inside the great hall there's over two hundred early medieval paintings on all four walls. I'm not kidding - it's overwhelming. The exterior architecture is amazing too, yet the western side is pretty much eclipsed by the Volto della Corda which was a pillory where prisoners were sentenced to be punished by ropes.

On Saturday the biggest attraction for savvy tourists should be the market fair that occurs in the town centre. The core of the city is an otherwise tranquil place filled with empty grass lawns, statues and fountains, but every Saturday morning its miraculously transformed into a cornucopia of commercial activity.

Veteran travelers know the best bargains are found in those places where the locals shop, and such places tend to be crowded. This is definitely true of the Padova Sat Market near the old town centre.

Tents filled with high quality Italian shoes dominate the west side of this trade fair. The shoes are made in Italy, and they smell like new leather. The best shoes are found in the seventy to eighty euro range. I bought a pair of brown Lanciotti shoes for seventy five euros.

My girlfriend Ruth had a great time exploring the woman’s shoes tents, which were endless, in the south western corner of the park. She said that almost all the shoes  there were made in Italy, and the cheapest shoes were often the cutest. She bought two pair for less than eighty euro, and is now proud of her new pink Italian pumps.

As you know I'm fascinated with foam footwear and I try to find shoes similar to Holey Soles whenever I travel abroad. In Padova I found some Italian foam footwear. The light green colored clogs in the picture are sanitary workers shoes perfect for restaurant kitchens and hospitals etc while the others are made for the beach.

A five piece brass band with a very versatile drummer serenades the park. As we approached they became musically aware of Ruth and I and changed their song to seduce us with the opening chords of an 18th century ballad featuring a series of horn solos. It was effective. Ruth was overwhelmed with the romance of this musical spectacle - she felt like the leading lady in an Italian movie.  I was therefore compelled to deposit five euro into an open horn case, one for each of the artists. Roberrific

I am spared weeding the front yard by a much needed portland rain. According to the Oregonian 79% of households now have some air conditioning in Portland due to the rising summer temperatures. We even have a window unit in the bedroom (only) for last summer it was inthe high  90's and sleep for me is impossible if I am that warm. so this cool weather and rain is great for the plants and animals and peoples.

we had friends over for dinner. I cooked lamb withprunes and almonds in my new red tagine. also had israeli couscous and Stuart made an amazing salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and feta cheese. that could have been a meal in itself.  we all gazed at the pond and shared stories of groupie theatre stars we had finally managed to meet.

Tuesday they leave for a month in Italy. It's also the day Diane and her family leaves. both will be in rome and tuscany, roaming about. having espresso in the morning and an aperitif in the evenings. I will think of them in the uffizi standing in front of wondrous little gems of oil on canvas. you know like judith lopping off the head of holofernes. which reminds me....

the F*ing neighbor cats ( you  know--- the ones they never let inside because the cats have "issues" with their kid) .... I will have to either get ultrasonic or scent repellents because of course they are not content to stay on those horrible little porches so they take up daytime residence in my yard. shitting and stinking and harassing abi in her window.  my plan is going to capture them in have a heart trap placed covertly in my yard and then take them to the no kill shelter in sherwood. then they can be adopted by someone who will actually take care of them. let's just hope they don't have chips and get returned to the horror neighbors.

oh and the neighbors yard is now being invaded with poison ivy and dandelions- about which they are doing nothing. these people really should have stayed in a town home. they did let the little one outside yesterday. the boy was placed in the cab of the truck - alone - while dad cleaned the other car. Wow. what a treat. and we moved the large rocks back into the shoulder as the parking situation started up again. shit shit shit.oops merd merd merd.

Apparently in Italy the Left and homosexuals are so intent in silencing Christian morality that Roman Catholic Prelates need bodyguards to minister in Church.

Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco is the head of the Conference of Bishops in Italy. He has taken a public stand against same sex marriages. The Archbishop comprehends the damage to morality that would occur if homosexuality is “mainstreamed” into Western culture.

In Europe this is an example that Christianity is being attacked by what I believe is the majority view in that continent: Secular Humanism.

Secular Humanism pervasively is prepared to persecute with violence. The violence is outside the agenda of the European governments (so far), yet it is the governments that stand behind Secular Humanism.