Weddings, Reunions and lots of Food

So just came back from our trip to Italy, taking in the Adriatic coast in Bellaria, and the city delights in Bologna, meeting up with Luca, Laura, Giulia, Noelia, Ramsy, and Jorge, all from Erasmus years in Mainz.

The weather was of course very hot (more breeze at the coast of course) but Bologna's great arches provided enough shade to walk in. The food was, as always, impeccable. Great amounts of fish, shellfish and pasta were enjoyed, and of course, the local wine was savoured too.

The main reason for this trip, however, was the wedding of Giulia to Simone. This took place in a town high above Bologna with great views across the valley.

The church ceremony was the usual Italian affair (I'm told) with people standing up on pews and chairs to be able to catch a glimpse of the bride on her arrival. Inside it was actually very hot, but this was taken care of with the white fans that were provided to guests.

Then off to the villa where the celebrations were to take place, stopping by at Vale's to pick up our luggage. In the grounds of the villa there were tables set up as well as some marquees in case of bad weather. In fact there was a thunderstorm during the night, seemingly getting closer and closer, but all that was felt by us were 4 drops of rain.

You can imagine what the food was like. Well, maybe you can't, but it was amazing. Having a huge central Italian cheese to nibble off was definitely one of the highlights. The wedding cake took the form of an ice-cream cake (apparently very common in the summer in Italy). and afterwards the men were invited to change into their swimming trunks and wear braces (Giulia's idea - don't ask) and to brave the waters of the outside swimming pool. Considering it was by now 1am, you could imagine how cold the water was when you saw Giulia herself attempt to enter it, realised it was too cold, and jumped out again immediately.

Of course there was a lot of dancing going along too, and everybody had a roaring time. Even the baby in a pram outside managed to sleep through everything (something in the milk?).

So congratulations to Giulia and Simone, and may you have a healthy and enjoyable future together!

Mexican suitcases, decriminalising pianos, and wimbledon grunts

Slightly late round up this week, seeing as there were weddings, visits and generally a lot to do.

A Mexican has hit the record books as one of the most inventive escape attempts made from jail. He hid inside a suitcase that his girlfriend had brought in, and claimed to contain dirty laundry. The fact that she had trouble taking it out as it was so heavy, tipped the guards off, apparently.

With the 2012 Olympics hitting the news every other day, here's something that might need to get sorted out before the actual start of the event. On the online olympics store, they were selling a keyring with the union flag on it - done incorrectly. It begs belief that these sort of things can get so far before anyone notices...

Another piece of red tape created by the previous government, this time one not so much talked about. Apparently it has been illegal for bars, pubs, hotels to play pianos without paying a licence fee. Now a bill is going through the process to get this act revoked, and allow people to play musical instruments in public places without requiring an entertainment licence.

Now that Wimbledon is over, some of you are probably relaxing in the pure sound of outside birds with no more grunting sounds coming from the women players on court. Well, so that you can prepare for next year, there is now an application that allows you to turn down various aspects of the sound - including the grunting. Yes, you can remove it completely, or turn it up even, if you're into that sort of thing...

And finally, taking religious rules to the extreme, an Austrian man has claimed that having a pasta sieve on his head is his religious headgear, and so has had his driving licence photo taken with it on. And it was accepted. This must join the ranks of Health & Safety, and Political Correctness, and hopefully should get sorted out with some common sense soon.

Keep your hat on...