Bologna - Laurea di Virginia

Wow! That's now a long time that I haven't been to my beloved Bologna! I had been in Italy for a long weekend in June, down in Sicily for a friends' wedding, but not to Bologna.I think the last time was in February after attending the BIT (International Tourism Fair) in Milan.

The occasion now was Marco's 29. birthday on 11/10. He had been to Oslo now the last times we saw each other, so now it was kind of my turn. And yes, it was simply time to be again in Bologna.

So I booked a flight with Ryanair. I hate that airline, but since they fly directly between Oslo and Bologna...

So, on Saturday 09/10 Moritz and I drove all the long way down the east coast of the Oslofjord to Sandfjord where the Ryanair airport Torp is located. Of course, there are also shuttle busses between Oslo and Torp, but during the week of my absence I left my car with Moritz.

In Oslo you have to regularly check your car, i.e. every 24 hours, if it's parked on a public parking spot. Usually while I'm away, Mari has a look after my car, but this time she also wouldn't be there. Thus I asked Moritz if he could possibly make use of a car for a week or basically if he would mind having a look at it every day. It was so nice of him that he agreed though he couldn't use a car at all. So after driving together to Sandefjord he would drive my car back alone and place it somewhere around where he lives and have an eye on it while I'm gone.

Of course, it takes ages to drive until Sandefjord (ca. 2 hours), but the time passed relatively quick, because we talked a lot about this and that. After he dropped me at the airport he drove back all that tedious way alone. Poor Moritz! But thank you sooo much, Moritz, for accompanying me and taking care of my car!

So, then I was on my way to Italy and was happy to be with Marco again... in Bologna! Being in Bologna for me is like being at home. So you don't undertake/do a lot, but just enjoying the time being on holidays, relax and meet with friends.

On Tuesday 12/10, it was the day of Virginia's "laurea" (graduation). Virginia is Marco's brother Dario's girlfriend. They had actually been already to Oslo visiting me in May 2009 (see older posts). So here some pictures taken on "Virginia's day"!

 Virginia's "proclamazione alla Dotoressa in Ingenieria Civile"

Virginia with the "corona" on her head - an Italian tradition when you graduate

 

Dario (Marco's brother), Virginia (Dario's girlfriend), Marco and me

 The typical buffet/aperitivo for family and friends of the graduate right after the "laurea"

me, Marco, Virginia, Dario

also a tradition: get the graduate do something strange/stupid/fool...

In the afternoon, after the traditional "pranzo di laurea", Marco and I went home.

It was a nice sunny day and we enjoyed the celebrations. For me it was nice to meet Virginia's family.

The remaining days of my stay in Bologna I went to visit my former colleagues from Bologna Congressi (where I did my first internship in 2004/2005) and Marco and I went to the movies or out for dinner in our favourite restaurants and pizzerias :-)

What a pity that it was "only" for a week to be with Marco in Bologna.


I know this is nothing that took place in Norway, but in the end I decided to post pictures about that stay anyway.