Emilia-Romagna

Bologna

24th April: From Venice continuing to Bologna

Arriving in Bologna I was looking for the hihostel I chose to stay over night. I had the description from the hostel, how to go there and also my tablet with GPS. It was a bus going out there, but first I have to find from where. That was not the easiest, neither to buy a ticket. All went well because I was lucky and the third person I asked for it could tell me, where to buy the ticket and the next person did know which bus and where the bus stop is. At the bus there were more women for the hostel and also a young man who lives very close to the hostel. It was one of my good experiences, because I found the way to the hihostel easier.

An Italian House Close to the Bus Stop for the Hihostel

Hihostels are international hostels in a hosteling organization, that means not all youth hostels are members of that organization, however the one in Bologna was. I prefer to choose hihostels because I am a member and have “a right to stay there if there is space left”. Neither the Generator hostel in Venice nor the youth hostel in Padua were members, but the last one I really can recommend anyway, but the breakfast. The standards vary from country to country. E. g. in Ireland they have a *-system, but I have not seen that in other countries yet. The hihostel in Bologna is in a quiet place at the countryside. They have a lot of clerks who speak several languages. All of them speak English. The hostel has very good opening hours, around one hour after my check-in a group of Italian boys and girls with two adults (a man and a woman) arrived. The kids were already very noisy by entering the hostel and did not stop before 2am! Nobody asked them to be silent, but me. They only looked surprised and continued. Moreover the beds in the room were I was sleeping was no bunk beds, but five in that room and very small. I think they only were 80 cm wide. I fell asleep and waked up by dumping on the floor. My knees hurt also the following day.

25th April: From Bologna via Senigalli to San Marcello on a public holiday

After an Italian breakfast and the check out I went to the bus stop. I did not know that I have to go with the bus from the bus stop where I arrived the day before. Therefore I did not care about the bus I saw leaving the bus stop. When I tried to go by the bus in the other direction and ask for Bologna Central Station the bus driver told me, that it is the bus from the opposite bus stop. Nobody at the reception told me either, that this day was a national holiday for Italians (Liberation Day), therefore I had to wait two hours for the bus. There were more and more people coming for the bus stop and waiting, many of them ask me for the right direction – they were all coming from the hostel. Later on a local woman came and she told us about the public holiday and that we have to look for the Sundays scheme. She was very kind and helped us a lot, e. g. where the best stop is to leave for coming to the train station and also where I could change to a bus which goes closer to the train station. I will remember her well for a long time.

You can’t miss it: Le Marche (Senigalli, San Marcello, Grotto di Frassasi – you name it!