Friday, April 13, 2012

Fair Verona

I arrived in another haze of cold grey, and for a minute I thought maybe I should've stayed on Lago di Garda a few stops earlier where mountains and water and sun awaited. Also, the Verona train station is not very inviting. Also, I did not bring my coat since it is April and warm in the sun. If there is sun.
So first I found a place to eat, an enoteca with cheap glasses of wine and a bar of snack foods. I had a few tiny sandwiches, drew a few pictures, listened to the group of men who had moved inside talk to each table. Sure, the bartender wore a shirt that said YOU SUCK but since it was directed towards everyone, I appreciated his egalitarian hostility. He was actually very nice.
I braved the cold grey and was rewarded with a slowly sunny day. Verona is very beautiful, even in grey, and yet I didn't manage to capture that in any photos. But the trees were showing off fat green leaves, there were balconies all around, and though there were plenty of tourists at certain spots, I eventually wandered from church to church, enjoying the river view, and avoiding the crowds. I did not go to "Juliette's house" but I wandered along the river, climbed inside the amphitheater and ate dinner in the Piazza Bra. On my way back to the hostel I could not find a place to get a drink. It was Easter Monday and the streets were quiet and dark. Sometimes I felt a little like this guy:
eyes bugged out and a little overwhelmed but mostly, Verona is beautiful, great for walking slow and watching people.