There are times in life when it has its ups and downs. And then there are the times when you get trapped in a lift and you have neither. I was taking my left pannier, and my heavier right pannier, and my bar bag, and my tent, and my rucksack down from the third floor of a rickety hotel in Piacenza.
The rest of the day, however, consisted only of ups: a morning tour of beautifully serene Piacenza's cobbled centre, a pleasant ride in gorgeous sunshine to Parma and then, in the evening, a meeting with brand new Italian OU student and teacher of music to disabled children, Silvia. She'd told me that she wanted me to try some of the food that Parma and its surrounding area is famous for. In true Italian style, that was an offer I couldn't refuse.
I met Silvia and her daughter, Valentina, in Parma's Garibaldi Piazza. I asked her if Garibaldi had any special connection to Parma but apparently he doesn't. But, she said, every town in Italy has a square or street named after him because of how he united Italy. Yes, and because of his biscuits, I offered. I drew a blank look. It's official, folks, Garibaldi biscuits are unknown in the one country that you'd expect them to be eaten on a daily basis.
'I love the OU. I love the fact that I can study with this great university, learning about the English language, philosophy, maths, physics and astronomy, as I have done. And I love that I can get on my bike and cycle halfway across the continent of Europe, still continuing to study, and meet up with fascinating people - fellow OU students and their family and friends'
We went for a prosecco aperitif and then wandered to the classy Antica Cereria restaurant, over an old Roman bridge, on the other side of the river. Along the way we were joined by Valentina's younger sister, Zoe, who had borrowed her elder sibling's bicycle to reach us in time. Silvia may be studying English and French with the OU, but her daughters are both firmly on the science side. Zoe is in her last year of a physics degree at Parma University while Valentina has just completed the Italian equivalent of an MA in astrophysics and is in the process of applying for PhD research opportunities. She's hoping to be accepted by a university in Paris and wants to study the vibrations of black holes.
Time for me to go off on one. Y'know something? I love the OU. I love the fact that I can study with this great university, learning about the English language, philosophy, maths, physics and astronomy, as I have done. And I love that I can get on my bike and cycle halfway across the continent of Europe, still continuing to study, and meet up with fascinating people - fellow OU students and their family and friends.
None of this would be possible without the people behind the OU and, in Italy, to one lovely OU Co-ordinator, Jane Pollard, who sent my details out to all the OU students in this remarkable country. How else could I be sat around a restaurant table with three amazing women who were all strangers only a few hours before and be able to talk about, amongst other things, the vibrations of black holes? Sorry, ignore me. It's the science geek coming out.
Ah, and then there was the food. An Italian meal starts with antipasto, in our case with a pile of prosciutto, pancetta and the most wonderfully rich salami I've ever tasted. The next course was two types of pasta, herb and ricotta stuffed ravioli and an utterly delicious tagliatelle covered with crispy little bacony bits (I'm sure there's a more technical term for these). The main course was the softest parmesan-stuffed brisket with fried potatoes and rosemary. All this was lubricated by a rich and creamy Lambrusco. Finally, there was a perfect chocolate mousse. Much better than my usual camping stove noodles.
The conversation was wide ranging, from the Italian language, Parma's role in fighting fascism, imprisoned parmesan cows, Zoe's ambition to see Edinburgh purely as it's the birthplace of J.K. Rowling (although, now that I've checked this, she appears to have been born in Gloucestershire), the joys of Blackburn, Italian food, and the best cities to visit while I'm here. I had a thoroughly wonderful evening. And I think Silvia, Valentina and Zoe did too.
And then we finished, went outside and Valentina's bike had been stolen. There are times in life when it has its ups and downs.
Pictured in Palma are Italian OU student Silvia with her daughters Zoe and Valentina.
