Hello from Modena

We've had a great trip so far. We were delayed in the Calgary airport by a couple of hours and were very happy to finally land in Paris. The weather was damp and a little drizzly, but we still had a great 20 or so hours in the city. Our hotel was beside the Eiffel Tower, so we went to the top our first night, and explored the Rue Cler area the next day. We also discovered that our French is not as good as we had thought!
Our first two days in Italy were spent in Bologna. It is a fantastic city! Incredibly old and well preserved. We ate very well while there but did more than enough walking to counteract it. I am sure the 500 steps we walked up the tower also helped. The tower tilts 7 feet off true centre, and the steps were ancient and narrow, but the view from the top was worth the trek.
We're in Modena to visit a traditional Balsamic Vinegar house, and will continue on to Parma later this afternoon for two nights. The train station here does not have a place to check in your packs, so we are lugging them around the town. We stick out like sore thumbs! There are not many non-Italians in this area, which is great because it has certainly given us a view of real life.
So to update, Gelato count is 3 for Gilles & 2 for April. We thought Fiasco Gelato in Calgary was 'true' gelato, and now we realize it is not. The gelato here is so much more incredible!
Limoncello count for Gilles is 3--a new found love. Gilles also could not resist buying a pair of Italian shoes...this may not surprise many of you. April has been able to resist buying a Furla handbag...this may surprise some of you!
It,s been a beautiful 30 degrees here, and we have not eaten inside once. Life is good!
Ciao!