Springtime in Pavia

Spring began in Pavia in early March and is still going strong even though we are approaching the middle of May. The weather is almost constant with highs in the low 70's and lows in the upper 50's. The city is full of blooming rose bushes and gelaterias (ice cream shops) both of which make afternoon walks that much more pleasant. Most of these strolls lead to a park beside the river and beneath the covered bridge. It is an absolutely perfect place to spend the afternoon and has been the site of St. Patrick's day festivities and end of course stress relievers. In addition to lounging in the sun I have also participated in a few pick up soccer games.

I say that I only participated because there is no way anything that I did on that field could have been considered actually playing. You can easily pick me out in the picture as the huge guy wearing basketball gear and trying to run over people. During the first game my team somehow managed a tie despite my poor play. In order to add a little excitement they decided to go to penalty kicks. After five kicks for each side it was all tied 3-3. I was the only one left to shoot and it was my kick that would decide the game. I walked up with one plan and that was not to embarrass myself. I kept my head down and just focused on making contact with the ball. I kicked it as hard as I could and it shot off my foot and landed perfectly in the top right corner for the win!!! I don't really know how it happened but I think it was a lot to do with beginners luck. My team was so excited about my improbable heroics I think they actually forgot about the goal I scored for the other team earlier in the game.