I’m sitting in the waiting room in the hospital at Cittadella.  I had a brief glimpse of the intact medieval walls before turning into this large modern brick structure. 

Yesterday a watched a blood engorged tick backing out of my leg after a good feed. I could almost see the satisfied grin on its face. The area is still red and looks a little like a bullseye to this paranoid patient. Better to be safe. 

It’s Saturday, and busy in the hospital.  I made it through triage quickly, but now I wait, perhaps for up to three hours.  Lots of time to paint and write a blog. 

It’s hard not to be repulsed by ticks. Having anything burrow into its meal, especially if that meal is me, is pretty gross. I like to think that at this morning’s buffet breakfast I was a little more dignified. I never once plunged my head into the container of bacon. Sure, I did return for seconds and thirds and perhaps even fourths.  I wonder if the tick also felt a little sad when it was full to bursting with my blood breakfast. It’s 12:45 and I’m still full. Perhaps I overdid it. 

We have spent the last three nights in amazingly beautiful walled cities and towns. Yesterday it was Castelfranco Veneto and tonight Cittadella. If either of these towns were in any other country they would be swamped with tourists and have UNESCO designations. But with Venice only a short distance away these places are still mostly filled with locals.

After I picked up my prescription for antibiotics we went for a walk around the top of the walls.  The late afternoon light was fabulous and the views of the city and the surrounding area were great.  We got back to the hotel just before a major thunderstorm.  It has been raining almost everyday, but generally in the late afternoon or at night when we are comfortably inside.

We are happy here this evening content with the knowledge that tomorrow we have another buffet breakfast, and it’s supposed to be a good one.