Ah, what a way to live.

We went shopping for Italian-made shoes. Me and my true love. On Saturday night. In Cagliari, Sardinia's capital city. Took a train. From Carbonia. An hour's ride. Very relaxing. Nice scenery along the way. Hills. Well-forested. And marshlands on the outskirts of Cagliari. A magnificent fairy-tale like town. We arrived in the town's center. Filled with stately roccoco-style buildings. And a massive city hall. Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful. Elegant. Elegant. Elegant. A fashionable business district. And hordes of pedestrians. Mostly shoppers. Had to go with the flow. Slow. Elbow to elbow. We had only a few hours. Had to catch the next to last train back at 6:20 p.m. There was threat of a strike by rail workers. We could be stuck in Cagliari overnight. Might be a blessing. We'd check into a hotel. And make do. Pleasantly. But there was no strike. Maybe another day. Anyway, we found a shoe sale. My true love got a nice pair of black boots. Exactly what she wanted. I tried on two pair of walking shoes. Didn't find the perfect fit. I could have spent more time looking for the right shoes. But decided not to. I'd rather gaze at the wonders of Cagliari. And musing about being in Italy. On a Saturday night. In January. Seeing palm trees on the main drag. Balmy temperatures. Ah, what a way to live. --Jim Broede