Our first stop after leaving Venice was Ravenna.  Actually, about all we saw of the city of Ravenna was a church.  Just what we all wanted to see: another church -- the Basilica of St. Apollinaris in Classe, which was erected by Theodoric in the 6th Century.  I never did quite understand what this was all about.  Maybe I'd toured quite enough Catholic churches by this time.  There were some interesting, very old mosaics inside, though, and an orchestra rehearsing classical music. 

The musicians were preparing for a performance in the church that evening.  Some said that when we first arrived they were playing a beautiful piece, but when I entered the basilica they were playing some modern atonal stuff.  Just awful.  I had to leave.

I wanted to like the music, but ... no thanks.

However, as I said, there were some beautiful mosaics inside.

And outside there was blessed peace and quiet.

The portico was built in the 16th century.

The bell tower (campanile) was built in the 10th Century.  (Is it leaning?)  And that's a statue of Julius Caesar.

There's a story here.  See, I was wearing this red polo shirt I picked up in Cleveland at a First Robotics Competition.  You can read about it here.  (I was a guest at the competition, and they gave me a shirt to prove it.)  And as the event was held in Ohio, and as Ohio is the Buckeye State, the  competition was called the "Buckeye Regional Competition."  Are you with me so far?

So this shirt they gave me has a buckeye embroidered on the sleeve.  Pretty sharp looking, right?  Well, as it turned out, three of the younger members of our group, Sam and David McDonald of New Zealand, and Jerzy Horst of South Dakota, decided the buckeye on my sleeve looked suspiciously like a certain illicit plant.  And they began accusing me, ME!, of promoting marijuana.  Harumph.

My accusers. 

A shifty-looking crew if ever I saw one.  Now listen up guys, one more time:
ITS A BUCKEYE!