I thought I had to complete all my travel posts before I could just do some regular blogging. But, I was a little behind and not moving toward that when I picked up a copy of the current Artful Blogging magazine. The more I got into it, the more intimidated I felt, kind of angry almost. I heard the door slam shut.
Then I came to the part where Bridgette Guerzon Mills in her “Contemplating the Moon” (www.bgmartjournal.blogspot.com) blog talked about, “connecting with creative people.” I want to do that. Making art can be isolating. But…and then I got to Sarah Bowen’s blog “Piece of Work” (www.sarahbowen.typepad.com) and was reminded of my own uniqueness and how special each of our uniquenesses is. We need not apologize for being that - unique. Each person’s unique qualities are God-breathed and are not up for jurying.
I knew this on an intellectual level and I have always felt uniquely special in a pleasant way, but now my heart is leaping! I can be me. No apologies, just me. Once when I asked my thirty-something daughter Holly, “…seriously, am I a dork?” She said, “Yeah, you are, but in an endearing kind of way.” My three teenage granddaughters tell me being a dork is never good. But, you know what? It doesn’t matter. So, it’s o.k. to be cutesy sometimes, cluttery most of the time, and in left field all the time with no established lateral dominance at the age of 66. So, it also shouldn’t matter if my English Department Chair colleague from my former high school should read a post. It’s just me. This is going to be fun!
I’m stopping now even though I’m overflowing. I’ve picked up that blogs that are too long get tiring and this post is probably too long already. I just want to say, I’m working on a banner and I’ll post photos as soon as I learn how. I think I’ve found a site that will help. Now I just have to figure out how to get this out there.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Friday, February 8, 2008
Wednesday in Milano 2-6-08
Last night Heidi and I went to a neighborhood pizza place. (Jan stayed in as her knee was swollen and she was tired. She had a knee replacement in December and something is not right. She changed doctors and had to go for tests last week and has more scheduled next week.)
Heidi and I missed her since we didn’t understand the Italian menu and they didn’t have an English one. So we would point and our waiter Andre would tell us what the word meant. We pointed and he said, “Fish.” We said, “No fish.” Fish on pizza was something neither one of us wanted to try. There were a lot of fish pizzas and pastas on that menu. We finally settled on Pizza Margherita and a pasta with a nice mushroom sauce. The salad had spinach, tomatoes, and great, thick slices of fresh mozzarella cheese. The balsamic vinegar was to die for. We had a good red wine and our check was a third of what we usually have to pay for dinner.
Today was a shopping day and a soaking up the outdoors at Duomo Piazza. They told me at the hotel that another place to shop was San Biblia. It was one stop away from Duomo. A woman at the bus stop this morning told me there was an information center to the left of the Galleria at Duomo (no one at the hotel ever mentioned it), so I went there first to get information about an art museum the same lady suggested. I picked up a good booklet and a map. Then back to the underground to go one stop to San Biblia. I had been wondering if it was close enough to walk, but the subway ride was long enough that I was glad I hadn’t tried to.
The shopping here was a little disappointing, mostly the same shops, but even so I did find a couple of bargains at Zara’s. It is a nice department store that has a range in quality from upscale to Kohl’s. Didn’t see much I was interested in anywhere else except for a man’s scarf on a rack of jackets. After I had picked up the scarf and looked it over I asked the man who came over thinking he was a clerk if there were any more of them. He didn’t speak English , but did say something in Italian. I thought he was trying to tell me where the scarves were when in fact he was trying to tell me he didn’t work there. I thanked him and as I walked away I saw him trying on a jacket and then I realized what he had said. If I thought that was embarrassing a moment later I saw him leaving wearing the scarf I had been asking about. The language barrier can be very humbling. Reminds me of the time in Germany with Donnie when I asked a clerk in what I thought was good German for bubble bath and she showed me to the Gummy Bears.
After that I walked on and a block or so later to my amazement I saw what looked the cathedral. The thought crossed my mind that there couldn’t possibly be two and, of course, there wasn’t. San Biblia is just behind the cathedral a couple of blocks. It was serendipity that I walked that way, though, because I came upon five young men making the most beautiful music. Two of them played violins, two played accordians, and one was on an electric guitar. That combination sounds somewhat unlikely but it was so nice I bought one of their CD’s. I hope there’s actually music on it. It looked like a blank CD from a big pack at Sam’s. There was no label on the CD, but there was a poorly printed play sheet inside with some of my favorite classical pieces listed so I’m eager to see if there's some music on it. I know it will be one of my favorite studio CD’s because not only will it be good music to work to, but it will bring back that sunny day in Milano in the piazza behind the Duomo.
Heidi and I missed her since we didn’t understand the Italian menu and they didn’t have an English one. So we would point and our waiter Andre would tell us what the word meant. We pointed and he said, “Fish.” We said, “No fish.” Fish on pizza was something neither one of us wanted to try. There were a lot of fish pizzas and pastas on that menu. We finally settled on Pizza Margherita and a pasta with a nice mushroom sauce. The salad had spinach, tomatoes, and great, thick slices of fresh mozzarella cheese. The balsamic vinegar was to die for. We had a good red wine and our check was a third of what we usually have to pay for dinner.
Today was a shopping day and a soaking up the outdoors at Duomo Piazza. They told me at the hotel that another place to shop was San Biblia. It was one stop away from Duomo. A woman at the bus stop this morning told me there was an information center to the left of the Galleria at Duomo (no one at the hotel ever mentioned it), so I went there first to get information about an art museum the same lady suggested. I picked up a good booklet and a map. Then back to the underground to go one stop to San Biblia. I had been wondering if it was close enough to walk, but the subway ride was long enough that I was glad I hadn’t tried to.
The shopping here was a little disappointing, mostly the same shops, but even so I did find a couple of bargains at Zara’s. It is a nice department store that has a range in quality from upscale to Kohl’s. Didn’t see much I was interested in anywhere else except for a man’s scarf on a rack of jackets. After I had picked up the scarf and looked it over I asked the man who came over thinking he was a clerk if there were any more of them. He didn’t speak English , but did say something in Italian. I thought he was trying to tell me where the scarves were when in fact he was trying to tell me he didn’t work there. I thanked him and as I walked away I saw him trying on a jacket and then I realized what he had said. If I thought that was embarrassing a moment later I saw him leaving wearing the scarf I had been asking about. The language barrier can be very humbling. Reminds me of the time in Germany with Donnie when I asked a clerk in what I thought was good German for bubble bath and she showed me to the Gummy Bears.
After that I walked on and a block or so later to my amazement I saw what looked the cathedral. The thought crossed my mind that there couldn’t possibly be two and, of course, there wasn’t. San Biblia is just behind the cathedral a couple of blocks. It was serendipity that I walked that way, though, because I came upon five young men making the most beautiful music. Two of them played violins, two played accordians, and one was on an electric guitar. That combination sounds somewhat unlikely but it was so nice I bought one of their CD’s. I hope there’s actually music on it. It looked like a blank CD from a big pack at Sam’s. There was no label on the CD, but there was a poorly printed play sheet inside with some of my favorite classical pieces listed so I’m eager to see if there's some music on it. I know it will be one of my favorite studio CD’s because not only will it be good music to work to, but it will bring back that sunny day in Milano in the piazza behind the Duomo.
Milano on Tuesday 2-5-08
Last night we had dinner at the hotel and it was fabulous. Jan ordered a really good Italian red wine that perfectly complemented our pasta meals. Jan is Jan Hillman an Englishwomen from London who now works out of the UPS office in Brussels, Belgium and who is Heidi’s European teammate. Jan is our gourmet food and wine guide. I don’t think she’s ever not know what something was food-wise. She is well traveled and at one point flew regularly from London to Singapore for her job. At that time she was an international events planner. She told us how in the course of her job she had dinner with Princess Diana’s Father. She hob-knobbed all over Europe in the company of high society. After her son was born, she joined UPS in order to be closer to home. She was married to a journalist who also traveled early on. He died seven years ago. Jan’s son just passed the bar in England and is now a practicing attorney in London. Jan is my age so we automatically have some things in common. She is attractive, a snappy dresser, a good conversationalist, and fun to be around.
Jan and Heidi often talk business before dinner and at breakfast, so I’m learning tons about UPS. I told Heidi I’m going to call or email the bead company I order from and suggest they use UPS. I’m giving them Heidi’s name. I might be a UPSer yet.
Did I say that the breakfast is included with the room for both of us? Good news for me. So when I’m out and about I can sit at a nice outdoor café and have a cappuccino and watch the world go by and not spend money on lunch.. Usually it’s at the Café Duomo where the waiter now knows me. On Monday I told Heidi that I thought he recognized me, but couldn’t find that to be possible with the hundreds and hundreds of people that pass through, but yesterday he said hello as if we were old friends and shook my hand.
Today was castle day. This time I had to take three trains to get there. It was so worth it. Here picture-taking was allowed and I got some good shots of the amazing frescoed ceilings. The carved stone pillars and stone sculptures are beyond belief. Room after room of paintings, sculptures and other artifacts from the middle ages boggle the mind. I’ve been gathering up brochures and information printed in English so that I can look back and try to absorb all that I have seen. I think I’ve mentioned sensory overload and it continues.
On Monday night when I got back to my last train stop and had to get the bus I asked for directions to the bus stop. I was on the wrong side of the street. When I got to where I thought I was supposed to be I didn’t see signs indicating destinations so I asked an older gentleman if the 925 bus went to Milano Due. Not only did he not speak English, he was almost deaf. He did some pointing and I walked in the direction he indicated and he followed me and proceeded in very loud, animated Italian to try and convince to young ladies who were at the stop to help me. We’d already covered it before he caught up and finally he understood that I would be O.K. I indicated to the girls with sign language that I loved him because he was so cute and with lots of giggles they agreed.
That was Monday. On Tuesday night I found the stop just fine, but in the morning when I was on the bus something didn’t seem right. My stop never came up and we were sitting at a rest point and since I was the only one left on the bus the driver turned and looked at me like why are you still on the bus. He didn’t speak English so I showed him on the map where I was supposed to get off and he said this bus didn’t stop there. This bus did go to Goppa a train station three stops farther along, so I stayed on and rode all the way around and past the hotel again and on to Goppa.
So that night I was thinking maybe there were two busses at night like in the morning. It was dark and raining cats and dogs and the windows were fogged up, so I was counting stops, but since the first night they haven’t come out right. All of a sudden I saw the green neon sign of the Jolly Milano and I jumped up. I was a little late in ringing the bell and it didn‘t sound, but the driver stopped anyway because he saw me.. As I’m jumping off he said to me, “You gotta ringa!”
Jan and Heidi often talk business before dinner and at breakfast, so I’m learning tons about UPS. I told Heidi I’m going to call or email the bead company I order from and suggest they use UPS. I’m giving them Heidi’s name. I might be a UPSer yet.
Did I say that the breakfast is included with the room for both of us? Good news for me. So when I’m out and about I can sit at a nice outdoor café and have a cappuccino and watch the world go by and not spend money on lunch.. Usually it’s at the Café Duomo where the waiter now knows me. On Monday I told Heidi that I thought he recognized me, but couldn’t find that to be possible with the hundreds and hundreds of people that pass through, but yesterday he said hello as if we were old friends and shook my hand.
Today was castle day. This time I had to take three trains to get there. It was so worth it. Here picture-taking was allowed and I got some good shots of the amazing frescoed ceilings. The carved stone pillars and stone sculptures are beyond belief. Room after room of paintings, sculptures and other artifacts from the middle ages boggle the mind. I’ve been gathering up brochures and information printed in English so that I can look back and try to absorb all that I have seen. I think I’ve mentioned sensory overload and it continues.
On Monday night when I got back to my last train stop and had to get the bus I asked for directions to the bus stop. I was on the wrong side of the street. When I got to where I thought I was supposed to be I didn’t see signs indicating destinations so I asked an older gentleman if the 925 bus went to Milano Due. Not only did he not speak English, he was almost deaf. He did some pointing and I walked in the direction he indicated and he followed me and proceeded in very loud, animated Italian to try and convince to young ladies who were at the stop to help me. We’d already covered it before he caught up and finally he understood that I would be O.K. I indicated to the girls with sign language that I loved him because he was so cute and with lots of giggles they agreed.
That was Monday. On Tuesday night I found the stop just fine, but in the morning when I was on the bus something didn’t seem right. My stop never came up and we were sitting at a rest point and since I was the only one left on the bus the driver turned and looked at me like why are you still on the bus. He didn’t speak English so I showed him on the map where I was supposed to get off and he said this bus didn’t stop there. This bus did go to Goppa a train station three stops farther along, so I stayed on and rode all the way around and past the hotel again and on to Goppa.
So that night I was thinking maybe there were two busses at night like in the morning. It was dark and raining cats and dogs and the windows were fogged up, so I was counting stops, but since the first night they haven’t come out right. All of a sudden I saw the green neon sign of the Jolly Milano and I jumped up. I was a little late in ringing the bell and it didn‘t sound, but the driver stopped anyway because he saw me.. As I’m jumping off he said to me, “You gotta ringa!”
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Milano on Monday 2-4-08
The bad news is I’m out of underwear. The good news is I found a little store near the hotel that had laundry soap. The arthritic wrists are not good wringer-outers, so I’m not sure all the soap got rinsed out. I hope we don’t get rashes.
When Heidi and I were in the center of the city at the Duomo Piazza I knew I would be coming back and that’s what I did first thing on Monday. Heidi was the trailblazer on Saturday so now I was on my own, I knew where the bus stop was just a few steps outside the hotel. I met a woman from the Philippines on the bus and she showed me where to get off at Edine. She told me which trains to take and I made it to the city center with no problem.
I came up from the underground at exactly the same place we were on Saturday. I had a cappuccino at the same coffee bar Heidi and I had been too. I walked across the piazza to the Duomo and went inside. Oh, my goodness! The cathedral was huge. The vaulted ceilings and pillars that have to be eight feet in diameter were beyond belief. The Cathedral was begun in the 1300’s. How did they build a place like this without cranes and power tools? The church is filled with paintings, sculptures, precious objects, and crypts with the remains of important church leaders. People are allowed to walk freely and take pictures. Even though it is spectacularly beautiful I felt the same sadness that I have in other cathedrals. They are cold inside and dark. There isn’t an atmosphere of Godly worship, but rather a worship of men and the human race because they are able to build such monuments. How many candles and torches did it take to light these places in the middle ages and beyond? I spent a long time soaking up the whole thing which is really impossible to do completely. Afterward I walked around the whole exterior which I’m estimating is at least a block long on all four sides. It’s probably longer on two sides since it appears to be a rectangle rather than a square.
Across from the cathedral to the left I saw a large sign with a picture of the famous Mexican artist Frieda Kahlo. The exhibition was of important female artists from the Renaissance until the early 1930’s, but it didn’t open until 2:30, so I walked around and went back to the Galleria to check it out during the day , and it was equally as beautiful as at night.
I’m really missing “The Girls” Deedee, Mickie, Rosemary, and my sister Mary. I wanted my art sidekicks so I could talk to them about what I was seeing. I didn’t realize there were so many famous women painters. I remember hearing about a few in art history classes, but there were so many more. It was interesting to learn that there were some who, in addition to their art, raised families of ten and eleven children! I saw a Frieda Kahlo and a Mary Cassatt.
It was a full and exhausting day and I was happy to make my way back to the hotel. By this time it was dark, but I had a business card from the hotel which I showed to the bus driver. He said it was seven stops, so I counted on my fingers and got off at the right place. Did I say I found a little something for Brittany? Alyssa wants a red purse with lots of pockets (I owe her big time for taking me to doctors’ stuff and to the airport and for picking me up at all hours) and I spotted one, but it was the first day and it was a little large so I came away without it. I’ll keep my eyes peeled. I think Taylor’s out in the cold.
When Heidi and I were in the center of the city at the Duomo Piazza I knew I would be coming back and that’s what I did first thing on Monday. Heidi was the trailblazer on Saturday so now I was on my own, I knew where the bus stop was just a few steps outside the hotel. I met a woman from the Philippines on the bus and she showed me where to get off at Edine. She told me which trains to take and I made it to the city center with no problem.
I came up from the underground at exactly the same place we were on Saturday. I had a cappuccino at the same coffee bar Heidi and I had been too. I walked across the piazza to the Duomo and went inside. Oh, my goodness! The cathedral was huge. The vaulted ceilings and pillars that have to be eight feet in diameter were beyond belief. The Cathedral was begun in the 1300’s. How did they build a place like this without cranes and power tools? The church is filled with paintings, sculptures, precious objects, and crypts with the remains of important church leaders. People are allowed to walk freely and take pictures. Even though it is spectacularly beautiful I felt the same sadness that I have in other cathedrals. They are cold inside and dark. There isn’t an atmosphere of Godly worship, but rather a worship of men and the human race because they are able to build such monuments. How many candles and torches did it take to light these places in the middle ages and beyond? I spent a long time soaking up the whole thing which is really impossible to do completely. Afterward I walked around the whole exterior which I’m estimating is at least a block long on all four sides. It’s probably longer on two sides since it appears to be a rectangle rather than a square.
Across from the cathedral to the left I saw a large sign with a picture of the famous Mexican artist Frieda Kahlo. The exhibition was of important female artists from the Renaissance until the early 1930’s, but it didn’t open until 2:30, so I walked around and went back to the Galleria to check it out during the day , and it was equally as beautiful as at night.
I’m really missing “The Girls” Deedee, Mickie, Rosemary, and my sister Mary. I wanted my art sidekicks so I could talk to them about what I was seeing. I didn’t realize there were so many famous women painters. I remember hearing about a few in art history classes, but there were so many more. It was interesting to learn that there were some who, in addition to their art, raised families of ten and eleven children! I saw a Frieda Kahlo and a Mary Cassatt.
It was a full and exhausting day and I was happy to make my way back to the hotel. By this time it was dark, but I had a business card from the hotel which I showed to the bus driver. He said it was seven stops, so I counted on my fingers and got off at the right place. Did I say I found a little something for Brittany? Alyssa wants a red purse with lots of pockets (I owe her big time for taking me to doctors’ stuff and to the airport and for picking me up at all hours) and I spotted one, but it was the first day and it was a little large so I came away without it. I’ll keep my eyes peeled. I think Taylor’s out in the cold.
Sunday in Bergamo 2-3-08
The suggestion was made that we take a taxi to Bergamo a small town outside of Milano in the mountains which were actually high hills. We went to the old town there and what a spectacular find. You could still see some of the old wall that originally surrounded the village. When they say old town they really mean it. Like everything else in Italy the place dates from the 1300’s. It was filled with narrow, winding cobblestone streets that were easy to get lost in. The cobblestones are flat rectangular stones laid in a brick-like pattern. It’s always a good idea to watch carefully when you are walking.
We made arrangements to have the cab pick us up at six and we were off. The place was literally wall to wall people, lots of .families with children. We soon found out why all the people. We walked and just looked in the shop windows as many of the shops were closed. We eventually, after much picture taking, found an open pick your own and stand at a tall round table to eat pizza place. My pizza had potatoes on top with tomatoes and cheese, go figure - this from the potato queen. Jan’s had onions and cheese and Heidi’s had ham. All three were delicious.
All at once we heard music from somewhere. Heidi said she thought there was a band coming, and sure enough there came a band playing, of all things, “Oh, Susanna” followed by “Cu Cucaracha.” Bright bulbs that we are, we realized the town was celebrating Carnivale, hence, children and many adults in costume. By this time I was out on the street with Heidi who had my camera and was furiously snapping photos. The people were following the bands through the narrow streets from one big square to the other. I wish I knew how to upload photos! I’m not able to get much computer time here as it’s so expensive and so I haven’t been able to figure it out.
Many of the costumes were very creative and obviously homemade. There was a wonderful joyous air and the whole thing was very family oriented. No alcohol or the rowdiness that is usually associated with Carnivale or Mardi Gras. How lucky were we that we just happened upon this find? It was not a touristy thing at all as the people we saw seemed to be from the surrounding area. There was much good-natured hugging, and also dancing in the street to the beat of the music. We followed the parade back to the spot where we had entered and found our cab waiting for us.
We never did have dinner that night. We were still full of pizza, and besides, the nice lounge back at the hotel serves bowls of huge green olives and other pickled vegetables, as well as, peanuts, sometimes pistachio nuts, chips, and even really good cookies with milk chocolate when you order a glass of wine or beer. We settled in there and after a wonderful day had an equally wonderful evening yakking away. Jan and Heidi had to work the next morning, so it wasn’t a late night. I didn’t - have to work, that is. I try and keep a low profile on that score.
We made arrangements to have the cab pick us up at six and we were off. The place was literally wall to wall people, lots of .families with children. We soon found out why all the people. We walked and just looked in the shop windows as many of the shops were closed. We eventually, after much picture taking, found an open pick your own and stand at a tall round table to eat pizza place. My pizza had potatoes on top with tomatoes and cheese, go figure - this from the potato queen. Jan’s had onions and cheese and Heidi’s had ham. All three were delicious.
All at once we heard music from somewhere. Heidi said she thought there was a band coming, and sure enough there came a band playing, of all things, “Oh, Susanna” followed by “Cu Cucaracha.” Bright bulbs that we are, we realized the town was celebrating Carnivale, hence, children and many adults in costume. By this time I was out on the street with Heidi who had my camera and was furiously snapping photos. The people were following the bands through the narrow streets from one big square to the other. I wish I knew how to upload photos! I’m not able to get much computer time here as it’s so expensive and so I haven’t been able to figure it out.
Many of the costumes were very creative and obviously homemade. There was a wonderful joyous air and the whole thing was very family oriented. No alcohol or the rowdiness that is usually associated with Carnivale or Mardi Gras. How lucky were we that we just happened upon this find? It was not a touristy thing at all as the people we saw seemed to be from the surrounding area. There was much good-natured hugging, and also dancing in the street to the beat of the music. We followed the parade back to the spot where we had entered and found our cab waiting for us.
We never did have dinner that night. We were still full of pizza, and besides, the nice lounge back at the hotel serves bowls of huge green olives and other pickled vegetables, as well as, peanuts, sometimes pistachio nuts, chips, and even really good cookies with milk chocolate when you order a glass of wine or beer. We settled in there and after a wonderful day had an equally wonderful evening yakking away. Jan and Heidi had to work the next morning, so it wasn’t a late night. I didn’t - have to work, that is. I try and keep a low profile on that score.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Milano on Saturday
Milano Day I 2-2-08
O.K the impressions are coming way too fast! Yesterday Heidi met me at the hotel in Nurnberg at 4:00 and we headed by taxi to the airport. This time I had a business class ticket and Heidi didn‘t, so we spent a good 45 minutes getting her ticket changed. After security, and yes the fake hip set the alarms off as usual and they had to do the search thing, we headed to check-in. When we got to the gate they were boarding. This meant taking a bus to the plane. It was only an hour flight to Zurich, but we had water, wine, and a beautiful “snack” that consisted of gourmet hors‘deorves including smoked salmon, fancy little sandwiches, and a custard tart with strawberries, kiwi, and pineapple on top. Ya gotta love that business class. On landing it was another bus to the terminal and then a rush through the airport to our gate where they were already boarding the bus to the plane headed for Milano. Again, only an hour f light, but more gourmet snacks this time with custard in a solid chocolate cup. Did I say Swiss chocolate? That too. In Milano another bus to the terminal.
Our taxi driver was mistaken on our destination and after quite a long time in a not so nice area he fessed up and made a call to find out where he was supposed to go. We finally made it and were really glad to see our hotel. It was after 11:00 by the time we checked in and only the bar was open, so we had grilled ham and cheese and beer. Then to bed. No feather beds this time but still good sleeping..
Saturday morning was a sleep in and then off to the Duomo in the center Milano. I can see that traveling around Milano is going to be a lot different than smaller places like Dusseldorf and Nurnberg. We took a bus from the hotel to the green train and then after six stops we changed to the red train which took us to the square in front of the Duomo. When we emerged from the subway I looked up and couldn’t believe my eyes and said, “Oh wow!” Heidi said, “Bar, coffee.” We found a spot at an outdoor place under stripped canopies where the tables faced the great cathedral. It was an international mix of people all talking and pointing and snapping photos of each other and the sights. The accordian player that moved one young lady a few tables from us to get up and dance was frosting on the cake. Heidi said, “Aren’t you going to join her?” But, by the time I got up and out of my spot she had already finished
We wandered around and poked in and out of shops and even tried things on, but neither of us bought anything except post cards. We found a place where we thought we’d have a late lunch. It was a glass enclosed outdoor spot that looked good. After the waiter brought our wine and a beautiful tray of anti-pasto that we didn’t order, but came with the wine we realized they didn’t serve food outside. So, after the nice snack (by this time it was dark) we moved on and discovered a huge enclosed mall type place which we found out later is the Galleria. Mall is certainly the wrong word because this place wasn’t like any of the malls we know. It was gorgeous and when I looked up I couldn’t believe how wonderful it was overhead. And then I heard beautiful concert quality organ music coming from I didn‘t know where. In the center of the Galleria was a man playing on some kind of sophisticated keyboard. He had a page turner. The sound system must have been spectacular because it was like being in a huge church or cathedral. When the pianist finished a piece the crowd, some seated and many standing applauded. After his last set people were shaking his hand and expressing their gratitude. I shook his hand, too, and told him it was beautiful.
After more walking and looking in shops like Prada and such, (we took pictures of the purses and that’s as close as I’ll ever get to one) we found a place to eat right in the Galleria. We shared a pizza and an order of pasta. The pizza here is nothing like what we have at home. It’s what we would call gourmet, and is much lighter in crust and in topping than ours. Fresh cheeses and vegetables and thinly sliced meats and sausage make the difference. The Italians know their aldente, so the pasta was perfect.
Our table was adjacent to another table for two, and soon we were in a conversation with a couple from Norway, who now make their home in Spain because the weather is better and it’s less expensive. They have a son in Washington state so have been to the U.S.. The man has his own vinyl record selling business and he and his wife were in Milano for a music conference and buying trip. So, wonderful food, good wine, and great conversation; what could be better on our first night out in Milano?
It was like the blind leading the blind after dinner as we retraced our steps to the Jolly Milano 2. Heidi took the lead and I followed blindly, that’s where the blind comes in, even though I should have been watching so I would know how to do it on my own the next day. It really seemed confusing at first. We took the red train to Loretto where we had to get off and either go up or down, I still can’t get it straight, for the green train to Goppa. The station there didn’t look at all like the one on our way to the city center. So, we wandered around trying to figure it out and finally learned we had to take the #925 bus. People could have told us anything, because we knew nothing. But there was no way to get to a street from that station location no bus seemed to be coming to that stop, so Heidi make an executive decision and said, “Let’s take a cab.” It was under ten minutes from Goppa to our hotel by cab and a great time was had by all.
O.K the impressions are coming way too fast! Yesterday Heidi met me at the hotel in Nurnberg at 4:00 and we headed by taxi to the airport. This time I had a business class ticket and Heidi didn‘t, so we spent a good 45 minutes getting her ticket changed. After security, and yes the fake hip set the alarms off as usual and they had to do the search thing, we headed to check-in. When we got to the gate they were boarding. This meant taking a bus to the plane. It was only an hour flight to Zurich, but we had water, wine, and a beautiful “snack” that consisted of gourmet hors‘deorves including smoked salmon, fancy little sandwiches, and a custard tart with strawberries, kiwi, and pineapple on top. Ya gotta love that business class. On landing it was another bus to the terminal and then a rush through the airport to our gate where they were already boarding the bus to the plane headed for Milano. Again, only an hour f light, but more gourmet snacks this time with custard in a solid chocolate cup. Did I say Swiss chocolate? That too. In Milano another bus to the terminal.
Our taxi driver was mistaken on our destination and after quite a long time in a not so nice area he fessed up and made a call to find out where he was supposed to go. We finally made it and were really glad to see our hotel. It was after 11:00 by the time we checked in and only the bar was open, so we had grilled ham and cheese and beer. Then to bed. No feather beds this time but still good sleeping..
Saturday morning was a sleep in and then off to the Duomo in the center Milano. I can see that traveling around Milano is going to be a lot different than smaller places like Dusseldorf and Nurnberg. We took a bus from the hotel to the green train and then after six stops we changed to the red train which took us to the square in front of the Duomo. When we emerged from the subway I looked up and couldn’t believe my eyes and said, “Oh wow!” Heidi said, “Bar, coffee.” We found a spot at an outdoor place under stripped canopies where the tables faced the great cathedral. It was an international mix of people all talking and pointing and snapping photos of each other and the sights. The accordian player that moved one young lady a few tables from us to get up and dance was frosting on the cake. Heidi said, “Aren’t you going to join her?” But, by the time I got up and out of my spot she had already finished
We wandered around and poked in and out of shops and even tried things on, but neither of us bought anything except post cards. We found a place where we thought we’d have a late lunch. It was a glass enclosed outdoor spot that looked good. After the waiter brought our wine and a beautiful tray of anti-pasto that we didn’t order, but came with the wine we realized they didn’t serve food outside. So, after the nice snack (by this time it was dark) we moved on and discovered a huge enclosed mall type place which we found out later is the Galleria. Mall is certainly the wrong word because this place wasn’t like any of the malls we know. It was gorgeous and when I looked up I couldn’t believe how wonderful it was overhead. And then I heard beautiful concert quality organ music coming from I didn‘t know where. In the center of the Galleria was a man playing on some kind of sophisticated keyboard. He had a page turner. The sound system must have been spectacular because it was like being in a huge church or cathedral. When the pianist finished a piece the crowd, some seated and many standing applauded. After his last set people were shaking his hand and expressing their gratitude. I shook his hand, too, and told him it was beautiful.
After more walking and looking in shops like Prada and such, (we took pictures of the purses and that’s as close as I’ll ever get to one) we found a place to eat right in the Galleria. We shared a pizza and an order of pasta. The pizza here is nothing like what we have at home. It’s what we would call gourmet, and is much lighter in crust and in topping than ours. Fresh cheeses and vegetables and thinly sliced meats and sausage make the difference. The Italians know their aldente, so the pasta was perfect.
Our table was adjacent to another table for two, and soon we were in a conversation with a couple from Norway, who now make their home in Spain because the weather is better and it’s less expensive. They have a son in Washington state so have been to the U.S.. The man has his own vinyl record selling business and he and his wife were in Milano for a music conference and buying trip. So, wonderful food, good wine, and great conversation; what could be better on our first night out in Milano?
It was like the blind leading the blind after dinner as we retraced our steps to the Jolly Milano 2. Heidi took the lead and I followed blindly, that’s where the blind comes in, even though I should have been watching so I would know how to do it on my own the next day. It really seemed confusing at first. We took the red train to Loretto where we had to get off and either go up or down, I still can’t get it straight, for the green train to Goppa. The station there didn’t look at all like the one on our way to the city center. So, we wandered around trying to figure it out and finally learned we had to take the #925 bus. People could have told us anything, because we knew nothing. But there was no way to get to a street from that station location no bus seemed to be coming to that stop, so Heidi make an executive decision and said, “Let’s take a cab.” It was under ten minutes from Goppa to our hotel by cab and a great time was had by all.
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