Blogs from Lombardy, Italy, Europe - page 9

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Europe » Italy » Lombardy » Milan September 7th 2017

Greetings everyone, It's me again, I told you I needed to travel more so I can get Anthony Bourdain's job, well me and the Mrs decided to go to Italy. Ok the real reason is that it's our 10th wedding anniversary and we decided to visit Italy to celebrate. This trip was clouded with doubt the last few weeks, we live in Texas and Hurricane Harvey made landfall about 30 miles north of Corpus Christi where we live, but luckily we made it through safe and without any damage to our home. Harvey wasn't done the storm went north and rained on Houston for days causing catastrophic floods throughout the city. Guess where we're flying out of to head to Italy? That's right Bush International Airport in Houston, TX so after days of monitoring the damage ... read more
Santuario San Camillo de Lellis
Milano Centrale Train Station
Milan streets at night

Europe » Italy » Lombardy » Milan September 7th 2017

Buonogiorno Our first day in Milan was pretty quiet so today we're gonna get out and see some sights. My wonderful wife who knows that I love the beautiful game, so she agreed to visit San Siro Stadium with me, that's the home of AC Milan and Inter Milan, the two professional football clubs located here. The hotel isn't located far from Milano Centrale, the main train station in the city which is a good thing but the train station is massive and incredibly busy. You have the metro train that goes through the city as well as trains that go all over Italy, so once we figured out where to buy metro tickets and what metro line we needed to catch we were on our way. Milan is not as big as Paris so the ... read more
In the locker room
The Duomo
Wifey in from of the Duomo

Europe » Italy » Lombardy » Cremona September 1st 2017

My first ACLE camp of the year was two weeks in Cremona. I’d never heard of it, but when I researched it, what came up is that it’s about an hour and a half southeast of Milan and that it’s most famous for violin making. In fact, it was Stradivari(us)’s hometown. While there, I learned artisans and some tourists still flock there to see violin production in action, and others move there from around the world to learn the trade. I, however, didn’t do a lot of sightseeing in town. It was just really really really hot. Working at a camp 8 hours a day without air-conditioning and then walking half an hour to and from camp in the heat took its toll on me. Don’t underestimate Italian summers and expect that you’re going to be ... read more
Main Piazza, Cremona
Statue of Stradivarius in Cremona
Cremona Center

Europe » Italy » Lombardy » Milan August 25th 2017

We farewelled Elisabetta and Andrea this morning and travelled by car (not willing to have another "long day" of misinterpreting ferry timetables) to San Giovanni station Como and effortlessly caught the train to Milano - I even helped an American lady and was asked while wandering the streets of Milano if I was a local (well I think that was what I was asked)!! I must be looking relaxed. Watch this space for the next result of this probably hugely displaced confidence!! Some random observations after our time as we prepare to leave Italy: - It must have been a good summer as I have never seen so many great tans!! The Italians look fresh, fit and healthy. - Just because there are “saldi” (sale) everywhere doesn't mean designer brands are affordable - sorry ladies - ... read more
Final look at Lake Como
Went a little "window" shopping
Italians are so clever with their sugar

Europe » Italy » Lombardy » Tremezzo August 24th 2017

We treated ourselves to a lovely dinner last night which was just as well as we needed all our stamina today!! You know the disaster that could possibly occur that I referred to in relation to having "nailed" ferry catching … well … it wasn't actually a disaster but, shall we say we have had a much longer day than expected!! Due to the “misreading” of the timetable we ended up being 1 1/2 hours early for the ferry so what do you do when it is already 26 degrees - walk of course!! The trip I attempted to make yesterday has now been completed to the beautiful villages of Mezzegra and Lenno. It was good to see something of normal life in the back lanes away from the villas and opulence of the Lake but ... read more
Up, up, up
Down, down, down
Village life - Mezzegra

Europe » Italy » Lombardy » Tremezzo August 23rd 2017

You know it's time for a quiet day when returning from dinner you ask for the key and insist the room number is the one from your previous hotel!!! So today our alarm clock was the church bell from Chiesa San Lorenzo a couple of doors down and we didn't have to catch a bus, water ferry, vaporetto, boat or taxi so managed to make it to breakfast by the crack of 9!! We then took the "Green Way del Lario Lago di Como" (aka a walk along the waterfront) to Villa Carlotta - museum and garden. For anyone not interested in gardens, hit delete now. They were absolutely magnificent and we wandered around them for nearly 2 hours. There were only annuals and some ferns in bloom but there were many sections so there must ... read more
Room with a view
Villa Carlotta
Gardens - Villa Carlotta

Europe » Italy » Lombardy » Tremezzo August 22nd 2017

We are up to date - do I hear multiple sighs of relief or just one collective one? Thanks for the lovely comments, it really is very special having you travel with us, even if it has required binge reading. Today we were doubly blessed. We had booked a full day tour for later in the week but it had to be cancelled so we intended to find something else to do today when we received an email on arrival yesterday saying we could join a group to tour part of Lago di Como (there's that fluent Italian again) and Villa Balbianello - free!! Now that's good customer service. Being pros at catching the water ferry (now that is sure to mean a disaster in the near future), we headed to Varenna for the tour. A ... read more
Grand Hotel Tremezzo
Chiesa San Lorenzo, Tremezzo
Beautiful Varenna

Europe » Italy » Lombardy » Milan August 12th 2017

As our walking tour wasn't starting until 10, I decided to go for a walk around Piazza Duomo and was pleasantly surprised that I was almost on my own so managed to get a couple of photos without people in them - I might add I have no idea how many photos we have accidentally “bombed” as the Milanese might have all left for the holidays but the tourists have arrived in droves - so inconvenient!! Even though we did a walking tour two years ago it was well worth doing again as we realise we had forgotten more than we remembered. I recall mentioning then the respect with which the guide spoke about Jesus Christ when visiting the Duomo and it was the same this time. There are no politically correct commentaries in Milan!! Now ... read more
La Scala - plain and pratical
The "other arc de triomphe"
The Last Supper - live

Europe » Italy » Lombardy » Milan August 11th 2017

To stave off jet lag and stay awake past 12.15pm we went to Musee Duomo yesterday which was a real bonus. It is dedicated to ALL things Duomo and we mean ALL. There was so much “stuff” associated with the Duomo and it’s construction and decoration including a wooden model, statues of every saint you could ever imagine (either models of the existing ones or ones that have been removed and replaced), tapestries, crosses, chalices, candle sticks and on and on. Some of the statues were huge and others “only” one metre high - tiny when compared to the magnitude of the Duomo. Fascinating. We will revisit the Duomo on a walking tour tomorrow. Last time we were in Milano we did not confess to the time we went to bed so the tradition shall continue. ... read more
Can't resist a good flag photo
Garibaldi
Can't resist a good gelato - dripping

Europe » Italy » Lombardy » Milan August 10th 2017

I am writing this at 36,000ft believing that we will eventually arrive - we have just under 3 hours to go - easy when fuelled with excellent coffee and sweet treats at 2am in Dubai. The sunrise was a beautiful surprise and a reminder of Psalm 118:24 “This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it”. This is indeed another new day and while we might not be in any state to make the absolute best of it, we will give it a red, hot crack ? Back where our last Great Adventure began - Milano. We have refuelled with coffee and a local delicacy and wandered around the beautiful (such an inadequate description) Duomo (the wedding cake cathedral) and surrounds. This time we are right in the city ... read more
Milano or Hanoi?
A new day begins - albeit a long one!
Espresso and Cherry brioche




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