Details, details

Yesterday, I went for a several hour walk, mainly in central Milan.

First stop, the incredibly intricate Duomo. It is the 3rd largest church in the world and I believe it! The construction started in 1386....it's hard to wrap my head around the fact that it's that old and still has so many fascinating details. When Napoleon was crowned king in the 19th century, he finished the facade. There are about 3,500 statues of animals, monsters, and saints.

I climbed the bazillion stairs to the rooftop terraces. Sweet view of the city!
I couldn't go inside because I was wearing shorts....that'll be another day.

Above on the left is the 14' gilded Madonna statue.

In the piazza in front of the Duomo is this sculpture with "Ray Ban" behind it. This is a good example of the junxatoposition of the new and old throughout the city.

If I were to get a bicycle here....this would be it!On the right, the Duomo, to the left, the entrance to the famous outdoor mall,
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Now this is a nice view at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Diagonal from Prada is McDonald's. At one of the most prominent store fronts in this infamous promenade. It even has the black background and gold letters. They must do some serious business here!

This is the bull in front of Prada that you must spin, clockwise, on his balls, 3 times for good luck. Of course, I did!

Random giant balloons.

Piazza Fontana (above) was the site of a terrorist attack in 1969. A bomb in a bank killed 16 people:( Not knowing this at the time, I popped a squat on the bench for a little rest.

Via Dante, the pedestrian only street full of outdoor cafes, vendors, and shops.

A pile of pastries...there must have been hundreds of donuts in a heap.
My arteries clogged just looking at them.

This artist made gorgeous roses out of vegetables

I stopped for a quick "beve" here on Via Dante. It's a little hard to see but
the shelves were full of bread sculptures.

Lots of people had their feet soaking in this fountain at the end of Via Dante...
after 3 hours of walking, I was tempted!

The entrance to Castello Sforzesco, an impressive castle now full of museums.

Park Sempione: 47 acres of English style gardens next to the castle. So peaceful!

Locks that lovers leave on the bridges to seal their love for eternity.
Maybe I'm jaded, but I'm not buying it.

One of the little cafe/ stands in the park was selling coconut slices on a fountain. Delish! Also, notice the newly aquired bracelet. At the Duomo, there are oh-so-persistent African men "giving" away these bracelets for "good luck from Africa". If I deny it, does that mean bad luck? I'm a sucker. I was tagged and coughed up 1 Euro.

Parla Inglese?

After so much walking the day before, I was looking forward to laying on the beach and reading at Camolgi. When I arrived at the train I was suppose to take, there was all kinds of ruckus, angry Italians, and some people were getting off the train. I could only understand a word here and there, but couldn't make sense of it all. There was a girl standing near me, looking about my age and not Italian. I asked if she spoke English, "parla inglese"? She said she had no idea what was going either. We were instant friends, Cat, 28, from the UK. She was also going to the beach. We decided to hang out together all day! Fortunately, the train left on time. Off we went, chatting along the way.





We found a cute little cafe right on the water and ordered ham and cheese foccocia sandwiches and peach tea. I found out that Cat was a set designer for several years and now she is working on cruise ships as a lighting designer and operator for the shows. I could have sat there all day...such a nice breeze, gorgeous views, and great company but we wanted to walk around the little lazy town.

So peaceful compared to the day before, the bustling port, Genoa.

The beach was rocky....but the rocks were smooth and almost soothing underfoot.

Under the umbrella was a little man playing an Italian tune on an accordion.

The sundial on the side of building was neat in theory, but the time was off....by hours and minutes! This little coastal town really seemed to be on their own time anyways.














In between the two red buildings (upper right), were a bride and groom getting their pictures taken. Later, as Cat and I were passing through a tunnel with a couple shops, we almost ran into the bride and groom. I told them congratulations and they were beaming.



This purple flower-vine is everywhere and is stunning...I have to find out what it is and if I can plant one....although my brown thumb followed me here. I already killed a basil plant I bought that was green and full just a mere few days ago:(





We wanted to take the ferry around the little peninsula to another coastal town, San Fruttoso, but the water was too rough for the ferry to run. There were some really big waves! So, we hopped on a train to go through the mountain to San Margherita.



Instead of crossing busy streets, there are often tunnels under intersections.



Cat and I rented lounge chairs for a couple hours and watched little boys playing in the water and flying kites.



Then we walked around the little town, and of course, stopped for Gelato..."after 8" was the flavor of the day.

Then we climbed to the top of castle ruins for a nice view.

A little church stood at the top of the hill beyond the ruins. I find it interesting that so many buildings have horizontal bands of color. This concept is decor used in contemporary applications these days.....but is seen in many Gothic buildings.







Cat and I ventured into a "Hotel Continental" resort that was so lush and green. There was a private pool area made from the stone from the cliffs with fresh sea water flushing in. The resort was so very peaceful.
It's strange seeing cactus beside palm trees as was the case all over town.



We rode back to Genoa together, exchanged information, then I caught my train back to Milan...getting in just before 10pm. The day was so much more fun since I had someone to share the experience with! I definitely want to go back to Camolgi to hit the beach sometime!