I arrived safely home today. Yesterday I got to Sydney about 8pm , spent the night with Wendy, Lach and the delightful Isla ( I have been suprised at how much I have missed her) and caught the bus home this morning. Our disembarking at Sydney was delayed because we had to wait while a quarantine officer assessed a sick lady. We also were given a piece of paper saying if we got sick in the next few weeks make sure we told the doctor we had been overseas. I donot think, as a transit passenger in Bangkok, I was at much risk of bird flu, but it's good to see some measures that are being taken. I am about to go to bed and hopefully sleep, unlike last night.
I have already told a few people, but maybe I should express these thoughts here as well. Originally I set up this blog as a means of keeping my immediate family aware of where I was. When I realised that some other people were actually reading my ramblings I was pleased. It has helped, I am sure, me feel a bit connected still, in a funny way, to friends at home and hence a little less lonely. So, thank you.
Until next March - for my next trip to, I think, Venice and London and ??.....
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Basilica of St Ambrose and other endings
Yesterday afternoon I was very unsettled – not sure whether to go for a walk, what to do about dinner etc etc. I remembered that I had read about St Ambrose. He was sent to Milan in 374 to sort out squabbling factions of the Christian church after a bishop had just died. He spoke sensibly with great wisdom apparently. The people decided he would make a good bishop – trouble was he was not even a priest ( I’ve forgotten the correct term for those days) . It only took them 2 weeks or so to sort that minor problem out. He was a good bishop for a long time. There is a church that he built not far from where I was staying, so I thought I’d have a look. I walked in and felt really glad I had gone. It was very old – bits date from the church that Ambrose started in 386 and had been added to – very light, obviously a ‘used’ building ( there was a big poster of the community in Africa that the congregation supports) , locals wandering in and out outnumbered tourists, a large Byzantine mosaic covering most of the apse etc . I bought a pamphlet about the bits and pieces in the church and in it was another more general pamphlet talking about how a church was 2 things – a building ( it defined lots eg duomo, chapel, oratory, basilica) and the community of people who worshipped (in the building) together. It talked about how when you go into a church you should not treat it like a museum but let yourself be surprised by the half-light, the tall vaults, the perspective views, the silences that induce you to meditate etc. It said a bit more and then ended with “Come in and listen to it, this church has many things to tell you.”
I wished I had read this at the beginning of my 4 weeks, but then again it was an excellent way to finish and gave me plenty to ponder upon. Maybe I will read this pamphlet again when I sit in my first church on my next visit to Italy ( or, shock, horror, at home)
Just before I went into the church I had found a shop selling pieces of foccacia with interesting toppings and little cakes. I did not really want to sit in a restaurant – so I was pleased to find something I could take back to my hotel. A little later I came across a fruit shop and bought a nice big peach to have too. Just right.
Another good ending – in the Brera Art Gallery I looked at the paintings that my guide books said were noteworthy and the brochure that came with the audio guide. The last one on the list was commissioned by the Duke of Montefeltro , the guy who was the main guy who built up Urbino, the first place I went to 4 weeks ago. He was in the painting.
I am now in a lounge with 2 boarding passes. My checked in bag weighed 10.8 kg. I reckon my hand luggage is about 3kg. I’ve ditched a bit more stuff than I have acquired. There is a fair bit of space in my backpack and I have not spent as much as I thought I would. How sad is that? I’ll just have credit for next trip.
I wished I had read this at the beginning of my 4 weeks, but then again it was an excellent way to finish and gave me plenty to ponder upon. Maybe I will read this pamphlet again when I sit in my first church on my next visit to Italy ( or, shock, horror, at home)
Just before I went into the church I had found a shop selling pieces of foccacia with interesting toppings and little cakes. I did not really want to sit in a restaurant – so I was pleased to find something I could take back to my hotel. A little later I came across a fruit shop and bought a nice big peach to have too. Just right.
Another good ending – in the Brera Art Gallery I looked at the paintings that my guide books said were noteworthy and the brochure that came with the audio guide. The last one on the list was commissioned by the Duke of Montefeltro , the guy who was the main guy who built up Urbino, the first place I went to 4 weeks ago. He was in the painting.
I am now in a lounge with 2 boarding passes. My checked in bag weighed 10.8 kg. I reckon my hand luggage is about 3kg. I’ve ditched a bit more stuff than I have acquired. There is a fair bit of space in my backpack and I have not spent as much as I thought I would. How sad is that? I’ll just have credit for next trip.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Varenna
Varenna from water . Main part on right, ferry terminal on left. Orange building on the left at the ferry terminal is the hotel I stayed at.
Hotel from main part of Varenna
Duomo
This morning I visited the Duomo. My book describes it as a ‘late-Gothic wonder’ with 135 spires. It’s marble façade is shaped into pinnacles, statues and pillars, the whole held together by a web of flying buttresses.
For the first time in Italy my bag has been glanced into when I went into a church . There were many signs up – no photos – but no one to police the signs and many people taking photos. I found the flashes almost intrusive. I went up onto the roof - good views – you were sort of amongst the spires (and the other tourists).
On the way back to my hotel ( half an hour walk from the centre) I passed a shop selling upmarket small children’s clothes and nanny outfits – like in the movies – waisted demure dresses with little collar and cuffs and white apron with a trim to match the dress.
Tomorrow I leave for home. I will have to think carefully about my planned 6 week trip next year. I am currently too tired for safety and certainly not firing on all cylinders. Once I get my boarding passes tomorrow I can sleep off and on for many hours.
For the first time in Italy my bag has been glanced into when I went into a church . There were many signs up – no photos – but no one to police the signs and many people taking photos. I found the flashes almost intrusive. I went up onto the roof - good views – you were sort of amongst the spires (and the other tourists).
On the way back to my hotel ( half an hour walk from the centre) I passed a shop selling upmarket small children’s clothes and nanny outfits – like in the movies – waisted demure dresses with little collar and cuffs and white apron with a trim to match the dress.
Tomorrow I leave for home. I will have to think carefully about my planned 6 week trip next year. I am currently too tired for safety and certainly not firing on all cylinders. Once I get my boarding passes tomorrow I can sleep off and on for many hours.
Friday in Varenna
Those of you who are diligently reading will have realized that I have not written of last Friday – not one of my better days. The vaguely Manuelish (Fawlty Towers ) person who organizes breakfast is not comfortable with single guests. For the second morning in a row he asked me ‘2 or 4 people’ when I walked in – I relied ‘1’ in both English and Italian. He asked again ‘2 or 4’ . I started to get annoyed and told him, too loudly, in Italian and then English that I was traveling on my own. I should have laughed – certainly the other people already sitting were trying hard to hide their amusement. I sat down at a table set for one. Soon after another single person came in and the whole process started all over again. ‘Manuel’ got further confused when this new gentleman ( Ed) tried to explain that yesterday his wife was with him but she went home yesterday and so today he was on his own. He sat down on his own, then another guest ( an Australian named John) asked us both to join him and his wife (does this behaviour go with the name?). Ed and I both shifted our stuff while ‘Manuel’ was out of the room. When he returned, he was a bit put out!
After that I went for a walk to look at some gardens. One is attached to an old restored villa now used as a conference centre and the other to a hotel – Villa Cipresi. They were nice, but I was not really in the mood.
I then caught the boat to Bellagio – a nearby town on Lake Como. As my family know, buying presents for people ( and myself) causes me huge stress. I am not good at gambles and over the past few days have been starting to badly worry about what token I could buy for family members. Bellagio has lots of nice gift shops but I could not find anything that I was sure was right. I had decided to buy myself some gloves in Milan months ago, so I wasnot thinking of me. I struggled very hard not to get upset looking at everyone else walking around with lots of parcels –if they could decide why couldn’t I? - seems totally ridiculous writing it down now but that’s how it was. I went back to Varenna and needed to get money out ( to pay the hotel which only accepts cash despite wanting a credit card number to secure the booking). The 2 banks are about 1 km apart and for several reasons I walked backwards and forwards several times. I was not impressed with either the banks ( sometimes it seems that banks will only give you E250, despite how much more you want – but the message says something about a link failure when you ask for more ) or me ( I muddled my passwords trying different cards, not something I usually do) . I decided I deserved an icecream , so that was nice.
The day did end well though. ‘Manuel’ ‘s boss organizes people for dinner – she has less tables than rooms so puts couples together. She has 1 table for 6 that she put me plus 2 couples on. The other 4 were all from USA - a couple and 2 female friends. The lady, Pauline, who was sitting next to me was lovely. It had come out in conversation that both our husbands had died ( I hate, and try hard not to use, the n-less-window word) and some of her experiences and feelings were very similar to mine. So, in retrospect, not such a bad day at all.
PS The game I was watching is handball.
After that I went for a walk to look at some gardens. One is attached to an old restored villa now used as a conference centre and the other to a hotel – Villa Cipresi. They were nice, but I was not really in the mood.
I then caught the boat to Bellagio – a nearby town on Lake Como. As my family know, buying presents for people ( and myself) causes me huge stress. I am not good at gambles and over the past few days have been starting to badly worry about what token I could buy for family members. Bellagio has lots of nice gift shops but I could not find anything that I was sure was right. I had decided to buy myself some gloves in Milan months ago, so I wasnot thinking of me. I struggled very hard not to get upset looking at everyone else walking around with lots of parcels –if they could decide why couldn’t I? - seems totally ridiculous writing it down now but that’s how it was. I went back to Varenna and needed to get money out ( to pay the hotel which only accepts cash despite wanting a credit card number to secure the booking). The 2 banks are about 1 km apart and for several reasons I walked backwards and forwards several times. I was not impressed with either the banks ( sometimes it seems that banks will only give you E250, despite how much more you want – but the message says something about a link failure when you ask for more ) or me ( I muddled my passwords trying different cards, not something I usually do) . I decided I deserved an icecream , so that was nice.
The day did end well though. ‘Manuel’ ‘s boss organizes people for dinner – she has less tables than rooms so puts couples together. She has 1 table for 6 that she put me plus 2 couples on. The other 4 were all from USA - a couple and 2 female friends. The lady, Pauline, who was sitting next to me was lovely. It had come out in conversation that both our husbands had died ( I hate, and try hard not to use, the n-less-window word) and some of her experiences and feelings were very similar to mine. So, in retrospect, not such a bad day at all.
PS The game I was watching is handball.
Glove Man
Clarification – The glove man’s remarks made me smile not because I was thinking of the possibility of a new husband but rather the way of thinking that seems more prevalent amongst Italians of ‘ Ok, past is past, let’s enjoy today and see what tomorrow brings’
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