Welcome to Hellas 2007, via Croatia & Italy
I start this in the chained building, heavily bearded Che-Guevara like communist student guard in the entrance of the Physics building, I sneaked in to use my computer. Yesterday student were making a mess in the city, a bit of Molotov coctails, a bit of stones to police, usual here in Greece. Still the same old quarrel from (last?) summer, I think. Anyway, me at workworkwork, after Chr/NY/Alps.
I spent most of the C/NY time in Croatia (via Hungary, as usual), ending in Italy, not far from French border, in Alps behind Torino.
In Croatia, it was beautiful weather during all that time, so we could enjoy (mild)winter Kolan.
Winter blue is magnificent, I LOVE it!
This "angel" is above the house of someone who died few days ago in neighbourhood, requiescat in pacem!
Our cat brought new generation to life. She is very good mother, when other cats around died of some illnesses, she managed to survive together with 2nd generation of her kids. Brawa, Fela!
After peaceful and warm (near the stove) Christmas and New Year, Ling and me went each in other direction for a while. I went to Italy, for a JETSET meeting in Sauze d'Oulx, in Alps, close to border with France. I flew from Zagreb to Milan and catched a train to Torino. There I had two hours in sunny weather for sightseeing.
I found some map in Tourist office and went to make a square walk from Torino Porta Nuova station. Sure enough, following the Vittorio Emanuelle II street, I found this monumental monument:
You guess it was the omnipresent persona of Italy
Streets around the center are all in arches, sometimes even trams go through the arches.
In the military academia or so was strange plate, I was afraid to make more direct pic, but if you look better you'll see soldier aiming at you!
Antoher funny writing in the streets, Iam curious who produced it and why:
It is written, in Polish: "Och how stupid Italian I am".
Main square is monumental as usually in Italy
This picture encompasses Italy for me:
(Red) Vespa, monuments, old and new buildings mixed.
This is the old one, at least it looks so
And this one is, at the same square, the new one :-D
I did not have much more time, so I just went to the next square, in direction of river Po
One typical street there:
It is nice city, with very pleasant spirit at the sunny winter noon.
Then I went to train to Sauze, and 15 min bus up to Sauze d'Oulx, at 1500m, one of the sites of Torino 2006 Olympic Games. It is located above the Alpine walley close to Sestriere, tops around are up tp 3500m.
View from my hotel room was astonishing
Especially the next morning
Even more astonishing was the lack of snow. Whole week we had T-shirt weather!
Hotel was somewhat too modern for this small willage, but this is tourism.
It was 4 star, quite expencive one, I would give it 2 stars at most, and force them to go for a half price. The only thing I will remember from this hotel is appropriate interior for the conference dealing mostly with toroidal magnetic fields. It did not have stairs, but there was spiral all around, where all the rooms were! Really original.
But, as I said, it seemed a bit too modern building to be incorporated in the serene architecture of the Alpine village.
But, view down to Oulx is really magnificent!
After a week of science and nice meetings with good people, I went to visit Eli to milan, and to fly from there to Athens. Sunday afternoon I took a short look to the center of Milan. I was surprised with mass of people at the square near the Duomo.
Through something what resembles Zagreb Oktogon (or it resembles this?)
I came to La Scala, bow to Verdi
Streets of Milan are also full of arches
I found also two very important institutions here (Mafia is here? Nooooo!):
Torino, Milano...two quite nice small cities, I commented to someone in a letter ;-)
I spent most of the C/NY time in Croatia (via Hungary, as usual), ending in Italy, not far from French border, in Alps behind Torino.
In Croatia, it was beautiful weather during all that time, so we could enjoy (mild)winter Kolan.
Winter blue is magnificent, I LOVE it!
This "angel" is above the house of someone who died few days ago in neighbourhood, requiescat in pacem!
Our cat brought new generation to life. She is very good mother, when other cats around died of some illnesses, she managed to survive together with 2nd generation of her kids. Brawa, Fela!
After peaceful and warm (near the stove) Christmas and New Year, Ling and me went each in other direction for a while. I went to Italy, for a JETSET meeting in Sauze d'Oulx, in Alps, close to border with France. I flew from Zagreb to Milan and catched a train to Torino. There I had two hours in sunny weather for sightseeing.
I found some map in Tourist office and went to make a square walk from Torino Porta Nuova station. Sure enough, following the Vittorio Emanuelle II street, I found this monumental monument:
You guess it was the omnipresent persona of Italy
Streets around the center are all in arches, sometimes even trams go through the arches.
In the military academia or so was strange plate, I was afraid to make more direct pic, but if you look better you'll see soldier aiming at you!
Antoher funny writing in the streets, Iam curious who produced it and why:
It is written, in Polish: "Och how stupid Italian I am".
Main square is monumental as usually in Italy
This picture encompasses Italy for me:
(Red) Vespa, monuments, old and new buildings mixed.
This is the old one, at least it looks so
And this one is, at the same square, the new one :-D
I did not have much more time, so I just went to the next square, in direction of river Po
One typical street there:
It is nice city, with very pleasant spirit at the sunny winter noon.
Then I went to train to Sauze, and 15 min bus up to Sauze d'Oulx, at 1500m, one of the sites of Torino 2006 Olympic Games. It is located above the Alpine walley close to Sestriere, tops around are up tp 3500m.
View from my hotel room was astonishing
Especially the next morning
Even more astonishing was the lack of snow. Whole week we had T-shirt weather!
Hotel was somewhat too modern for this small willage, but this is tourism.
It was 4 star, quite expencive one, I would give it 2 stars at most, and force them to go for a half price. The only thing I will remember from this hotel is appropriate interior for the conference dealing mostly with toroidal magnetic fields. It did not have stairs, but there was spiral all around, where all the rooms were! Really original.
But, as I said, it seemed a bit too modern building to be incorporated in the serene architecture of the Alpine village.
But, view down to Oulx is really magnificent!
After a week of science and nice meetings with good people, I went to visit Eli to milan, and to fly from there to Athens. Sunday afternoon I took a short look to the center of Milan. I was surprised with mass of people at the square near the Duomo.
Through something what resembles Zagreb Oktogon (or it resembles this?)
I came to La Scala, bow to Verdi
Streets of Milan are also full of arches
I found also two very important institutions here (Mafia is here? Nooooo!):
Torino, Milano...two quite nice small cities, I commented to someone in a letter ;-)
posted by mikidkolan | 7:43 AM
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