Cremona & Torino

Greetings

Over the Alpes like Hannibal with the elephants. We left Digne les Bains and headed off to Italy. We took secondary roads and drove through Post Cards. Beautiful scenery and picturesque villages.

The road was a highway, it said so on the map, in the countryside it was, in the villages it was narrow, people everywhere, so exciting.

We came down into Italy through a ski field, literally people were skiing either side of us as we went over the border. The only thing missing was Julie Andrews and the Von trapp family! But wait there is more not Ginzu steak knives but just as we passed the border "Rain drops on Roses" came on the radio, spooky!

Into Turin, another of those life truths, if you don't know where you are, how do you know where you're going! Thankfully a very kind service station attendant showed us where we were and where we were going. The spelling mistake in the street name didn't help!

Turin is amazing. The centre of the city is beautiful. The Palazza Reale is fabulous. The Chapel of the Shroud of Turin is attached to the Palace, saw it took the picture and said a "Hail Mary", my Catholic heritage is constantly being reminded of how far I have slipped from the path of righteousness. The Palace was open to the public and being Italian Culture week it was free! The home of the Savoy Kings, what opulance. It was about 5 times the size of the Palace in Monaco. A nice little family home for the rich and famous. We have no idea of wealth in NZ, compared to what these places are like we are paupers! They were rich and they wanted everyone to know it. They spent their money well because it delights and amazes 500 years later.

They didn't pull old things down they just added on, so the back of the Palace may have been started in 1100 then there was an addition in 1350 a bit more in 1635 and so on it means that the history is alive and still exists. They often incorperate Roman ruins and those boys really built to last!

Cremona, the home of the violin makers, Stradivari and his mates. It also has by far the most impressive Cathedral we have seen and the highest bell tower in Europe. We climbed to the top of the Bell Tower. Breath taking views breath taking climb for an old person. I got pensioners rates without asking and then Kerry came in and they looked at me like I was some sort of "Sugar Daddy" with my trophy wife!

Internet Cafes are few and far between.

Off now to Verona a Romeo and Juliet thing!

By for now

Mike