Here are some of the beautiful flowers and other flora that we found interesting walking around Moneglia. Most of these are of course prevalent along the Ligurian coast, and in most cases Italy. Enjoy!
Moneglia – A Strip Of Sandy Delight
Amid the current restrictions and travel new requirements, we have finally decided to venture out and take a long needed break from our lock-down. Craving sun and some nourishment for the soul, we headed south again to the coast, in the hopes of some solitude and reinvigoration.
Moneglia
A three hour and some minutes travel from our home here, is the tiny little town and comune of Moneglia. Situated in a bay on the Ligurian coast, it is a small strip of sand that most travelers would tend to overlook, but it is actually quite delightful.
Initial Reflections
The town itself does not offer many attractions like museums or other diversions, but provides all the essentials for a comfortable holiday. Though there are a several hotels to choose from, we decided to stay at the three star Piccolo Hotel.
The accomodations here are very comfortable and are currently going for a very affordable price, so no complaints. Though one hates to see anyone enduring hardship because of the current situation, one side effect is, it is a very enjoyable time to travel, you definitely will not find many crowds, if at all, anywhere.
Ristorante Tender
This is a very good restaurant with an excellent wine list and is fair to moderately priced, depending on your appetite. Patti and I had a wonderful meal here on our first evening, which of course lasted the customary two hours. Though quiet, there were a handful of couples and locals that showed up, other than that, it was a very peaceful Monday evening enjoying the coast.
We paired the above with a fine, dry Italian white wine, water, the customary after dinner café and Sambuca. Unfortunately I didn’t take a photograph of the wine and cannot remember it’s label off the top of my head, but it was a Vermentino. In my opinion, this style of wine is totally underrated. It is usually a clear off-white, crisp and dry wine, offering just a hint of fruit to compliment what ever you are eating. It goes very well with salads and seafood. Patti and I discovered this in Turin and usually have it with our lunches.
If you are looking for your fish fix, the Ligurian coast is the place to be. Most restaurants here have excellent menus based on products from the sea. There is also a very nice fish monger, or fish store, just a stone’s throw away from our hotel on via Vittorio Emanuele, if you are looking for something to take home and cook.
Last but not least, a shot of Moneglia Bay and the Ligurian Sea at dusk.
Coronavirus And Our Return To Turin
After a lengthy and very nice holiday vacation in the States, we have finally returned to Turin. It was not without its drama however, no thanks to the Corona virus.
Into the Unknown
Having made our plans to return months ago, we continually monitored the situation unfolding with the virus hoping to mitigate any surprises. Never under-estimate the best laid plans of mice and men. The day before we were to leave, it finally really hit us with an email from Delta informing us that our flight had been cancelled. We had three choices, rebook for an immediate opening to get us to Milan, delay our trip and rebook for sometime in May, or get a refund. We thought about our options for a while, a short while.
On the one hand, we could try, at least before its too late. If we get stuck somewhere we could hopefully make other plans to get to our destination. We already had a trip to Naples booked and coming up soon, we wanted to keep those plans, if at all possible. We also had to take into account our growing boredom sitting around Cary, while paying for an apartment in Turin.
On the other, there was the virus and all the complications entailed with it. We even considered it might be safer in the U.S., especially if there were a severe breakout and one of us were to get sick. Keeping all this in mind, we threw caution to the wind, bought a stock of travel wipes, rebooked through JFK and Paris to Milan, and headed into the unknown.
We were rebooked through AirFrance from JFK to Paris. Though the flight was packed, it was totally without incident, with the exception of the flight attendant ramming a cart into my knee halfway through the night. The only unfortunate thing was, the flight was the midnight red-eye which totally screws with my circadian rhythm. The good news was I never hear one cough or sneeze while I was awake, perhaps the really sick ones stayed home!?
Onto Milan
Going to Milan was totally different. This was the first indication, that the attention to the virus was having real affects, people are scared and are really staying home! The plane from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Milan was more or less empty.
Luckily once we arrived in Milan most train services were still operating. The schools are of course closed for a few weeks and there is some reduction in long haul routes, but for the most parts you can still book and travel to most places.
Milan Hotels and Streets Vacant
We arrived in Milan around 7 P.M. From the main train station, we had a quick walk over to the Just Hotel, our accomodations for the night, only to find that it was closed! They did however, have a sign informing us that the Glam Hotel across the street had taken all of their reservations. It was while we were reading this sign, that two unknowns tried to pickpocket us. However, since we were wearing long coats and had burglar-proof stuff on, they had a big problem. So, they sprayed our pants with a dark brown colored paint and said we had gotten something on ourselves, probably from a bird. 
They shot it in such a way so you could not clean it without taking off your coat, which is what they want you to do. Don’t fall for this one! It is, or course, only meant to distract you. There are of course no birds out at that hour, especially in a city. They were just trying to distract us. Well to make a short story even shorter, we quickly realized what was going on and quickly wandered our way across the street, avoiding all contact with them. They would of course not enter the hotel, confirming the ruse.
After a quick clean up we headed out across the street for a quick bite to eat. Milan is empty. When I say empty, I mean empty. There are very few people around and definitely NO TOURISTS.
Milano Centrale – Back To Turin
Our biggest surprise was the next morning at Milano Centrale, the always bustling train station with hordes of tourist, vacationers and commuters, as a heart pumps its blood to all its organs, totally anemic.
The trains still run, but there are frankly few on board, including ourselves. We left on the 10:30 A.M. Italo (originating from Naples) from Milan to Turin and we were the only ones in our carrage. Naturally, with all that’s going on, that can be a good thing.
We finally arrived in Turin around 11:30 to finds things, more or less, the same. Though the were plenty of children around due to school being suspended, people were still going about their work. It is good to be back.
Autumn in Turin
As an adjunct to writing about places we have visited, I thought it a good time to provide some quick thoughts on my daily experiences living here. Just random thoughts that come to mind wandering around or just opening the window in the morning. A minor part of anyone’s stay, and often overlooked, are especially the smells that one encounters, both good and bad.
Chocolate Festival
Yesterday we visited Turin’s Yearly Autumn Chocolate Festival. This event takes up an entire piazza and a fair length of via Roma. There is not only chocolate here, but other edible treats from all over Italy and nearby European Countries (e.g. Austria). Though the sites are amazing, the myriad stacks of chocolate bars, bark and balls, the smells are to die for.
From white, dark and milk chocolate, to marzipan and other delicacies; one quickly starts running short of change and hands to carry all of the boxes and bags. After someone experiences this, and then throws in the smells of cooked chestnuts and coffee on the street, a strong association is built between these, the beautiful Autumn weather, and Turin.
The Po River
This Autumn the Po river is still swollen from a lot a rain the surrounding area received during October. This is a good thing too since this week the city was also hosting the Silver Skiff Regatta, or boat race. There are several boating clubs along the Po and you can often see the clubs practicing and exercising during the week.
The river itself is very nice and has parks lining it on both of Turin’s southern banks, so you can take a nice long walk in the leaves while hardly noticing any buildings at all. Here you get that leafy smell that everyone associates with Autumn.
The other thing one notices in Turin, and for the most part Italy as a whole, they do NOT use herbicides on vegetation. In some cases vegetation is actually left to grow unimpeded, leading to the thought, where did the U.S. go wrong? Why do we poison everything? What is so bad about weeds or bugs for that matter? In the photograph above an American would think, “Get out the RoundUp”, an Italian, “What can I eat?”
From An Apartment Window
From our apartment you can gauge the pulse of the city just by smelling the air. As for any typical city the quality of the air is dominated by the lack or abundance of traffic. But there are also other factors as well.
In the early morning, prior to rush hour, the clean mountain air has rushed down during the night and early morning hours to provide a respite of fresh air. If you open your shutters and windows early enough, you get to experience this pleasure. Otherwise, you are met in the morning with the pungent, often times, noxious smell of diesel and the morning rush hour. The street our windows open to, is an active bypass for those trying to hop through the piazza to the North and avoid the ZTL (zone of limited traffic), a short stretch of street that is directly in the front of our building. This last for a few hours and then one gets a treat for what ever lingers in this corridor of buildings.
Later, after the evening rush hour, you are witness to one of the few puzzling things about Turin, the smell of burning wood. As though hundreds or fireplaces have been lit at once, it wafts in around six or seven o’clock. This is not specifically for heat, but rather for the hundreds of brick ovens that have to be fired up burning oak and other woods, to cook evening pizza and focaccia. It is one of the oddities living here and one of my true favorites. Having been brought up with a fireplace my whole life, it is a booster shot for my soul.
Such are the remarkable things that anyone can enjoy when living or even visiting here, the information and experiences are out there, you just have to let them in.
Scotland – Glasgow
Glasgow seems a nice enough city, but it appears to have a jumble of architectural styles, like the city planners are convinced the city belongs to the future and not the past. This is evident in many structures and facilities, including the universities that exist within the city, they are very modern in appearance. However, this causes a clash with any older, existing structures that are clearly from the eighteenth and nineteeth centuries.
The Glasgow Central Train Station however has, in my opinion, been successful in melding the old with the new.
Otherwise, Glasgow is like many other European cities, with a central pedestrian street for shopping, surrounded by other ancillary avenues and alleys for other mom and pop shops to sell their wares.
The Glasgow Cathedral
The cathedral is amazing, it is very long inside, in two sections, one with pews the other without, and free to the public.
Oddly enough, for no admission is actually has quite a lot to see. There is another section behind what we normally be the choir screen that contains additional relics and pieces that have been collection from former churchs on this site, some due to earlier renovations.
The Glasgow Necropolis
As its name would imply, there is a very large cemetery behind the cathedral, sitting atop a hill overlooking Glasgow.
Though not much to see, unless of course you majored in history, specifically Glasgow history, it is a nice place to enjoy a quiet walk on an autumn day.
Glasgow Botanical Gardens
The gardens can be reached from the city center by taking the underground or subway. By taking the inner ring you will exit about two blocks from the gardens. However, if you take the outer ring, not to worry, the subway makes a complete circle, so just by staying on you will enventually reach your destingation.
Here is a short slide show of what can be seen, without captions.
Scotland – Aberdeen
From Inverness we headed to Aberdeen, which is on the eastern coast of the country. Along the way we took a minor detour to visit one of the famous distilleries in the area, The Mcallan.
The Mcallan distillery visitor center has been designed by a well-known architect and completely modernized. Though the building itself blends well with the country-side, the walkway seems a bit odd, made out of shiny marble instead of perhaps a nice sandstone to match better. I suppose they we going for the rich look in the end, instead of a more environmental one.
Aberdeen
The town itself is rather unremarkable, being noted for its grey granite appearance, it’s no wonder it mixes well with the cold, damp weather and Scotch whiskey.
There are exceptions of course, some of the side streets are rather nice to stroll down, although you will never get that quaint, old, medieval look and feel.
We did not venture far to eat, except for lunch, since town was a good fifteen to twenty-minute walk from our hotel. So, we ate our lunches out and each night at the hotel, which offered a good mix of fare. All in all, the accommodations were more than adequate, with only some minor inconveniences (e.g. no elevator, but it was only one floor). They do provide a generous parking lot and free parking.
The Dunnottar Castle
Unfortunately, I have to say, the high point of our trip to Aberdeen was on our departure and visit to the Castle of Dunnottar. Please enjoy the un-captioned slide show below of our visit there.
I will not say much else about it, other than the views are quite stunning, if you happen to have good weather. You are free to walk the grounds and there are hiking trails nearby and into the town of Stonehaven. The castle itself is worth the 7£ entry fee, since it is quite extensive and very well-kept.
And to top it off, a small video of the tempestuous North Sea.
Scotland – Inverness
A three-hour drive from Edinburgh will bring you through the center of Scotland and The Highlands, here at the end of Loch Ness sits Inverness.
Inverness
The city itself in October has a strange feel about it, reminiscent of an upstate New York town, think Hudson or Catskill. Though statistics say otherwise, one would think it in decline, or an area that perhaps saw better times.
The people on the other hand are very friendly and seem very comfortable with tourists.
Loch Ness
In order to see the Loch Ness from Inverness you have to travel 15 to 30 minutes southwest on the A82. Along this road there are several places to stop and take photographs.
A bit further on you will find the lazy hamlet of Drumnadrochit and the Castle Urquhart sitting on the lake.
To enter the castle grounds it cost us around 10£ per person, with a senior discount (60+). A fair price for the ruins and direct access to the lake. And yes, there be NO monsters here!
Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition
This is an exhibit on the scientific evidence and history around the Loch Ness monster. Well worth the money, I found it informative and fairly well done. You can even read all the newspaper articles about the hoax or in some cases what may be called a misunderstanding of what people think they saw.
Scotland – Edinburgh
We arrived last evening in Scotland, traveling from Winchester through London’s Kings Cross station to Edinburgh’s Waverly station, counting on (according to a well-known phone app) an easy twelve-minute walk to our hotel. And what did we immediately face upon exiting the train station? Steps, hills and a steep ascent!
Edinburgh is hilly, very hilly. In fact, one may say almost bizarre in its construction. It is as though the city has two levels, one for the upper crust, one for the lower crust. And they only mix via a series of stairways, inclines and closes (apparently an old Scottish term to small back alleyways with or without stairs that can be closed off or guarded after dark).
Amazing as this all sounds, Edinburgh does have some interesting things to see and experience. Musicians, for example. I am not sure if they are actual Scots, but they are dressed up in full garb and playing the bagpipes.
One can also say the city is a bit blighted, as one may call it, by the plague of construction and reconstruction going on all over the United Kingdom. It would seem that the government here has seen fit that some things should not fall down. It does happen to mess up one’s attempt at a good photograph though!
The Edinburgh Castle
Built on a rocky precipice, or crag, and overlooking the city is the Edinburgh Castle.
It is adjoined to the city via the Royal Mile, a street with shops, monuments and other stores that lead back to the ancient city.
The castle is a great thing to see and has many rooms and other historical artifacts that one can enjoy. Notwithstanding, the views of Edinburgh and the harbor are magnificent.
Many of the exhibits displayed in the castle have, of course, a military overtone. Which unfortunately in many cultures, clouds and even colors our view of the past. In some cases making it more romantic than it actually was.
The above slide show is provided to give some appreciation to the myriad of military displays and exhibits one can find in the castle.
One jewel amongst all this military might is Saint Margaret’s Church. A quaint little abode which eventually fell within the confines of the castle. It is the oldest structure within the surrounding area and is still used today, although it had many uses in the past.
Greyfriars
If you are looking for more churches or cemeteries, there is Greyfriars. Not far from our hotel, it has some lovely grounds on which you can walk, if you are looking for that nice quiet afternoon stroll.
Greyfriars Bobby
Right across the street from Greyfriars, is the bar and restaurant, Greyfriars Bobby. Named after the dog who ostensibly stood over his master’s grave for fourteen years after he died, the restaurant offers typical Scottish fare, as well as food for tourist (e.g. hamburgers, fries, etc.)
History Walks and Ghost Tours
Mercat Tours
Mercat Tours holds a fairly good tour of the underground caverns, called History Walk and Ghost Tours.
Though a bit long and having questionable facts, well we are talking ghosts, it was fairly well presented, entertaining and reasonably priced at 13£ per person. And although it was a bit dark down there, we had a good time anyways.
The Real Mary King’s Close Tour
Again, a tour that takes not only below, but above-grounds as well, to show the terrible living conditions in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Unfortunately, this tour does not allow for photographs, its history is a bit more vague, but it does have a more elaborate Close tour layout and exhibits. If I were to pick one, I would probably pick this one, though it definitely has a more obvious touristy quality to it. The ticket will run you around 16 to 20£ per person, children are less.
The Edinburgh City Museum
This museum is free, except for what ever special exhibits they are having at the time. There is a special floor and area for these and the tickets can be purchased on the ground floor.
We found the first and third floors to be the most informative. Favoring the Life Sciences, Astronomy and Scottish history above the other areas.
For a rainy afternoon, and there are many in Scotland, a very good choice to learn something and stay dry. It’s actually very good for families since there are numerous hands-on exhibits for children to interact with and learn.
Tomorrow it’s off again, this time to Inverness. We are just hoping for a moderation in the weather for good travels. Till then, later..!
England – Salisbury – Stonehenge
A trip from Winchester to Salisbury, where the Salisbury Cathedral is located, and not much further from there the famous Stonehenge, requires you, if you are taking the train, to go to Southampton first, then back up to Salisbury; a round trip that will cost you a bit over an hour’s time and nearly 19£/round-trip.
Salisbury Cathedral
The cathedral in Salisbury apparently contains a few things of note. First it possesses the tallest spire for any church in England. It is also quite unique in that it also possesses a double transept, which can be seen in the main photograph above.
Secondly, it houses one of the copies of the Magna Carta, a vital historic document important to anyone who believes in democracy.
Salisbury
Salisbury, pronounced salzbury, is a quaint little city, somewhat larger and a bit busier than its cousin to the east, Winchester. It contains many, what would appear to Americans as typical colonial looking houses and shops. One cannot therefore help to compare places in the New England area of the United States with it.
While visiting, we saw one Roman Gate, the High Street Gate. Originally there were some fives gates around the city, though we only found evidence of the one surviving.
Since our visit coincided with lunch, we found and ate at the Red Lion Hotel. They have a simple menu and drinks, but enough for one to get full and back out exploring.
Stonehenge
This is my second visit to Stonehenge and the surrounding area remains just as beautiful as I remember it. Though it was still threatening to rain, it was a bit warmer this time. There is not much else to say about the place other than you have to visit it. It’s amazing that neolithic man could have erected something like this, for whatever reasons, with the little technology they had at the time.
Once you are done photographing and exploring the stones, there is a visitor center where you can learn more and get some refreshments. Though it cost us the good part of a day, it’s definitely worth the trip!
England – Winchester
Close to a two-hour bus ride to the west-southwest of London is Winchester, just a mere twenty-minute train ride from the coast and Southampton.
Though we attempted to take a train to this marvelous little town, we ended up scheduling a bus ride through NationalExpress, which provided a more direct albeit one more subject to the vagaries of traffic.
Winchester Cathedral
Just behind our hotel, the Mecure, stands Winchester Cathedral. Because it is no longer funded by the government, there is usually an entrance fee of 9£. But, if you go on a Sunday evening, when it is open for mass you may be lucky enough to enter for free.
As made famous by Frank Sinatra and other pop artist of the 60’s and 70’s, everyone my age probably knows the song “Winchester Cathedral”. Well here is the real thing and an impressive structure it is, along with its history.
Winchester – The Town
The town proper is a very nice place, with its own central shopping pedestrian street with plenty of trendy shops, cafés and restaurants.
Above one can see some additional photographs as we took them walking through this lovely little town.
Winchester City Museum
A free and very informative little museum sits almost directly in the middle of town, just a stone’s throw from The Eclipse Inn, called the City Museum.
There are numerous exhibits which starts on the top floor with the Roman Period of Winchester, formerly known to the Romans as Venta Belgarum around 70 A.D. This is followed on second floor (that would be the first floor for Europeans) with an entire section on the Norman Period. And finally on the ground floor with contemporary history.
The Great Hall
The Great Hall is a large 13th century hall that features King Arthur’s Round Table. It is the only building remaining of the Winchester Castle that used to reside here and has been turned into a museum.
The City Mill
The Winchester City Mill is a restored and fully working water-mill that sits over the river Itchen.
It costs 6£ to enter and has audio-visual as well as hands-on displays for children. It is a one floor museum with access to the lower section in order to see the actual mill-wheel and transfer gears.
The museum also has a nice little park area where you can sit and enjoy the day, if it’s not raining!
If you actually watch the entire video presentation you will find it most informative, since it goes into the mill itself, along with its historic ups and downs. The building was even used at one time as a hostel for cyclists and hikers!