Olympic Cauldron, Terme Spa, and 2 Trips to Milano
A lot has happened in a short period of time, contrary to how my calendar was originally supposed to play out, ha ha. I love when I see that the upcoming week has little to no items on the calendar, but then somehow the days always manage to fill up anyway!!
Recently, the Olympic Torch came through Vicenza and we went downtown to see the cauldron being lit. Several of our friends chose to watch the torchbearers run past the Ederle base, and they had a great unobstructed view as the parade went by. There were lots of military families who chose to watch from this easy-to-get-to location.
Watch my friend Rachel's video of the procession here: (30 seconds)
Meanwhile, we had a DJ in the Piazza downtown and the crowd was having a GOOD TIME. The entire Piazza was packed full of people - I couldn't believe how many people showed up. It was so electric just to be there . . . definitely a once in a lifetime experience.
Video #1 in the Piazza: (16 seconds)
Video #2: They did a nice job building up to the arrival of the torch by showing us this video of so many of the places the Olympic torch had been in the days and weeks leading up to this night. (29 seconds)
(45 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/WudJVf7rxni5cgcL7
The entrance and ticket booth felt like quite the grand welcome . . .
*When the DJ shouted, "Ecco la!", that means, "Here he is!"
As amazing as that moment was, I wished I was just a little bit taller . . .
Video #4: The DJ had made us practice earlier how to do a long "OHHHHHHHH" leading up to the cauldron being lit, and then erupting into cheers once it's actually lit. This was the moment we had all been waiting for.
(34 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/v3TfvuUTY6XgSzTC7
One of the torchbearers on the route from Caserma Ederle to the Piazza was a 92-year old former gold medalist from the Tokyo 1964 Olympics, Abdon Pamich. Mario Vielma - who lit the cauldron - is a Vicenza native and mountaineer who has climbed all 14 of the world's 8,000 meter peaks. (Equal to 26,247 feet!!)
This was a beautiful article about the spirit of the Olympics in Vicenza from the perspective of the US Army and their families:
After the party was over, and while Scott and I waited for the bus to pick us up a few blocks away from the Piazza, we saw the Olympic entourage of cars and vans drive by. That was pretty cool. They run such a tight schedule to be able to work their way through so many towns every 24 hours . . . I don't know how or when they're able to get any sleep. Bless their patriotic little hearts!
Earlier that same day, I went with two of my friends to visit a Terme Spa, something that Italy is famous for. These natural hot pools are all over Italy, with many of them located in Northern Italy and within range of Vicenza. I hadn't ever looked into going to one before, mainly because I didn't know the protocol or even which one to choose. But now that we have kicked off the new Tuesdays in Italy group, this was one of our first activities. An excellent choice, if you ask me.
I don't think I mentioned this yet, but I was able to host a planning meeting for the new Tuesdays in Italy group. A handful of ladies came to my home and we sat down and made a big list of things we want to do this spring. We decided to just do two activities per month - on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. In the past, there was a similar activity-based group called Wednesdays in Italy and they met every single Wednesday to go on an adventure together. I wasn't able to go to everything - partly because I was only there for 90 days at a time, but also because going every single week felt like a lot sometimes.
Organizing an activity 2x/month seems more doable in my opinion, so that's how we're setting it up for 2026. Emily Thompson - who is SO COOL, by the way - has been to several Terme Spas in Northern Italy, so we leaned on her a little for suggestions on where we could go. Ultimately, we ended up going to this one, called Parco Termale del Garda. It's located really close to Lazise and Lake Garda and is on the same property as a beautiful Villa with hotel accommodations.
I bought my ticket online in advance and saved about $3 by doing that. After passing through the entrance, there is a wide path that leads you gradually to the hot pools and lodge facilities. It was so magical just walking the 5-7 minutes to get there, passing by tall trees and forests, lush green lawns, and evoking a very peaceful atmosphere right from the start.
We entered the building near the pools and went downstairs to change. They have lockers, changing rooms, showers, bathrooms, and a large area to hang up your coats down there. Upstairs there is a cafeteria and snack cafe with several tables to sit down and enjoy a meal.
The water was perfectly heated and the depth was not very deep. In some areas it was only 3 feet deep, but in most areas it was around 3.5 - 4 feet or so. I never struggled to keep my head above the water anywhere, so that was nice. There was a soft gritty layer of sand under my feet in most places, and it felt nice, as well.
There was a large cave area that you can enter, with a large jacuuzi in the center. There are a few other jacuuzis out in the main pool area, too, with varying temperature ranges. In a few places, there are showering fountains or massaging jets to futher enhance your relaxation. We made sure to try them all out, ha ha.
We stayed for about 2 hours in the water before getting dressed to start heading home. Both Leslie and Emily had children coming home from school soon, so we needed to beat the kids home. I decided as soon as we arrived that I want to bring Scott and our son here next weekend right after Benson arrives. They are gonna love it!!
Before photo . . . Leslie, Me, and Emily . . .
The clumps are SO THICK . . .
Before photo . . . Leslie, Me, and Emily . . .
And afterwards . . .
A couple days later, several ladies from our ward met to have lunch with Kelly Campbell before she moved to Colorado Springs with her husband, Trevin. We met at Om Ganesha, a local Indian restaurant that we all love. I will miss Kelly's smile that lights up the room. She is an upbeat and cheerful person who also knows how to maximize your thrifty shopping efforts (flea markets, thrift stores, etc.). She was also super thoughtful by always inviting people over for dinner regularly.
L to R: Lauren Lloyd, Me, Addie Mae Pyne, Emily Thompson, Leslie Rollins, Andrea Miguel, Kelly Campbell, Bekah Chatterley, and Trish Lacy.
On one of my walks up the hill behind our house, I noticed that the fields had been recently "turned over", a technique that is common here in Italy. The tractor turns over the soil in giant chunks to not only prevent weeds from growing, but it also overturns any insect problem areas and gives the soil a chance to reset before the next growing season.
View looking back down toward Del Din (where Scott works) and the NW section of Vicenza . . .
Most church buildings in the U.S. have a dedicated baptismal font built in as part of the meetinghouse. Here, however, the font needs to be built and taken down each time there is a baptism. Scott has helped with this numerous times in the past, when he served with the bishopric a couple years ago.
*There was one place in the U.S. where I saw a different sort of font in use. It was out on the Eastern Shore of Virginia near the town of Exeter, where they used a hot tub on the patio behind the church building as their font. At least you'd never have cold water to deal with there, ha ha.
There is a fast train with only 2-3 stops along the way, and it takes about 1 hour 40 minutes on that one. If you take the slow train, which is half the price, its takes about 2 hrs 37 minutes because they stop at every single station along the way. Plus you have to change trains in Verona partway there. We opted for the faster route.
In the Milano Centrale Station, they had helpful signs everywhere for all the people that are coming to watch the Olympics. The signs were clear and precise with how to get where you need to go.
As you may already know, the Olympics here in Northern Italy are split up into several areas for the various events. In Milan, the primary events will be curling, hockey, figure skating, speed skating and the indoor track, as well as the main Opening Ceremony.
The other main Olympic area is up in Cortina d'Ampezzo, SUPER CLOSE to where we hiked around Cinque Torri with our friends, the Garners, a little over a year ago.
For the event that Benson and I will be attending, it's located in yet another part of Northern Italy - in Bormio. It's close to the Swiss border and Stelvio Pass. I'll have lots of stories to share in a couple weeks after we get back from watching Ski Mountaineering, or "Skimo", as it's commonly called.
Leslie and I successfully figured out how to get through the massive train station and find our way to the Metro several floors down. We hopped on the Metro and rode it a few stops to get over to the Duomo in about 5 minutes. As soon as you come up the stairs to ground level, THERE IT IS.
Across the piazza from the Duomo is the Olympics Megastore in a huge makeshift tent for the temporary season.
I also bought what I thought was a collectors coin for Ski Mountaineering, but it turned out to be a pin. My friend, Leslie, suggested that we can convert them into a fridge magnet, which I would love to do. I also bought a bright yellow cow bell with the Milano-Cortina logo on it, so that Benson and I can be even more enthusiastic spectators at the finish line, ha ha.
We each ordered a flatbread pizza - mine had Mortadella meat on it (a thinly sliced, but better quality bologna than what we see in the US, plus it has pistachios in it), stracciatella cheese, tomatoes and herbs.
In 1876, the tram began as a horse-drawn transportation service throughout Milan and over to Monza. The first electric line began in 1893, transitioning to an all-electric fleet by 1901. There are about 150 (give or take) of the original 1928 tram series that are still in use today. The locals call them "the old wooden leg", and they are considered vintage, historic, as well as functional to get around the city.
The Milano Centrale Station is not the largest in the world, but it is one of the largest stations in Europe by sheer volume and footprint. If you were to take all the levels that stack on top of each other and then spread them out, they would be equal to 9 city blocks! Built in 1931 it houses 24 train platforms, as well as numerous shops and restaurants. It feels more like a huge multi-leveled shopping mall that also happens to have trains coming in and out all day long.
I was curious to know what the 10 largest train stations are in Europe . . . and here is what I found out.
- There are two main categories to define "largest". Passenger volume and physical size and/or number of platforms.
- Largest as far as passenger volume include:
- Paris Gare du Nord (France), with 250-300 million passengers
- Hamburg Hbf (Germany), with 200 million passengers
- Frankfurt Main Hbf (Germany), with 164 million passengers
- Zurich Hbf (Switzerland), with close to 160 million passengers
- Paris Gare St Lazare (France), with 152 million passengers
- Largest as far as physical size or number of platforms include:
- Berlin Hbf (Germany), often called Europe's largest train station overall, incl. floor space
- Leipzig Hbf (Germany), with 83,460 square meters of floor space
- Munchen Hbf (Munich, Germany) and Rome (Italy) are tied for the most platforms (32)
- Milan Centrale (Italy), noted for its grand volume and facade
Heading back into the station, I noticed the design painted on the steps of the grand staircase that we didn't notice while going down earlier. The painted part is at the back of each step, behind where your heels would be, so you wouldn't notice this at all unless you're going up.
- Make sure that your chia seeds are not overly expired, as mine were. They didn't absorb enough of the liquid to qualify as a pudding, but they did an "okay" job by absorbing maybe 70%.
- Make sure that your Stevia sweetener is not overly expired, as mine was. It caused a slightly bitter taste, but not enough that it ruined everything.
- And finally, I cannot find any dehydrated or freeze-dried berries in Italy. I looked in several grocery stores and also on Amazon Italy, but no luck. They offer dried cherries, raisins, prunes, apricots, and even pineapple. But no strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries. I ended up ordering some freeze-dried strawberries from Amazon USA. They are lower in carbs than some of the chewier dried fruits.
It's been mostly rainy every day lately, and if it's not rainy, it's definitely overcast and cloudy. There was ONE afternoon where the sun was shining loud and proud, so I decided to hang my laundry out on the balcony to dry. Only the sun wasn't very warm . . . so there might have been some false advertising there. At the end of the afternoon, I pulled the whole rack inside to finish drying our whites overnight, which they compliantly did.
I've also been making several folksy Valentine's hearts . . .
I sent some hearts to my children and grandchildren, plus I've given a few away to some friends. As I make some to hang in my own house, I just end up giving them all away soon after . . . but I'll keep making a few more for myself before the Valentine's holiday fades into Independence Day . . .
I've been slowly gaining weight over the past 18 months or so, despite all of my best and consistent efforts. I've been researching a whole slew of things I can try, change, incorporate, etc. but nothing has helped so far. I was lucky enough to get a prescription for Wegovy over here, but then my insurance doesn't cover any weight-loss medications at all. I even went as far as to start an appeal process with them, providing a letter from my endocrinologist explaining why this was so important, but the answer was still a resounding NO.
Shortly after that very disappointing response, I saw that Young Living had a new product line set to launch on January 12th. It looked very promising and those who had participated in the research studies had experienced some impressive results. I was very much interested, especially because it consisted of all-natural and plant-based ingredients, designed to mimic all the prescriptions out there that target GLP-1's but without all the side effects.
If I had chosen to fill the Wegovy prescription and pay for it out of my own pocket, it would have cost me 220 euros each month, roughtly $250. This new system from Young Living is half the cost, coming in at just $135/month.
I started the system just over one week ago (after waiting 2 weeks for it to ship over to Italy) and I am hopeful that I will be able to lose some weight over the coming months. I'll let you know how it goes over time. Already, my mental clarity and energy have improved significantly and I am able to tackle more things on my to-do list each day.
I'm still going on regular walks and I'm still doing a few kettlebell workouts during the week, too.
Recently, I needed to talk to one of the ladies at a hair salon that I went to a while ago. I appreciate how they have a few stylists who speak really good English, and I needed some input on what to do with my continuously greying hair. I decided to incorporate a good long walk as part of the "getting there".
I visited with Dragana, the girl who worked on my hair several months ago. The reason why I wanted to go in person is because I felt it was important for them to SEE my hair in order to understand what I was up against. Dragana agreed with the research I had already done, and added a few of her own suggestions on how to accomplish a good look. We set an appointment for the following Tuesday morning, and then I walked back to my car and drove home.
I've mentioned this guy before, but he's an exercise motivator on Facebook with a good, level head on his shoulders. I like a lot of the things he says, especially this simple thought that he posted last week.
On my way home from meeting with Dragana, I decided to see if the tire shop was open - located just past our house and across the street. In Italy, you will often find that the list of opening hours for a business and shown on Google are rarely updated or correct. Particularly when it's a privately owned business, they will just set their own hours. If they're there, great. If they're not, then you just come back another time. And this was one of those shops. Sometimes it's open, and sometimes it's not. You just never know.
The tires on our car were adequate, but because Benson and I will be driving up into the mountains soon to watch Ski Mountaineering, Scott felt it was a good idea to get some all-weather tires.
Lucky for me, the shop was open. Not only that, but the guy who runs the shop said he could put the tires on right away, if I had a little time to wait. No problem, I told him. If an Italian says they can take care of you right away, that's essentially a miracle and you should definitely take the offer!!
Just under two hours later, I had 4 new all-weather tires for 520 euros. He was the only guy there the whole time, and even though he had other customers pop in, he greeted them warmly and chatted away but he never stopped working, not even for a moment. This tire shop is across the street and just two houses north of our driveway. Pretty convenient.
Around this same time, we decided to bite the bullet and defrost our freezer last Friday night. The drain hole inside the fridge was clogged and had frozen over, causing an endless cycle of freezing, melting, puddling, more freezing, more melting, and more puddling. Daniele, our landlord, told us that defrosting it was the only fix. Well, it turned out to be pretty straightforward and simple, though a bit inconvenient.
We didn't have any coolers to transfer the food into while we waited for the ice to melt, but Scott suggested that we just get an extra fridge (something we had toyed with before because our fridge and freezer capacity is so teeny-tiny). We ordered one on Amazon Italy and it was delivered the day before Defrost Day. It's not a full-size fridge either, but it certainly adds quite a bit of potential and we are very happy with our purchase. The new fridge also fits nicely in our laundry room.
We transferred all of our foodly possessions from the one fridge to the other in not too long of a time. We used one of the fruit/veggie drawers as a bucket to catch all the water as it melted and trickled down the funnel-like extension at the base. By the next morning, the process was complete and we could start transferring items back into the main fridge, once we wiped it all dry first.
Last Sunday, I made a Mexican feast to feed some of our young soldier friends as part of a going-away dinner for Shayne Ramon.
Everyone enjoyed the casserole, salad, fresh pineapple, and homemade salsa very much. :)
Shayne has finished up his one-year assignment here in Italy and will be going back home to pursue a few career options in Utah, surrounded by his extended family. He is such a stellar guy - always pitching in to help others, super kind, super smart, and has a great sense of humor. We have truly enjoyed getting to know him this past year and we will miss him profoundly.
L to R: Shayne, Jace, Scott V., and Me.
My Scott has been building some really fun games for his seminary students, including a version of Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. He had our soldier friends give his Jeopardy game a whirl, and they had such a great time! Scott likes us to practice on whatever he's built so that we can see if there are any quirks or issues before he presents it to his students.
While the guys all played Scripture Jeopardy, I cleaned up the kitchen, and then it was my turn to play. I let the boys choose what they wanted to play next, and they chose Code Names. They are very competitive, ha ha, but it was all good fun.
So . . . after I uploaded a photo of myself, I had CoPilot add in some grey blending with lowlights so I could see how it might look before I went to the salon. Not bad!
The next morning I rode the train back to Milan again, this time with my friends Elder & Sister Sim, the senior missionary couple serving in our ward. I wasn't planning to go back to Milan so quickly after I just went with Leslie, but a need popped up for the Sims . . . When I went to the Megastore originally to get a few items for the Olympics, they had asked if I could find them each a jacket. I sent pictures and even called them twice while I was in the store to get their input. We settled on two similar jackets for the both of them. But then it turned out that the jacket for Lynn (Elder Sim) was a LADIES jacket, even though I didn't notice that in the store, and the sleeves were just a little too skinny for him. Plus, Terry wasn't super enamored with her jacket.
Lynn tried to see if someone in the ward wanted to purchase his jacket from him, but nobody spoke up in the group chat. I felt really bad that I hadn't noticed the styling issue to begin with, so I began forming a plan to head back to Milan by myself to swap his jacket out, and figured I could just do a little sightseeing at the same time - something Leslie and I didn't really have time for on the first trip.
When I told the Sims I could return his jacket, they decided they wanted to come, too. They have been so busy working as missionaries that they really haven't taken much time off to explore in the whole year that they've been in Italy so far. (They will be here for a total of 2 years.) They didn't have much experience riding the train, and they were a little overwhelmed at the thought of getting around Milan by themselves, so I adjusted my plans to include them.
We rode the train together to the Milano Centrale Station, and then we parted ways for a few hours. They opted to ride the Hop On/Hop Off Bus to get around, while I went everywhere either on foot or using the Metro. We met up again later to take the train home to Vicenza and swap stories along the way.
Meanwhile, there were a few booths set up in the train station selling Olympic attire from different countries, such as this French shop named "Colmar".
"The education of youngsters - right from their early school years - to the values of coexistence between people from different cultures and traditions is the best way to lay the foundations for a multi-ethnic and multicultural society for the future. Indeed, the ambition of the Memorial is to provide instruments of deepening of the theme of coexistence through the rich thematic library, the multimedia centre to share experiences and values on international subjects, conferences and debates, theatre performances, book presentations, movie and documentary screenings, round tables, together with witnesses of those who have survived deportation . . . (etc)"
Street-level views from the large gated windows next to the library . . .
"Between 1943 and 1945, far from prying eyes, this was where hundreds of deportees - most of them Jews - were forced onto livestock cars. Once filled, these cars were raised one at a time in a railroad car elevator located between tracks 18 and 19, emerging just outside the great canopy of the passenger station. Positioned on the tracks, the cars were then assembled into trains, ready to depart for the concentration camps (Bergen-Belsen, Mauthausen), Italian deportation camps (Fossoli, Verona, Bolzano), or death camps (Auschwitz-Birkenau).
The Milan Memorial is unique among places of the Shoah and political deportations in Europe in that it has remained substantially unchanged from its original form."
This tunnel, or Observatory - as it's described in the brochure, is an installation that seeks to convey the sense of disorientation and bewilderment experienced by the deportees as they were bound for an "unspecified destination". It gets darker as you enter, and the opening narrows considerably down at the far end.
Here you can see the original livestock cars used for the deportations . . .
(7 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/jkz4HCDhX7y6sBRu9
From the brochure:
"Here . . . the prisoners were forced amidst shouts, screams, and snarling dogs. Some 60 to 80 people were packed into each car - women, men, children, the elderly - who would travel for days under inhuman conditions. Loaded with their human cargo and bolted shut, the cars were then rolled onto a transfer table and moved sideways to a railcar elevator. Each car was then lifted out of the bowels of the station into the open air on a siding between Tracks 18 and 19, just outside the enormous canopy of the Central Station. Once all the cars were assembled on this siding, the train departed "for an unspecified destination".
Video here: (10 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/Q4RKG8re2cDYKinm6
At the other end of the car, there was a recent wreath that had been placed on National Holocaust Remembrance Day, honored throughout Europe each year on January 27th (which is also Scott's mom's birthday . . .).
Above and below: the original livestock cars . . .
There is also a large Wall of Names, a digital display showing the name of each person whose life was changed forever by those atrocities during WWII . . .
Video here: (10 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/xiq27V2fYxsX2vFj9
When I popped inside briefly, there was a large group of Italian students in there, sitting in silence as they were given time to reflect . . . I stayed for just a moment or two before quietly slipping back out.
When I looked it up just now, I was surprised to read some of the background. Olivier Messiaen was 31 years old when he was drafted into the French Army as a medical auxiliary. In June 1940 he was captured by the Germans and imprisoned in a POW camp in Gorlitz, Germany - now part of Poland. While detained, he made contact with a handful of other musicians and began writing an inspired composition down on borrowed paper and a pencil that he obtained from sympathetic guards.
He formed a quartet within the camp, with instruments that were somehow procured or donated, and their debut performance was presented in front of hundreds of other prisoners and their guards on January 15, 1941.
Messiaen describes the inspiration for his composition on Wikipedia -
In his preface to the score, Messiaen describes the opening of the quartet:
Written for the full quartet, the opening movement begins with the solo clarinet imitating a blackbird's song and the violin imitating a nightingale's song.
Messiaen wrote that the work was inspired by text from the Book of Revelation (Rev 10:1–2, 5–7, King James Version):
How incredible that such a heartfelt passionate piece of music could emerge from such a tragic place within a POW Camp during WWII. Wow.
Here is a link to the entire piece on YouTube: (45 minutes)
It's long . . . but maybe you could just listen to a portion of it.
While the Shoah Holocaust Memorial was relatively small, it was enough. It was large enough to allow me to capture the mood, the sentiment, the outrage, the heartbreak, and the silence.
We must never forget.
As I left the station and the Memorial, I popped open my umbrella once again as my feet hit the streets of Milan in a bit of a foggy wonder . . . It was time to switch gears and navigate to my next stop, but it took my brain a few minutes to set aside what I had just experienced. I knew that I would eventually revisit everything all over again in writing this blog, and it's true. I think it's hitting me even harder as I am typing and researching some of the background on the things I saw and read that day . . .
The strategic - and wonky - parking job of this cute little minty Fiat across from the train station helped bring a wan smile to my face and helped me transition more acutely into the present . . .
Inside, I found several inexpensive cookie cutters (roughly 80 cents each), including a tractor, an airplane, a set of dinosaurs, and a small group of knock-off Harry Potter pieces that were a much better price than the name brand ones. I also bought a couple packages of cute little candy sprinkles for cupcakes, including some tiny spring daisies and tiny gold stars.
This display case was down in the Metro while I waited for my train to arrive . . .
Video here: (10 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/WCgGCfDgCtye44zY9
Someday I will visit the inside of the Duomo . . . but I would really like to do that with Scott.
I wanted to at least see the inside of the Gallerie Mall, since I had heard it was really beautiful. This is one of the 4 main entrances to the Mall, which is shaped like a huge Cross.
The floors were magnificent as well . . .
Where all four points of the Mall come together is where you can find the fanciest of fancy-shmancy shops, including Prada, Gucci, Luis Vatton, etc. I was never one for overpriced name brands . . .
Something I learned later is that these Londonesque-style policemen are actually REAL policemen. They are part of the Carabinieri military police force, but in certain areas of Milan (such as the Duomo), they wear the Grande Uniforme Storica - a ceremonial dress uniform that dates back to the 19th century.
I wasn't sure what I might find for lunch options in such a fancy mall, but I did stumble upon this cute little restaurant called Il Salotto. I decided to eat here because A) the prices were reasonable, and B) it was right in front of me. And I was hungry!!
Marco opened the door for me and seated me at a table next to the front window. He was an older gentleman, maybe in his mid-70's, but spoke very good English. He may have been bored as there were only a few customers that afternoon, or maybe he just wanted to practice his English. But he had a ready smile and would periodically ask me a question that invited more conversation. I enjoyed his company very much as he stood just a few feet away waiting to open the door for the next customer.
I ordered the lunch special, which consisted of: prawns, eggplant parmesan, the dessert of the day, and a bottle of water. I thought it was funny that as I waffled back and forth on whether I should order the natural water or the frizzante (super popular in Europe), Marco winked and suggested the frizzante. After I finished pronouncing the items I wanted from the menu, he commended me on my efforts. :)
In Italy, they do not remove the fish bones for you, or in this case, the shrimp heads. I've often wondered how I'm supposed to get to the actual meat of the seafood without using my fingers and getting all messy. Thankfully, Marco helped show me by using my knife and fork to model what to do. Now I can say that I am much more confident for the next time I'd like to order prawns in a restaurant! I love eating shrimp, but I don't want to look like a caveman in the process . . .
The dessert of the day was called Crostatta with Arancia Amara (bitter orange). It was basically a pie crust with an orange marmalade type filling, and it was very good!
Also, Marco's suggestion for the Acqua Frizzante was spot on. Normally I don't like sparkling water and I always choose the Naturale, or still water. But the San Pellegrino brand that I had that day was AMAZING. So amazing in fact, that the very next day when I went to the grocery store, I was on the hunt for the exact same brand. :)
After the wonderful lunch and conversation with Marco, I slipped over to the bookstore across the way from the window where I was just sitting. I am always a sucker for children's books that are educational and fun, and this was a fantastic bookstore with several selections in English. The store is called Rizzoli Milano.
From there, I made my way on foot to the Chiesa di San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore, which was about 15-18 minutes west of the Duomo. I passed a commanding and prominent Italian bank on my way, called Banca d'Italia.
This also happened to be an area where the Italian Stock Exchange is, plus several law firms. Softening the austerity of the neighborhood were some cheerful and quaint little shops such as these . . .
It was quite rainy that afternoon, so I just grabbed a quick video of the front entrance from underneath my umbrella before heading inside. (4 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/DCn1qAgQXv3qEzZS9
In my research for what to do in Milan, I read that this particular church was especially beautiful, as well as quiet and FREE. I found that all of this was true. There were less than 10 people visiting the church that day, including me.
What immediately struck me was the warmth of the colors and the penetrating light. Sometimes you walk into an old church or basilica and the lighting is faint and the paintings are all dark and therefore depressing. But this church was filled with a welcoming warmth in all it had to offer.
Video of the interior chapel: (9 seconds)
Above: I loved the tenderness shown by Mary Magdalene (I assume this was her) as she carefully cleaned the feet of the Savior.
Below: A description of how what I thought was a chapel was initially built to be a worship hall of a Benedictine convent. That would explain why the paintings so quickly evoke feelings of love and tenderness, as a form of worship. (click the photo below to read further)
Looking down on His Beloved Son below, is God the Father . . . I really loved how He was portrayed. If I could picture our Loving Father in Heaven, He might just look something like this.
From here, I walked back into the second hall where the nuns used to meet. What a magnificent place to gather and worship together!!
Video entering the second hall: (13 seconds)
Above and below: The pipe organ, which was built in 1557 . . . Wow.
It was right around this time that I began to feel the tuggings of time ticking away and, as I checked on my phone for how long it would take to get back to the Milan Centrale Station, I almost jumped. It would take about 20 minutes and I only had 20 minutes before I was due to meet up with the Sims and catch our train home!! Yikes!!
I wish I could have spent more time in that beautiful church. I'll make sure to go back at some point and share it with friends and family who come to visit because it truly was a special place.
As I hurried on foot to the nearest Metro station, I accidentally took a wrong turn which added a couple extra minutes. But all was well in the end because I beat the Sims back to the station by about 2 minutes, ha ha.
And then we ended up waiting a solid HOUR for our train to arrive. There was some technical issue out on the tracks somewhere which led to a huge delay. We stood and waited next to the departure screen for most of that hour, because we didn't know yet which platform our train would be coming in on.
Finally, it did arrive. And we rode wearily home to Vicenza. Some of us were more weary than others, ha ha. Sister Sim startled herself a couple of times as a loud snore escaped her throat . . .
I had so many stories to tell Scott by the end of the day, and thank goodness he had the attention span of an angel to sit and listen to them all.
With two trips to Milan under my belt, I only wish for more opportunities to go back. I think I will wait for nicer weather to arrive in the spring . . . I really want to visit a special park in Milan where they add a new monument each year to honor someone very deserving. The same park also has a huge Arch of Peace, similar to the Arc d'Triumphe in Paris.
For now, I am trying to get all my ducks in a row for Benson to arrive in two days. That's IF he gets permission to even come . . . As of this past weekend, the commander still hadn't signed the release yet for our son to come to Italy. We are praying that all will work out.
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