Strike(s) now, while the iron is hot...

The strike schedule (as of today) for February:...More......

FEBRUARY 8
Local public transportation
(hours vary according to location, but in Milan, the busses, trams and metro generally strike from about 8:30 A.M. 'til 3 P.M., leave a short window of time for people to scurry home, then start, again, from 6 P.M. 'til the end of service, generally shortly after midnight)

FEBRUARY 19
EasyJet Italia, pilots will strike from noon to 4 P.M.

That's all that's on the Ministry of Transportation's docket for now.

Hope you'll be able to work around them! They might even be cancelled, or put off, at the last minute.

In Italy, ya' never know.

More Chiaravalle...tris..."Here my are!"

There are lots of Latin words still in daily use, here, and "bis" (pronounced "beece" by today's Italians and meaning "twice") was one of the first that I learned, together with "tris" ("treece", which really means "three", but is commonly used for "thrice"). So, after the first and the second posts on Chiaravalle, one of the beautiful abbeys just outside Milan, here is yet another...but with new photos snapped this afternoon passed delightfully with another very nice friend (thanks, Sonia!)....More......

The courtyard was lovely and peaceful, as usual, though I was startled by a young white robed monk rushing past me in a gloomy room.

The curious knotted corner columns typical of Cistercian architecture caught our attention. I can't remember what they signify, but an educated guess would be something to do with the knotted cord belt of their habits, remembering sacrifices of all sorts.

The female visitors, as you'll learn in the previous messages, had to stop at the lady's chapel just inside the compound. By now, women can come into the church, just as the male visitors, can. "Here my are!" reflected in the Chapterhouse window.

Got a not-so-bad snap of the Madonna at the top of the stairs leading to the monks' quarters. That is off-limits for all visitors. Happy, considering that all the previous ones I have snapped have been fuzzy. I'll hold off sharing it 'til I can get a better one, though.

In the meantime, let me leave you with a snap up into the fairly recently restored dome just below which you can see the "Annunciation"...one of my husband's favorite images as evocative of the union of spirit and matter.

Enjoy!

(These pictures were taken with your personal, non-commercial enjoyment in mind.)

More Milanese holiday time fun

First, tea with one very nice friend, then off for a long walk with another.

We started with roses......More......

...passed through Piazza Fontana ("Fountain Piazza")...

...past the Duomo at twilight...

...through Piazza Cordusio...

...with the sculpture dedicated to Abbot Parini (see the preceding link for info)...

...down via Dante...

...past the American Bookstore in Piazza Cairoli, where I took the metro to the...

...Cadorna train station (from which also leaves the...

...Malpensa Express for the airport of the same name), and got lucky!

Road work deviated the tram I needed for home right past the station.

Two whole hours of walking, chatting, fresh air and lovely weather with just a bit of a sit-down.

Thanks for coming along!

Feeling a bit heavy after all that holiday eating? How about some sport and biking?

Pants just a bit too tight? Jacket snugger than before?

How about a bit of sport and biking in Milan and the suburbs ("hinterland") to help you knock off those holiday pounds?!...More......

Like to go biking, but don't know how the streets are going to be from the point-of-view of a ciclist?

Try Milano Bici Map! At the top of the query window is a little pop-up menu where you can choose "EN"! Yeah! The query boxes even accept--sometimes in Italian, sometimes in English--some well known destinations without particular addresses (ex., Castello Sforzesco / Sforza Castle). Hit your "send" button, and the directions appear in the little window below the search boxes, while the suggested path appears on the map on the right.

Want to know where the civic gym is near you? Hey, the prices are pretty good, and the structure and equipment should be at least acceptable. The flash menu offers an amazing variety of stuff to do, from rugby, soccer and tumbling to bridge (yeah, the card game...you won't burn off lots of calories doing that!). The site's only in Italian, but try it anyway: tooplay. (It is annoying, though, that they've used "too" instead of "to".)

Enjoy!

"Here my are!" wishing you a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year

When I came to Italy, I was told that it's a tradition to do a little bit of everything on the first day of the new year that you want to do for the rest of the year....More......

Whether it's really a widespread tradition, or not, I honestly don't care. I liked the idea a lot, and so immediately adopted it, and have done it ever since. So far, today, I have:

--eaten some panettone
--shared a yummy meal with some yummy wine with a very nice friend
--SMS-ed, e-mailed and Skyped other friends
--worked a bit
--FB-ed a bit
--at least touched my needlepoint and sewing supplies
--taken and downloaded photos
--and am "chatting" with you via my blog.

What else is on the horizon before today is over?

--champagne
--fun reading
--calling some friends
--one of my all-time favorite movies, "American Dreamer".

How about you?

"Here my are!" on this rainy chilly New Year's Day in Milan.

Enjoy!