A city unhurried

Stockholm… the very name conjures up images of opera, art, modern dance and of course, Nobel laureates. Looking out my hotel window I can see the point at which Baltic Sea meets the enormous Lake Malaren. I open the window to let in the sea breeze. It is so cool for summer. My friends back in Melbourne had mentioned that Stockholm is considered to be the Venice of the North. Looking out towards the bridges and waterways I can see that the epithet is justified.

Stepping out of my one of the luxury hotels room in the lovely June morning I hold my breath for a while taking in the scenic loveliness of the place. Despite the commerce and activity all around me I love the unhurried pace of it all. I am certain no one gets heart attack or high blood pressure at Stockholm.

Taking a ferry I cross over to Gamla Stan, the city’s old town situated over an islet. Getting off I find myself enraptured by the sheer loveliness of its cobble-stoned pathways, ochre-colored buildings, and the surrounding shops and bars. I thank the sun for shining brightly as the ochre buildings with their cheery blue roof-tops cast long sliding shadows over the cobble-stoned streets giving amateur shutter-bugs umpteen photography opportunities.

I look at the watch Sue had gifted me, it’s not yet noon. “You simply HAVE TO see the Royal Palace,” she had insisted. Very well then, but I hope to be in time to witness the change of guards. I am in luck. Through the huge crowd I witness the change of guard ceremony with the military band playing in the outer courtyard of the palace. The king, I am told, resides in a place called Drottningholm.

Later that evening I visit the Grona Lund amusement park which brought out the kid in me, especially in the Haunted House where I managed to scare some kids and later made friends with them.

Stockholm is dotted with museums and I don’t get to see them all. The one I do get to view rather extensively is the Museum of Medieval Stockholm detailing the evolution of the city and its origins. I so long to visit other museums and places of interest but there’s no time. Before leaving Stockholm I dip my glass into the river and hold it up against the sky. So clean!

Turin: The little French Italian city

Walking around the streets and bylanes of Turin, referred to as Torino by the Italians, I was struck by the strut of arcaded pedestrian boutiques and cafes, avowedly Baroque in design and structure. The more extensively I traveled the more I loved this mountainous little Italian city.

Before traveling to Turin all I had known was that it had hosted the 2006 Olympics and was home to the Fiat. I was discovering a new world altogether, in this Piedmont region modestly tucked away in north-west Italy. Driving in from the French border it had taken me a little over an hour to get into my one of the best luxury hotels. The drive, I might add, was picturesque and pleasant in the extreme.

Taking a tour of the city I couldn’t help noticing the strong resemblance to French cities, particularly Paris. Pearly white structures and broad boulevards as opposed to the narrow streets and red and yellow buildings of Florence and Venice make it look very French.
Getting tired of walking I decided to buy an all-day city ticket. I took the tram up to the well-known exhibition complex, Torino Esposizioni designed by the famous Luigi Nervi. It doubled up as an ice rink during the 2006 Winter Olympics; now it has gone back to being a trade show and an art exhibition center.

Later that evening I strolled beside the Po River admiring the Italian Alps from a distance.

The next day I caught the bus up to Mole Antonelliana, one of the greatest landmark pieces of the city which also houses in its premises the National Cinema Museum. There are five sections and my favorite was The Great Temple where I ensconced myself in a reclining armchair and viewed some of the best De Sica films on gigantesque screens overhead.

And how can I possibly leave out the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist? This is the chapel that houses the rather contentious ‘Shroud of Turin’. Of course, I did not get to see it but walking around in the chapel was a pretty awesome feeling.
Two days in Turin couldn’t cover it all, of course, but I’d had my fill of it. I left the city with a nice, buoyant feeling.

The seat of one of Julius Caesar’s oldest colonies Florence represents the glory of the cultural revolution wrought by the Humanist as well as Renaissance movements. Walking through its myriad lanes, though, it is difficult to guess at the number of political upheavals and battles the city has witnessed.

This time we, that is Sue and I, wanted to drive around the Tuscany countryside instead of simply remaining immured within the city which is fascinating, to put it mildly. So we hired a Volkswagen and drove southwards to the vineyard in Chianti. We stopped at Greve and later at a village called Lamole. At Chianti we tried the region’s famous Classico wine and felt quite tipsy afterwards!

The next day we drove off early towards the walled town called Lucca. The scenic beauty of the Tuscany landscape left us spellbound and speechless. I wanted to visit one of the museums but Sue wanted to walk atop the walls of the town. Neither of us was sorry as it was so picturesque and lovely.

Our third day in Florence was spent exploring the various splendid sights of the ancient city. After a hearty breakfast at one,Toscano we set off towards the Duomo overawed by its ceilings, walls, dome, and murals. Somebody told us that the Duomo looks heavenly on a moonlit night. I’ll have to come back for that one!

That evening I took the wheel while driving to the Boboli Gardens housed on the grounds of the Palazzo Pitti. These stately Italian gardens have so many groves and fountains that the head spins in the most pleasurable manner imaginable. The Palazzo Pitti is one of the most majestic palaces I have ever beheld despite its severe façade with only two crowned lion heads as decorative pieces. I missed the Baroque elements of Venice’s palazzos. We walked into the Modern Art Gallery to view some of the masterpieces by painters like Rubens, Lippi, and others.

It was quite late by the time Sue and I headed back to our hotel.