Wednesday 27 September (Day Ten)
Today was another of those days with all the best elements.
I’ll be honest, I want a day off. Going out every day is not usual for me. In Hackney I do have days, sometimes two or three in a row, where I don’t go out but do other things. I might go the shop but it’s a quiet at home day for the most part. I think I need one of these soon – Sunday? No, wait – that’s free museum day. Oh well.
In the morning we have a brief market visit looking for eggs and tomatoes and rapini so we can eat at home again. The egg man is as friendly as ever. We find a great Arabic seller with tomatoes. She asks, English? We say yes! Then Krish answers her accidentally in French and we switch to French. Lovely experience! Today the market is just so much better than on Saturday.
Then we go for a walk. Somehow all brief walks turn into longer walks but at least there are some interesting things along the way.
Today after walking for a bit, we find ourselves at the back of the Lavazza office building. I suddenly spot some rubble inside the building and look more closely. Peering through the window the entire bottom of the building is an excavated ruin. There’s even a bridge and some concrete areas that have been added for viewing. It’s like London where when digging, there are always archaeological finds that must be unearthed and preserved properly and here they have kept them intact creating a steel framework above that supports the upper floors. It’s astounding. I researched this when I got home and – nothing!
Very intrigued. Lots of people are walking towards Lavazza but I don’t think we can go in. Everyone is wearing ID tags around their necks so best to stay out. I’d really like to see those ruins though. Lavazza doesn’t do tours, as far as I know.
We had noticed a week before that there was a restaurant in the Lavazza complex called Bistrot and lots of employees are walking there today so we go to check It out. The smell is amazing but it’s like The City in London. There’s an info desk, a turnstile, and an escalator leading up to where the food must be. On the wall are three blackboards with menu items, and people leaving the restaurant are presenting the info desk with bills and are paying. I guess this is perhaps like Le Marche in Toronto where you choose your food and it gets itemised for payment later. We aren’t sure if we’re allowed in – is this only for employees – and we aren’t much in the mood to try our Italan or eat there today so we leave. We’ll see what we can find out.
We still have time to get to the bus station to find out about the monthly pass. The bus station is very quiet and industrial looking. Nothing fancy here. There’s a GTT office and customers wait outside until it’s their turn. We manage to let the woman know what we’re looking for and get our photos taken for the pass, then walk out with our bus passes finally!
It was a bit of a minefield getting all the information we needed to finally have them in our hands but it’s done. I hate my photo and Krish hates his – I think his is quite good as they go! No senior price but then it’s a good price overall anyway. A ticket costs 1.50 and the unlimited pass for the month costs 38.00. A super bargain!
Now we have our passes, I think let’s go out. I have read about a House of Dragons in spottedbylocals and really want to see this. Checking out the map, I see there are two ways to get there so I choose the one that skirts the centre. And off we go.
However, on the tram when using the pass validation box, we’re supposed to hear a BEEP (The card is called BIP!). Instead we hear a weird tone, both of us. We sit down anyway. We check our cards, which say 27/09/2017 and wonder if she did something wrong. Farcically, two inspectors get on the same tram. We wait to see what will happen. The inspector checks Krish’s tickets and shakes his head, then takes it to the machine. He looks at it for a while and then shrugs and hands it back saying Basta and moving on. Same for me. OK then!
The ride is pretty good! The trams have strange round wooden seats like in Lisbon and there’s much more standing then sitting room, but this tram isn’t very full even during this rush hour. Good choice to go this route. We go along the main road of Regina Margherita and then turn down to Corso Francia, where the dragons dwell. Krish is distracted by some street art along the way but I’m holding firm to the dragons! First the dragons, then whatever else…
Corso Francia is a lovely avenue with the usual side slip roads cordoned off with a bit of fencing and some trees. There are design boutiques with furniture and nice house items. There are also bookshops and cafes. I really want to come back here and meander.
This time, though, a beeline for the dragons. And there they are, number 23 are promised! My camera won’t do them justice but they flank the doors and sit under the first floor balconies, each a bit different. I love them! Krish is not impressed. The actual building, which seems to be residential, has a rough stone surface very like we see in Toronto in the older buildings downtown and the Annexe. Peering through the front door there’s a glass elevator shaft and it seems very grand. Who lives in there?
In fact, the whole area is rather grand. There’s money here. When we leave the dragons, we are struck with the many more modern or at least clean apartment buildings, the residents walking dogs and looking relaxed. We find a housewares store on a side street and Krish investigates the frying pans while I explore the candles and glassware. I suspect the prices are high in here but it’s fun to look.
The back streets are interesting but we do spot a church with some great art on the surrounding walls so go to check it out. Turning onto Regina Margherita Krish spots one of the buildings he saw from the tram so we go look before the light has completely faded. Leading from there are some staged steps leading down the hill. Peaceful and pretty! And the tram stop is right at the bottom.
Again our tickets don’t BIP! We stay put. The inspectors didn’t throw us off after all.
We walk back through the Balon. This Saturday is the Festa del Balon (second year). It will be lively and we need to save some small bills and change for it. Again the smell around here is lovely. It’s not so much the fritti we usually smell but like stew – perhaps tagines. We have to try this soon!
Really pleased to be back and have another late dinner of leftovers. And two episodes of The Expanse. What a great show. I hate that we have only one left. I finish my doll and then find the GTT receipt – our passes are good FROM TOMORROW!
Right then!
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- Thanks to my brother for finding this: Â An early Christian basilica came to light during the construction for the new Lavazza headquarters in TurinÂ