Friday, September 25, 2015
Today we had a lot of ground to cover. By this time in our trip, each of the four of us has found their role. Nate, who obviously spent a good amount of time studying Italian, was our communication specialist. I had the iPad with a data card, which enabled us to map destinations and fetch public transit schedules, so I was navigation. Jenae handled acquisition and purchasing, and Mindy was cat-herder and laughter leader.
First on the list is the Basilica di Superga:
which involved catching a couple buses across town, made more exciting when we either missed our stop, or got on the wrong bus. We eventually recovered, and arrived at the tram station at the bottom of the hill on which the basilica is located. It's about a 10 minute ride up the steep hill, cheaper than taxi and much easier than walking. Here's Mindy and Nate, ready for the ride:
The church is beautiful, both inside and outside:
Floors of various colors of marble;
Still at the basilica on the hilltop, is an amazing view of Torino and the Alps, although also troubling when you see the obvious air pollution. Much of the pollution is trapped by the terrain surrounding Torino, and much more visible from up,here, rather than ground level.
Preparing to go back down in the tram, a miniature train station:
Then, we took the bus and the subway across town to our next destination, which was Eataly, an Italian grocery store like no other, with a modern twist. They have a few small restaurants there, and we had a nice lunch:
At one point during the bus ride, about a dozen kids of junior high school age squeezed onto the bus, and it made for a pretty lively ride.
After eating and browsing in Eataly, we walked a few blocks to Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile, the National Car Museum. Along the way, we passed an old Fiat parked along the street.
We were all surprised by the scope and quality of that museum. We were there for about an hour and a half, but all of us wish we had more time to spend there. A fantastic collection of cars, primarily European, with history of the industry, including the role of the United States auto companies. A lot of information, presented in an excellent format. Fiat produced their first car in 1899:
And here's a Rolls Royce, although my photo chopped off the date. I think it was the early 1920’s:
This Fiat was in production from 1936 to 1947:
After the car museum, we returned to the hotel, via another bus ride. I had to walk about 6 blocks to find a tobacco shop to buy bus tickets, and then return to the bus stop to meet the rest of my traveling companions. The bus tickets are good for 90 minutes from first use, but buying them is not always as convenient as locating a bus stop.
This was our last evening with sister Mindy and Nate, so we had reservations for a nice, but within walking distance, restaurant. Yes, I've got some great food photos from that place, and I'll be doing a blog entry just for food soon. In the meantime, you get this photo of us, as we are about to have a spectacular dinner.
Tomorrow is a travel day, with Mindy and Nate heading to Milan, and Jenae and I will go to a small town on the western coast, near Genoa.
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