Reminder to myself. Finish adding videos, photos to my Norwegian blog, then make it public.
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For those reading this blog, I´ve changed my old HGT (House Garden Travel) blog, that used to be a bit like my photoblog, by adding my Booklist to it. From now on I´ll be adding YT videos of my reading some of my books, including Garden, biographies, historical, etc. All the old WT and MP and stew booklists, and all the ages and ages I´ve wanted to upload my books and records onto YT....finally with all the changes recently, decided to give it a go. A little each week when time.
As it´s the start of a new garden season, will try to add info on gardening from some of my more obscure gardening books.
off finally to sleep, must be up early in the morn, am meeting friends for tea.
HAPPY MOTHER`S DAY today! and Happy Valentine´s Day this Thursday 14th!:)
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On my cooking blog, I added the Mother´s Day supper recipes, including my ricotta chocolate cake, which is then topped with fig jam, and chocolate butter frosting. Usually, I might also cover this with a thin layer of marzipan, which is why I used the fig jam (see my Peter Rabbit cake for that type of version), but didn´t have time to. Glad I didn´t it was perfect without. Norwegian marzipan is much lighter in flavour than the typical English marzipan; as is Norwegian orange marmalade, which is also good in place of the fig jam.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Mother´s Day & Valentines, BiBg
Busy month!
Tuesday is Mother´s Day, Thursday is Valentines....blah blah blah then BiBg. T & kids have gone over to L´s. And I´ve got a splitting headache from my random on again off again on again "allergy" to our cats, who kept me up most of the night, bless, jumping on the bed, pawing the mattress to be let out at 3am (T got up and let them out that time haha), pawing my head, pouncing on my feet and/or head to snuggle and give sugars. A bit like Simon´s Cat, times 3,). We have 3 cats.
Beautiful sunny blue skies out since sunrise early this morning, been up with the kids early for first breakfast and 2nd, playing, talking, snuggling....with this damn splitting headache:(. Love our cats. hate the random allergy like sneezing, sniffly snuffly stuffed up nose, headache, weepy eyes etc--and it´s always been random, usually nothing, then rarely suddenly this. bah!
Had planned a big day out, to enjoy the beautiful weather, but now am sat in bed, snuggled up in Irish and Italian woolen blankets, blogging, resting, studying. AND I still have to start making the Mother´s Day supper for tomorrow night!
Courses, slightly mixed up, to make sure the munchins eat their veggies first, so salad is one of the first courses, not after the first and seconds. Courses, served separately:
ANTIPASTO (spicy olives, cured reindeer, grilled aubergine/eggplant type stuff)
SALAD (greens with Italian olive oil and balsamic vinegar)
RIBOLITTO (a leftover minestrone served over/with day old bread. Made with whatever seasonal winter veggies you´ve got to hand, plus whatever day old bread you´ve got that night from lunch or the day before. This time, it´s made with pink and white beans, onion, carrot, potato, basil, oregano, thyme, chervil, kale, chard, spinach, arugula, salt, pepper. Bread is grainery rolls with seeds from last night´s pasta supper). Not strictly Italian, but that´s what I had for the minestrone--chervil is more French, but still I threw it in, as that´s what I had and didn´t want to waste it.
RAVIOLI (handmade totally with hands and a rolling pin). Filling of ricotta, parmesan, fresh sage, egg,crushed walnuts, salt, pepper. Cream sauce with butter, sage, cream. Sprinkled with walnuts.
MEATBALLS with leeks and artichokes (ground beef, egg, semolina, seasoning, herb for the meatballs. Served in a sauce of sauteed leeks and artichokes).
CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE with chocolate frosting. (Cake made with lots of eggs, yolks, chocolate, cocoa, sugar, butter, flour, etc. Frosting made with the best butter available, cocoa, chocolate, vanilla, sugar. Cakes baked as 2 layers, cut into 4 once cooled. Frosted with just the chocolate frosting, no marizpan over that. Decorated with shaved and curled chocolate)
...........
Photos in a few days. Am gonna take a quick nap, then study Norwegian and Italian for the rest of the afternoon, in between cooking and baking!
Happy Mother´s Day to everyone---and it wouldn´t be possible without those things called kids!,) 1,2,3,4 storklem til dere, mye Sugars til dere også!!<3 p="">
TI VOGLIO BENE og jeg elsker DERE mye!!
Tuesday is Mother´s Day, Thursday is Valentines....blah blah blah then BiBg. T & kids have gone over to L´s. And I´ve got a splitting headache from my random on again off again on again "allergy" to our cats, who kept me up most of the night, bless, jumping on the bed, pawing the mattress to be let out at 3am (T got up and let them out that time haha), pawing my head, pouncing on my feet and/or head to snuggle and give sugars. A bit like Simon´s Cat, times 3,). We have 3 cats.
Beautiful sunny blue skies out since sunrise early this morning, been up with the kids early for first breakfast and 2nd, playing, talking, snuggling....with this damn splitting headache:(. Love our cats. hate the random allergy like sneezing, sniffly snuffly stuffed up nose, headache, weepy eyes etc--and it´s always been random, usually nothing, then rarely suddenly this. bah!
Had planned a big day out, to enjoy the beautiful weather, but now am sat in bed, snuggled up in Irish and Italian woolen blankets, blogging, resting, studying. AND I still have to start making the Mother´s Day supper for tomorrow night!
Courses, slightly mixed up, to make sure the munchins eat their veggies first, so salad is one of the first courses, not after the first and seconds. Courses, served separately:
ANTIPASTO (spicy olives, cured reindeer, grilled aubergine/eggplant type stuff)
SALAD (greens with Italian olive oil and balsamic vinegar)
RIBOLITTO (a leftover minestrone served over/with day old bread. Made with whatever seasonal winter veggies you´ve got to hand, plus whatever day old bread you´ve got that night from lunch or the day before. This time, it´s made with pink and white beans, onion, carrot, potato, basil, oregano, thyme, chervil, kale, chard, spinach, arugula, salt, pepper. Bread is grainery rolls with seeds from last night´s pasta supper). Not strictly Italian, but that´s what I had for the minestrone--chervil is more French, but still I threw it in, as that´s what I had and didn´t want to waste it.
RAVIOLI (handmade totally with hands and a rolling pin). Filling of ricotta, parmesan, fresh sage, egg,crushed walnuts, salt, pepper. Cream sauce with butter, sage, cream. Sprinkled with walnuts.
MEATBALLS with leeks and artichokes (ground beef, egg, semolina, seasoning, herb for the meatballs. Served in a sauce of sauteed leeks and artichokes).
CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE with chocolate frosting. (Cake made with lots of eggs, yolks, chocolate, cocoa, sugar, butter, flour, etc. Frosting made with the best butter available, cocoa, chocolate, vanilla, sugar. Cakes baked as 2 layers, cut into 4 once cooled. Frosted with just the chocolate frosting, no marizpan over that. Decorated with shaved and curled chocolate)
...........
Photos in a few days. Am gonna take a quick nap, then study Norwegian and Italian for the rest of the afternoon, in between cooking and baking!
Happy Mother´s Day to everyone---and it wouldn´t be possible without those things called kids!,) 1,2,3,4 storklem til dere, mye Sugars til dere også!!<3 p="">
TI VOGLIO BENE og jeg elsker DERE mye!!
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Carnevale in Venice, Superbowl Il gatto e la volpe
Yesterday was a bus direct from the Florence sentrum to Venice, for a Carnevale day, meeting at the central location in SMN plaza. They´re going a few more times during Carnevale, wanted to go too exhausted to bother. If I end up going, will post photos.
Tonight il Gatto e la Volpe, is hosting a Superbowl party, with actual American style "tailgate" foods, such as wings, and Italian foods such as bruschetta. Think it starts around 11pm, might go. Will post photos if I do, and remember to bring my camera. Is open til about 4am, superbowl I think will be finished by 1am (or earlier depending if the score has a huge gap).
Photos, if.
Tonight il Gatto e la Volpe, is hosting a Superbowl party, with actual American style "tailgate" foods, such as wings, and Italian foods such as bruschetta. Think it starts around 11pm, might go. Will post photos if I do, and remember to bring my camera. Is open til about 4am, superbowl I think will be finished by 1am (or earlier depending if the score has a huge gap).
Photos, if.
artists setup and pack up
As an artist, I thought these were very clever ways to pack up all the stuff one needs for plein air painting or selling in public places such as this...
more bidets and toilets: differences
The Bathroom Diaries, pinterest site (has a website too) of toilets around the world. Link.
ok here goes: how to use a bidet
Right. Since using bidets and squat toilets is a useful skill, and maybe not so obvious if one has not grown up with it, I just took some photos and will add a few comments.
Today is Sunday, and in Norway and Italy I´m used to Sundays as being a day to spend with family, friends relaxing. As I´m traveling again soon, I´ve spent it studying, watching old movies and generally relaxing.
As an experiment for this post, I tried the "American" way of using the toilet with toilet paper after. And then used one of the Italian bidets. There is no comparison--the bidet was so much more relaxing, enjoyable, refreshing. Finishing off with the toilet paper only, was ok. But using the bidet, felt so much cleaner. If you´ve never used one, and have the option, try it. After getting used to the difference, I bet you´ll rather use a bidet if you can.
The flush of this Italian toilet is a tiny metal button a few feet above the toilet. As usual, there is toilet paper space beside the toilet.
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USING A BIDET
The bidet is used for cleansing only. It is a not to be used as a toilet; use the toilet for the toilet. Wipe with paper as usual or not. Then switch to sitting on the bidet to cleanse. This is why the toilet and bidet are closely next to each other (see first photo, above).
For this particular bidet.
First you turn on the water flow. The cold is on the right. The hot is on the left. To be clear, cold, in italian is freddo. Hot, in Italian is caldo. C is f or hot, not cold. f is for cold.
Adjust the temperature of the water. Caldo (hot!) is on the left, I suggest you turn that on first, but be careful as the water might often be scalding hot immediately from the faucet/tap, as water is often heated immediately, so there is no wait time. Turn on the right faucet, which should say freddo for cold. Adjust the temperature, which should be warm to very warm.
This particular bidet, is the type you fill up half way with water, then sit down to wash. As so, it is fine to sit facing away from the faucets. There are three faucets, on this particular bidet, the center faucet is for stopping the flow of water out of the bidet, so it will fill. Do not over fill it, half way or slightly more is fine. To stopper up the bidet "sink", gently pull up on the center faucet, once you have the water temperature as you like it.
With this type of bidet, I like to squeeze a little bit of the liquid soap I´m using into the water, as it is filling up, so it will be a bit like a tiny, very warm, bubble bath. Everyone´s probably had a bubble bath, right? Using a bidet is a bit like having a tiny bath. Once the water is filled about half way.
The liquid soap I´ve used is Aveeno, I got at the local pharmacia (pharmacy/chemist). It´s very mild, and you should never use any really perfumed soaps, liquid or otherwise, on your genital area. Dove soap is another good soap, as it is mild with no perfumes. Aveeno makes a bar soap also, with or without colloidal oatmeal, which soothes skin, and is extremely mild. Bidets usually have a soap rack or back area where you keep the cleansers. And there is usually a towel rack or two above, where you can hang a clean towel for drying off.
I like to keep a basket usually for the used towels, but Sunday is also laundry/cleaning day so the bathroom was empty as I was in the middle of cleaning it and doing laundry.
So, water is warm, bidet is filled half way or so with warm, bubble bathy water. Ready for use. Sit down facing the faucets or not, then just use your hand(s) naturally to splash up the water onto your genital area to clean it. Remember you have wiped off from the toilet first using the toilet paper as usual, so there should not be any "crud" on it,). Bidet is for washing, not pooping or peeing in! It is disgusting and gross for those using bidet after you, if you have used the bidet as a toilet, or have not wiped off properly before use! Even though I already made the warm water a bit bubbly with the liquid body soap, I also put some on my hand, additionally, to wash off with. Then after a few minutes, I finish rinsing off, grab a clean bidet towel, dry off, put the used bidet towel in the basket for used bidet towels to be washed, finish getting my pants/skirt or whatever back up/on.
You can wash your hands in the sink after too if you like, which is what I usually do. And, don´t forget to let out the water, then rinse off the bidet.
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NOTE BIDET USE IN DIFFERENT CLIMATES
-Some in warm, hot climates wearing sandals take them off, and/or entirely take off their clothes from the waist down, and hang them up. I rarely do that--as I just do not find it easier or more convenient. Do whatever suits you best.
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3 FAUCETS, CENTRAL FOR VERTICAL WATER FLOW
Directions, for the type of bidet which has the middle faucet to adjust the vertical/horizontal flow of water. Be careful as some have a bit of a gyser effect, so you might get splashed if you turn this central faucet on too much suddenly!
Once you´re sat down, facing the waterflow, and have adjusted the water temperature, then use the middle tap for adjusting the verticle and horizontal flow of water. This is why you sit FACING the faucets, so the verticle water flow will be coming from underneath, not in front of you. (Or, sit whichever way the vertical flow of water is located so you are located over it, as bidets do differ).
Get some soap in your hands, wash off your nether regions, as the water is flowing. Get your bidet towel and dry off. Get your pants/skirt back on/up adjusted etc as usual. Wash hands in sink if you like.
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BIDET TOWELS
For the bidet towels. At home there will be two baskets. One with clean dry, specific colored, smaller sized bidet towels (to keep them separate in the wash, hotter water and detergent, so white usually is easiest). The other basket for used bidet towels. The towels are used to dry off after washing, not for wiping off.
My preference for bidet towels for drying off, is either small thick white cotton towels or washcloths, or slightly larger than washcloth sized cotton tea towel type cloths. White is easiest to keep clean, and look good after being washed lots in detergent with bleach at high (hot) temperature.
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BIDET SOAPS; CLEANSERS
As noted in directions, use mild body soaps, cleansers, with little or no perfume or harsh additives. I prefer Aveeno or Dove. Italy has endless choices, but Aveeno and Dove are my choice.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Tandori lunch today, Ponte Vecchio
Water, fresh squeezed blood orange juice with lots of ice, a slice of fruit and an umbrella and tiny US flag (not shown),). They also have Italian food here, not just tandori, hence the Italian olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the table.
This time, it was a shocking 30 Euros! If I had debated it though, I´d have missed my bus, making me miss my transfer. So I just said nothing and paid it. YES the food was very good, etc etc blah blah blah,but for it to be 16 Euros last month, and now 30 Euros, is a bit outrageous:(. It is the same thing, same amount of food.
Ok, not sure I will go back again as 30 Euros is just too much to pay:(.
Luckily when I am home in Norway, I can make it myself. Not quite as good, as I have no tandori oven, but I finally taught myself how to make everything, even the naan in the regular oven, just as hot as it will go. I finally tried enough recipes that I now have a really good naan recipe, and ditto with the chicken tikka, rice, and aloo jheera recipe. I like the idea of making it with olive oil rather than ghee or butter, so I got that idea from this place, and use that now too!
Really enjoyed my meal here. If you want to go, it´s the Tandori Italian place on the corner, Ponte Vecchio, next to what I call the Florence tiny Spanish steps,).
They´re really nice there, the Tandori food is great...I´ve heard the Italian food there is good too, but I wouldn´t know as I´ve only ever ordered tandori there:)
buon appetito!
Dessert taste test, with Euro prices
Just tried the Torta con Ciliegie, 5.89Euros. Def needed milk to drink with that! Or water, or hot tea/coffee. It´s pretty good, if you are in the mood for dessert. If you´re American, it´s like you made a banana cream pie, but with twinkies and layered the twinkies. The filling is pink, and the topping is fresh cooked cherries and cherry sauce ,so I think it is supposed to be cherry flavour. The top does taste like cherries, but the pink filling and layer cake tastes like twinkies with banana cream pie filling,). I swear it even tastes like bananas are in it. So much for that one. 6 out of 10. I´m a dessert girl--it takes more than banana tasting cherry cake to put me off my dessert,). Plus, well I´m not Italian, and don´t know really what it is supposed to be,)
The la Magia al cioccolato: tastes like milk chocolate pudding with cool whip on top. Not so much good this one, it´s ok. 1.76 Euros.
We already know I love tiramisu, and this one is about as good as a restaurants homemade or better, so def yes. And seeing as this is the second time I´ve bought this one, rather than at a restaurant, it´s atleast a 8-9 out of 10. If you don´t like tiramisu, you probably won´t like this one either. I like how it has about 10 thin layers of the cake/lady finger part, layered with the filling etc. Then cocoa on top. It´s very good. 6.30 Euros.
Today, Saturday: study, skype, dessert tasting:). bus fine
Today, Saturday, was a bit of a lazy day.
Up at 5am studying Norwegian, took a long hot bath, dried my hair...studied a bit more, skyped w the kids etc, studied...took a nap for about an hour til about 1pm.
Caught the C3 bus, and just rode it round its loop, near and along the river and Ponte Vecchio area mostly. Got off for lunch at the tandori at the Ponte Vecchio.
Took a few photos. Got on the C3 then changed a few stops up to a C2, and took that loop round.
C2 had ticket checkers on it, and they thought my ticket was not valid, so made me, and 2 others get off the bus for questioning and fines. Luckily, they finally believed me. When I had validated my ticket on the first bus, the machine had double stamped it so it could not be read, and I had other not used tickets, knew of the hefty fine etc. I really appreciate they believed me! The two others did not have tickets to validate, and each paid 60Euros cash right then and there, at the bancomat taking out cash then handing it over to the police (or whatever the ticket checkers are called. They have valid ids etc, not just random someone who says they work for the ATAF). So, thanks:).
At that point, waiting for another bus, wind blowing up my dress all around, raining lightly on and off, getting cold already even though it was nearly 55F out, getting dark in a few hours or less, not sure where the hell I was in that part of town (I´d gotten on that specific bus C2 to just ride it round to see where its loop route went), I caught another C2 in the same direction, to change to a 12 at the station, to get groceries, and go home.
By then it was pouring down so hard I could barely see, lucky had my umbrella! Got the 12 round to my grocery store, got groceries, got another 12 home. Immediately, put up the groceries, got in a hot bath, soaked, dried off, put on thick Norwegian woolen long johns and socks, finished blog.
And am looking forward to nothing tonight but snuggling up in bed with a book/movie, and taste testing various Italian desserts:
tiramisu (yes, again)
3 different chocolate desserts
panna cotta
another chocolate dessert with a different flavour on top
and
a layer cake of some sort, with fillings and fruit on top
Will blog the results and photos:)
I got milk too!,)
Up at 5am studying Norwegian, took a long hot bath, dried my hair...studied a bit more, skyped w the kids etc, studied...took a nap for about an hour til about 1pm.
Caught the C3 bus, and just rode it round its loop, near and along the river and Ponte Vecchio area mostly. Got off for lunch at the tandori at the Ponte Vecchio.
Took a few photos. Got on the C3 then changed a few stops up to a C2, and took that loop round.
C2 had ticket checkers on it, and they thought my ticket was not valid, so made me, and 2 others get off the bus for questioning and fines. Luckily, they finally believed me. When I had validated my ticket on the first bus, the machine had double stamped it so it could not be read, and I had other not used tickets, knew of the hefty fine etc. I really appreciate they believed me! The two others did not have tickets to validate, and each paid 60Euros cash right then and there, at the bancomat taking out cash then handing it over to the police (or whatever the ticket checkers are called. They have valid ids etc, not just random someone who says they work for the ATAF). So, thanks:).
At that point, waiting for another bus, wind blowing up my dress all around, raining lightly on and off, getting cold already even though it was nearly 55F out, getting dark in a few hours or less, not sure where the hell I was in that part of town (I´d gotten on that specific bus C2 to just ride it round to see where its loop route went), I caught another C2 in the same direction, to change to a 12 at the station, to get groceries, and go home.
By then it was pouring down so hard I could barely see, lucky had my umbrella! Got the 12 round to my grocery store, got groceries, got another 12 home. Immediately, put up the groceries, got in a hot bath, soaked, dried off, put on thick Norwegian woolen long johns and socks, finished blog.
And am looking forward to nothing tonight but snuggling up in bed with a book/movie, and taste testing various Italian desserts:
tiramisu (yes, again)
3 different chocolate desserts
panna cotta
another chocolate dessert with a different flavour on top
and
a layer cake of some sort, with fillings and fruit on top
Will blog the results and photos:)
I got milk too!,)
Friday Cascine Park Pros and Cons; and Tram sigh
(Note, was tired when writing this, it is tramvia, not tramvie).
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Took the tramvia to Cascine Park. Had planned on having a picnic--which I would NOT recommend.
Random notes.
I´d gone to the shoppes and got food, as I had wanted and had planned on having a picnic in the park. How difficult could that be--mind you apparently not the done thing in many countries. In Norway, where I live, at least in Bergen area, it is not just ok but done often, and no problem to do so, and the parks even have picnic benches and clean grass if you want to actually sit on the ground as most of us do. It is clean and safe, but ok I digress. We are in Italy, and I hate to be negative, but:
1) There was no where to sit. The grass everywhere was not grass but very lively stingling nettles, which I usually like for picking for steeping in a tea or infusion. But stinging nettles, STING, so you can not sit on them. The rest of the "grass" which was not mostly the huge patches of huge stinging nettle leaves, was muddy, marshy or dirt.
2) or worse: fresh dog poop. Huge cupcake swirls of poop--which I always think the cupcake frosting done in long swirled logs of frosting look like:(.
Dog owners do not pick up their dog´s poop here, and apparently no one else does either, and the grassy areas seem to be more for outdoor potties for the dogs than for people and kids to actually use:(. I was not happy with that...
But ok, I tried to make the best of it. Cascine Park is the largest park around, and there were some benches, but it was windy, so I found a really pretty area near where the tramvia dropped me off, to sit.
PHOTO
It was by a type of grotto (?) above and slightly below ground, with a pretty pond, the water dripping and gurling and generally making noises was soothing. Hardly any birds were around, nor people.
Near the ground, near this water pond grotto, were several very interesting, lovely ground seating made from stones. They were surprisingly comfortable, so low on the ground just above the main ground, wide and protected from the constant wind.
I´d gotten delicious cheeses, ham and focaccia bread to make a sandwich, and had a pear yogurt, etc. Was hungry and looking forward to enjoying the views, the gurgling relaxing pond, and having my picnic.
It was not two minutes I was sat down, before some guy came up and started bothering me, apparently wanting to know if I wanted sex. YES, I am NOT exaggerating! I was very annoyed, VERY.
Finally got the guy to leave me alone, started eating my sandwich, QUICKLY, just to hurry and finish my picnic, which also annoyed me...when ANOTHER guy came up and started bothering me, a few minutes later, again wanting SEX. W T F. It was broad daylight, and granted it is not tourist season so hardly anyone, but there were random people walking alone or in pairs, or on a bicycle, or running or jogging. And the tramvie was literally within sight, and two minute walk away! I was hardly even in the park, ffs. Sorry, but all of this really annoyed me!
The other side, in front of me, on the river side, was a kids play area and tivoli, with the workers actually at work, though the rides (tivoli) were not yet open. It was not as if I was in the middle of the dark, deep park, I had literally only just gotten off the tramvia and walked two minutes from it.
Finally got this guy to leave me alone, finished my sandwich quickly, decided I´d had enough picnic, but that I had come out that far to see the damn park, and was gonna see it! So, I stayed on the main path, with other few people, walking, running, alone or in pairs.
Twice, I barely deviated from this main path, to take a few photos. More more more of the stinging nettles, which apparently had an amazing habitat as I´ve never seen stinging nettles so large before! More dog poop. Everywhere. Fresh and just waiting to be stepped in, or sat in or played in. Gross! I would NOT take our kids here, nor let them play anywhere in the "grass". 90% stinging nettles, and about 5% dog poop, mud, bits of grass and weeds.
OH the beautiful crocus, those tiny pretty spring flowers, and daisies, were in bloom, so that was pretty, and I took photos. I really am trying to not be negative:(. I was really looking forward to a day in this park!:(
I finally found the pyramid I had wanted to see. It has a long history, which I won´t go into now that this post is making me annoyed again, but it is a large pyramid which I thought was pretty. Now it is used for a potters shed for the park, to hold tools or whatnot I suppose. I took photos.
I am still annoyed with this park. I did not feel safe here. At all! I am annoyed about that.
And, unfortunately all the trees and hedges looked as if they are dying of disease and bugs eating them. The poor trees often had holes and such, other signs of decay and dying, near the ground to about a foot or few above the ground. The bay leaves looked full of bugs holes and other disease. It´s a shame, as the park is very lovely, and large, it could be a wonderful place for an afternoon for enjoying a park, if only.
This is the same park my friends and I went to the flea market the other day. It runs along a river, is vast, is connected by buses and the lightrail, etc. It has so much potential, but as an outsider, as much as I tried to see the positive aspect, as much as I love trees, and parks, the outdoors, etc....as much as I appreciate everything in this park, and all the positive points, the bottom line is I did not feel safe there, and I would NOT bring my kids there.
I hate that, but this is the post. And I will add photos as soon as I have time.
I would go back to Cascine, but not alone, and not with my kids, and probably only in the daylight, with other people, or with a large group of people, or for the flea market.
There are a few other things I saw there I´d like to see what they were another time: a large cube building, some old traditional buildings /neighborhoods?, near one end.
From there as it was getting dark soon, I took a 60 bus further out to see that area. I was a bit worried about getting the bus back, about finding the bus stop for that direction, so did not take it all the way out (wasn´t sure if it made a loop), stepped off at a conad, got groceries, as I saw a stop in each directions right outside that grocery store.
Quickly got groceries, was hassled a bit by not beggars but the guys who try to demand you buy something from them, then the bus 60 back to Cascine was along soon.
Back at Cascine, I took the lightrail to its farthest stop outside the city, and back. The last stop was a beautiful, lovely colored falling down villa with orchard, and lots of land covered in grasses, then mountains. Maybe what all this used to look like.
This far out it was like being in the sprawl of the US, cars, large parking lots, large McDonalds. one of the restaurants on the list to go to (Iliaopesce or something), more rural and bucolic mixed with Home Depot sized stores here and there. Large blocks of flats in tall buildings, not much really for a tourist to see, but worth the visit out once, if youvé the time. It was so warm and cozy out in the actual weather, if there had been something to do, I´d have stayed, even though by then it was dark. Two elderly Italian men, friends, had come out to see it also. They used to live out there...long ago before things got built up. We exchanged smiles, pleasantries, hellos and chatted a bit. They seemed to have enjoyed seeing it again, the 3 of us all by ourselves at the end of the line, just there to see it, waiting for the tram to come back to take us back to the sentrum. The small rounded hill beside the tracks, was covered in wild flowers, crocus and daisies etc, the lovely low mountains in the near background, skies purple nearly darkened to black. Lights of the station stop came on brightly. Pretty much nothing out there, a few things here and there. The old villa had some people at it, not sure if they were putting it right, or stealing bits and pieces from its fading gloriously old crumbling walls, courtyard, gardens.
We 3 got on the tram together, sat together, watched out the window, the fading landscape we were leaving, heading back to sentrum.
Done and dusted. Probably the only time. Shame. The weather was so wonderful, the air so clean, scented of flowers and rain. The sentrum yesterday seemed to me suddenly very polluted, dirt hanging in the air, breathing in grime. My eyes hurt, itched, were stinging from nearly the moment I stepped out. I felt like the air I was breathing in was full of smog, dirt, car fumes. A glum greyness seemed to barely show, hanging over the streets, water, lower half near where we walked or waited for the bus. It was not pleasant, and a little bit scary--feeling like I could not get clean air to breath:(.
I had so been looking forward to my picnic in Cascine and riding the light rail into the countryside.
(Yes I have been out to Fiesole etc, but I wanted to ride the tram out...)
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Took the tramvia to Cascine Park. Had planned on having a picnic--which I would NOT recommend.
Random notes.
I´d gone to the shoppes and got food, as I had wanted and had planned on having a picnic in the park. How difficult could that be--mind you apparently not the done thing in many countries. In Norway, where I live, at least in Bergen area, it is not just ok but done often, and no problem to do so, and the parks even have picnic benches and clean grass if you want to actually sit on the ground as most of us do. It is clean and safe, but ok I digress. We are in Italy, and I hate to be negative, but:
1) There was no where to sit. The grass everywhere was not grass but very lively stingling nettles, which I usually like for picking for steeping in a tea or infusion. But stinging nettles, STING, so you can not sit on them. The rest of the "grass" which was not mostly the huge patches of huge stinging nettle leaves, was muddy, marshy or dirt.
2) or worse: fresh dog poop. Huge cupcake swirls of poop--which I always think the cupcake frosting done in long swirled logs of frosting look like:(.
Dog owners do not pick up their dog´s poop here, and apparently no one else does either, and the grassy areas seem to be more for outdoor potties for the dogs than for people and kids to actually use:(. I was not happy with that...
But ok, I tried to make the best of it. Cascine Park is the largest park around, and there were some benches, but it was windy, so I found a really pretty area near where the tramvia dropped me off, to sit.
It was by a type of grotto (?) above and slightly below ground, with a pretty pond, the water dripping and gurling and generally making noises was soothing. Hardly any birds were around, nor people.
Near the ground, near this water pond grotto, were several very interesting, lovely ground seating made from stones. They were surprisingly comfortable, so low on the ground just above the main ground, wide and protected from the constant wind.
I´d gotten delicious cheeses, ham and focaccia bread to make a sandwich, and had a pear yogurt, etc. Was hungry and looking forward to enjoying the views, the gurgling relaxing pond, and having my picnic.
It was not two minutes I was sat down, before some guy came up and started bothering me, apparently wanting to know if I wanted sex. YES, I am NOT exaggerating! I was very annoyed, VERY.
Finally got the guy to leave me alone, started eating my sandwich, QUICKLY, just to hurry and finish my picnic, which also annoyed me...when ANOTHER guy came up and started bothering me, a few minutes later, again wanting SEX. W T F. It was broad daylight, and granted it is not tourist season so hardly anyone, but there were random people walking alone or in pairs, or on a bicycle, or running or jogging. And the tramvie was literally within sight, and two minute walk away! I was hardly even in the park, ffs. Sorry, but all of this really annoyed me!
The other side, in front of me, on the river side, was a kids play area and tivoli, with the workers actually at work, though the rides (tivoli) were not yet open. It was not as if I was in the middle of the dark, deep park, I had literally only just gotten off the tramvia and walked two minutes from it.
Finally got this guy to leave me alone, finished my sandwich quickly, decided I´d had enough picnic, but that I had come out that far to see the damn park, and was gonna see it! So, I stayed on the main path, with other few people, walking, running, alone or in pairs.
Twice, I barely deviated from this main path, to take a few photos. More more more of the stinging nettles, which apparently had an amazing habitat as I´ve never seen stinging nettles so large before! More dog poop. Everywhere. Fresh and just waiting to be stepped in, or sat in or played in. Gross! I would NOT take our kids here, nor let them play anywhere in the "grass". 90% stinging nettles, and about 5% dog poop, mud, bits of grass and weeds.
OH the beautiful crocus, those tiny pretty spring flowers, and daisies, were in bloom, so that was pretty, and I took photos. I really am trying to not be negative:(. I was really looking forward to a day in this park!:(
I finally found the pyramid I had wanted to see. It has a long history, which I won´t go into now that this post is making me annoyed again, but it is a large pyramid which I thought was pretty. Now it is used for a potters shed for the park, to hold tools or whatnot I suppose. I took photos.
I am still annoyed with this park. I did not feel safe here. At all! I am annoyed about that.
And, unfortunately all the trees and hedges looked as if they are dying of disease and bugs eating them. The poor trees often had holes and such, other signs of decay and dying, near the ground to about a foot or few above the ground. The bay leaves looked full of bugs holes and other disease. It´s a shame, as the park is very lovely, and large, it could be a wonderful place for an afternoon for enjoying a park, if only.
This is the same park my friends and I went to the flea market the other day. It runs along a river, is vast, is connected by buses and the lightrail, etc. It has so much potential, but as an outsider, as much as I tried to see the positive aspect, as much as I love trees, and parks, the outdoors, etc....as much as I appreciate everything in this park, and all the positive points, the bottom line is I did not feel safe there, and I would NOT bring my kids there.
I hate that, but this is the post. And I will add photos as soon as I have time.
I would go back to Cascine, but not alone, and not with my kids, and probably only in the daylight, with other people, or with a large group of people, or for the flea market.
There are a few other things I saw there I´d like to see what they were another time: a large cube building, some old traditional buildings /neighborhoods?, near one end.
From there as it was getting dark soon, I took a 60 bus further out to see that area. I was a bit worried about getting the bus back, about finding the bus stop for that direction, so did not take it all the way out (wasn´t sure if it made a loop), stepped off at a conad, got groceries, as I saw a stop in each directions right outside that grocery store.
Quickly got groceries, was hassled a bit by not beggars but the guys who try to demand you buy something from them, then the bus 60 back to Cascine was along soon.
Back at Cascine, I took the lightrail to its farthest stop outside the city, and back. The last stop was a beautiful, lovely colored falling down villa with orchard, and lots of land covered in grasses, then mountains. Maybe what all this used to look like.
This far out it was like being in the sprawl of the US, cars, large parking lots, large McDonalds. one of the restaurants on the list to go to (Iliaopesce or something), more rural and bucolic mixed with Home Depot sized stores here and there. Large blocks of flats in tall buildings, not much really for a tourist to see, but worth the visit out once, if youvé the time. It was so warm and cozy out in the actual weather, if there had been something to do, I´d have stayed, even though by then it was dark. Two elderly Italian men, friends, had come out to see it also. They used to live out there...long ago before things got built up. We exchanged smiles, pleasantries, hellos and chatted a bit. They seemed to have enjoyed seeing it again, the 3 of us all by ourselves at the end of the line, just there to see it, waiting for the tram to come back to take us back to the sentrum. The small rounded hill beside the tracks, was covered in wild flowers, crocus and daisies etc, the lovely low mountains in the near background, skies purple nearly darkened to black. Lights of the station stop came on brightly. Pretty much nothing out there, a few things here and there. The old villa had some people at it, not sure if they were putting it right, or stealing bits and pieces from its fading gloriously old crumbling walls, courtyard, gardens.
We 3 got on the tram together, sat together, watched out the window, the fading landscape we were leaving, heading back to sentrum.
Done and dusted. Probably the only time. Shame. The weather was so wonderful, the air so clean, scented of flowers and rain. The sentrum yesterday seemed to me suddenly very polluted, dirt hanging in the air, breathing in grime. My eyes hurt, itched, were stinging from nearly the moment I stepped out. I felt like the air I was breathing in was full of smog, dirt, car fumes. A glum greyness seemed to barely show, hanging over the streets, water, lower half near where we walked or waited for the bus. It was not pleasant, and a little bit scary--feeling like I could not get clean air to breath:(.
I had so been looking forward to my picnic in Cascine and riding the light rail into the countryside.
(Yes I have been out to Fiesole etc, but I wanted to ride the tram out...)
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