Italian food

I went for Sunday lunch for classic dishes and families.

This boy checks everything out

Risotto with cheese sauce

Perfect osso bucco

And I discovered the tram system

Peaceful, not like the metro

And the canals, which used to surround the city.

Now lined with shops and cafes

And alive with fish

And the historic buildings still rise amidst it all

Onward

I took the train back to Turin and then the bus to Milan.

Glass sculpture and high rise near Turin bus station.

The bus was delayed so I had a sandwich while waiting.  A day with no special food.  Guess it won’t kill me.

Getting from the Milan  bus station to the apartment was easy.  Escalators everywhere.

I chose the apartment because it has a terrace with a view.

And it is quiet.  This is the penthouse.  I walked to the market for wine and soup and cold cuts for dinner.  Then I read on the terrace.  I might not see much of Milan.

Around Bra

Friday morning was market day.

I did find a  nice sweater.  There were great food stands too.  Then I walked up to the park on the hill.

The view of town back in 1900

The head quarters and founder of Slow Food

The main restaurant, which was all booked up

We walked a bit and found a nice place for dinner.

Trip to Italy

I had a sandwich for lunch in the waiting room at the Grenoble bus station.

Then I had about a three hour ride through the beautiful southern Alps.

One of my fellow passengers was an Italian young man who is studying in Grenoble.

He walked with me to the train station, where he took the fast train home to Bologna and I took the slow local to Bra.

Where I met Antonio for dinner.

Pork chop marinated

So good to talk to Antonio, who always has interesting thoughts and projects.

Anticlimax

For over a year I have been trying to get my Titre de Séjour.  This is like a renewable visa.  At times I was in a state of panic that I would be forced to leave.  But I heard often enough that this is France, just wait.

Sure enough, I got a text last week that it was ready and I should  check the Prefecture website to find out how to collect it.  Which was another learning experience.

So there I was, in line on Friday morning.

We have turned the corner

In lines inside

Bathroom break after getting my Titre.  Of course, someone has corrected the grammer.

Here it is.  Valid for a year.  So most of the line are renewals.  Which includes a €250 fee.  Which is how it is done here.

Neighborhood.

On Wednesday I went to the office of my osteopath, a few bus stops away.  There is no school here on Wednesdays, because they have a four day week.  But students had gathered at the high school, trying to organize a demonstration.

My area is pretty quiet.

The bus stop has nice views.

In the news they say student protests were bigger today and elsewhere.  The teachers need better pay.  The students want to be valued.  Life goes on.

Neighborhood attic sale

The fall flea market was in full swing when I opened my windows as it warmed up after breakfast.

Standing at my front door

Looking to the right

Young shopper

I was tempted to the extent of 30 euros.

Two silk dresses, warm hoodie, sandals that fit,  & 5 books

A Polish? potato pastry from the restaurant around the corner

Talk about simple consumer satisfaction!

Sky

Sunrise Friday

More sunrise

Full moon last night

Sunrise right now

Two for one

I went out to go to an art expo and found the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the local bakery set up in the square.

Since I had just been reading a chapter on bread in Trade World, it was surreal to find the real thing at my door.

The art expo was at the expo spaces near the big mall.

I had expected a collection of local galleries, but it drew from high end as far as Toulouse.

I love this

And this, from Sweden

A collage in acrylic

Seen from the side

And there was still a pain au chocolat left when I got back.

Home ground

I took the train 40 minutes to Arras, which is near where my ancestors lived.

Local train station in Lille

Local countryside

Place des Heros & Beffroi

Side of cathedral

Grande Place

Arras was extensively bombed in WWI.  They built it back as it had been.

I had lunch right next to the square.

Potatoes & nori & mussels

Fish with veggies & aioli

Scoop of vanilla ice  cream with just enough chocolate sauce

Then I took a tour from the tourist office, located in that gorgeous building on the square, of the stone quarries/caves under the building.

In WWI the British forces connected all the caves and hid 24,000 troops for a surprise attack

On the way home in Lille I took this picture to show it is a modern city.

With a rush hour