"Bon Jono," Mr C called out on the morning of Day 6. "Once again, I'll ask you to check your passports. Make sure they're where they are. Today, we will drive 120 km to Verona, take a look at Juliet's Balcony, then drive another 165 km to Milan. No lunch arrangement in Verona so you are free to eat wherever you please. This is a good time to laze at the open air cafe with coffee and pizzas. And if you prefer something a little more familiar, there is a McDonald's at Piazza Bra."
Our hotel was at the outskirt of mainland Venice, a brilliant decision, said Mr C because we were able to avoid the early morning peak hour as we eased out of Venice for Verona.
After the city tax was dealt with, the coach was parked outside the city center. We walked the remaining distance across a bridge and beyond until behold! ~~~ We saw the first century Roman Arena.
VERONA
Our hotel was at the outskirt of mainland Venice, a brilliant decision, said Mr C because we were able to avoid the early morning peak hour as we eased out of Venice for Verona.
After the city tax was dealt with, the coach was parked outside the city center. We walked the remaining distance across a bridge and beyond until behold! ~~~ We saw the first century Roman Arena.
VERONA
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| Verona Arena (built of pink tinged marble) a Roman amphitheater in Piazza Bra now used for the annual Verona Music Festival Internationally famous for large scale Opera Performances |
Neoclassical style Palace, now Town Hall. Built by architect Barbieri. Originally served the Hapsburgs (Austria) as military barracks.
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| Piazza Bra view from Palazzo Barbieri (It was raining cats and dogs.) |
Everyone headed for the block of buildings at the background of the above picture. We looked at a map on the street surface near a junction, made a turn here, a turn there and arrived at a passage between two graffitied walls
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JULIET'S BALCONY
Beyond the graffitied walls was Juliet's Balcony. Yes. We are talking about the Juliet from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
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A bronze statue of Juliet stood beneath the balcony, it's breasts, particularly bright from years of molestation by gullible tourists. It appears that unmarried people who touches Juliet's statue will find the love of their life. Everyone was packed like sardines in a tin, so without further exploration, we beat a hasty retreat.
Shop-lots filled with branded goods lined both sides of the narrow alley. We headed for the flea market and lunch. Then, what do you know? It began to rain cats and dogs, hippopotamuses too. We took refuge at the Palazzo Barbieri and watched Mr C run around like a headless chicken until the entire group was gathered for the long drive to Milan.
MILAN
MILAN
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| Milan |
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GALLERIA VITTORIO EMANUELE II
One of the world's oldest shopping mall, housed within a 4 storey double arcade and named after Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of the Kingdom of Italy. The galleria connects The Duomo di Milano (church) and The Scala Theatre.
The ladies went in for the kill but woe ... Woe is Me! The intense heat from the previous day coupled with the deep fried squid served at lunch in Venice had given me a sore throat which went ballistic. The shivers came and I was in a foul mood.
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I stood at a quiet corner outside a Louis Vuitton outlet to observe the revelry within the Galleria. A group of young people dressed in red T-shirts stirred up a ruckus somewhere in the middle. They were carrying the Star of David flag and prayer shawls.
Walking resolutely along the passages were Chinese men and women, dressed smartly, pulling cabin luggage filled with (someone whispered) hard currency. What they do with their hard currency was no business of mine but I resented the way they cleared their throats and emptied its content into open trashcans, especially when I'm feverish. Did I mention I was in a foul mood?
My head was heavy. We spotted a McDonald's outlet in the distance and headed there for some tea and rest. Four years ago, McDonald's was prevented from renewing its tenancy at the Galleria, after 20 years of occupancy. The restaurant contended that they were the only tenant to be denied the right of first refusal on its new lease and that the public tender to replace them was unfair. So they sued the landlord - City of Milan - for €24 million, in damages alleging that the loss of the lease will deprive McDonald's of €6 million per year in sales. During its last few hours of operation, the restaurant offered free food and drinks to over 5000 customers. The McDonald's restaurant was replaced with the Galleria's second Prada Store. McDonald's renounced its suit against the City of Milan after receiving the opportunity to open a new restaurant in a nearby area.
And at this outlet, we sipped our tea and watch the world go by. I was flushed with fever and almost reluctantly swallowed half a paracetamol.
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| Duomo di Milano (dedicated to St Mary of the Nativity), seat of the Archbishop of Milan. Took nearly six centuries to complete. Located at Piazza del Duomo |
The sun was sinking fast and I was exhausted by the day's tour so without looking to the left or right, we walked towards the rendezvous point. It was a long wait as some of the ladies were not done shopping. Did I mention I was in a foul mood?
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