touring turin

ok, this has to be quick. the hotel charges by the hour for wifi, pronounced "weefee." we dropped the dog off this morning at camp at 9:30. he was looking at us suspiciously as we packed, as if he knew something was going down. when we arrived at his spa, he jumps out of the car, the proprietor picks him up and he, zydeco, begins licking his face. so much for our worries about leaving him.

the drive from st. marce to turin was very pleasant. literally no traffic whatsoever. we drove down the valley of the maurienne, in a narrow valley that should have been spectacular. the low clouds and light drizzle shrouded any majesty the alps could show us. oh well, at least the driving was easy.


we wound our way up the valley to modane, on the french side of the 13 km long tunnel de frejus which connects france and italy. 32.50 euros later we are in italy. nance doesn't do tunnels well after our last experience in the tunnel du mont blanc, the day before it caught fire and burned for a week.

without our trusty gps, marge, armed only with a google map and directions we landed right on our hotel near the train station in turin with little pain. the stazione di puorta nuova is right in the center of town, and our hotel due mondi is two blocks from it. we pulled up in front, right away spotted a working girl on the corner. new it was a safe neighborhood. walker then commented that he thought it was a man, not a woman. we really did not try to ascertain the whole truth. the hotel is a bit tired, as they say, but with your eyes closed and ear plugs in we can stand it for one night. glad we brought the cocoons. walker swears he is sleeping on top of his covers with his clothes on.

our objective on this excursion was to visit the egyptian museum. it is supposed to be second to cairo in its' collection. it was fabulous! the scope of egyptian history is mind boggling, and to see the statues, sarcophagi, mummies, objects, and writings from thousands of years ago overwhelms the imagination. it is not being there, but it is close.

after our museum tour we wandered around the central part of town, gelato in hand like the thousands of others we saw. the city center is a mix of upscale shops, hermes, cartier, etc. and footlocker, timberland, and fnac. much like any other big city shopping area.

then back to the hotel for a quick nap before dinner and more exploring. tomorrow on to briancon, high in the french alps, just across the border.

it is now 6:30 our time, and we raise a toast to liz and george on their wedding day!

ciao!