Monday, 19 March, 2018
Our son Michael loves the movies from his youth, among them the 1984 original version of Ghostbusters.
He has imparted his love of this same film to our grandson Jacob whose favorite character in the movie is played by Dan Aykroyd, Dr. Ray Stantz.
One of Jacob's 6th birthday presents yesterday was his own Ghostbusters overalls. Michael wore a matching shirt all day with the two of them drawing several passerby in the streets to say "Who ya' gonna call?"
In California, no Proton Packs are sold to anyone under 21 years of age.
"What were you thinking, Ray?"
This is probably my favorite picture of young Jacob to date.
At about 1:00 p.m., I gave up on Saturday's game video being uploaded to HUDL for the day and decided to get out of the Villa Skorpion for a few hours.
Destination: Milano
Sometimes just walking down the street, you take a glance down a small passageway and see something surprising.
Like this building
I hope someone will restore
the decay on this corner
Show stopping doorway
Anybody need a watch?
Today is the Feast of St. Joseph
Thus, appropriately in at least nominally a Catholic country, it was also Father's Day or the Festa del Papà.
Why is bread on the ceiling?
The Pasticceria San Giorgio served a good brioche prosciutto and cheese sandwich and, against all the cultural norms of Italy, a great afternoon cappuccino.
Well it is a pasticceria after all
Of course there was a car inside
the pasticceria
Don't they all have one?
Re-energized, I continued to roam and seek the minutiae of Milano.
Like this random door that led . . .
. . . to this passageway that led . . .
. . . to this random courtyard
There are lots of hidden courtyards around the city but not many as spectacular as this one.
Moving on . . .
The Porta Venezia
Standing Guard for centuries
Hmmm . . .
SHE'S GOT A BOMB!
My goal was to travel around the city to try to find four more of my book 111 Places in Milan That You Must Not Miss sites of interest.
First up . . .
#70 Platform 21
The central station's ghost train
The Shoa Memorial
Shoa is another word for the Holocaust.
Unfortunately this horrific concept of racial and ethnic cleansing had a chapter here in Milan. This museum is in a tunnel below Platform 21 of the Milan Central Station where I have recently taken train trips to Genoa, Turin and Bergamo.
During WWII, the Nazi-Fascists deported hundreds of people by loading them onto train convoys for a one-way trip to the concentration camps at Auschwitz, Mauthausen and Bolzano.
This area, under the ordinary platforms, used to be operated by the postal service located just across the street.
Given its hidden nature underground, it provided a perfect cover to pack outgoing trains with humans instead of mail starting in 1943.
A teacher and her class
"Indifference"
Platform 21 Memory Trip
Loading Dock
Packed in
Tribute in a boxcar
Special Exhibit Topic
Exhibits mostly in Italian
But many were, thankfully, translated into English.
Reminders of
everyday hardships . . .
. . . and courage . . .
. . . overcoming the odds . . .
. . . as well as mental toughness
Hard to imagine that this happened in this beautiful city.
But it did.
#23 The Crying Madonna
In the courtyard of the old leper colony
Yes, an old leper colony
It is now a Russian Orthodox church
Leading to a peaceful garden
Wasn't that the cross on
Thomas Magnum's ring?
Orthodox onion domes
Call to services bells
Ornate eastern influence
They can light a ton of
candles if need be
The Crying Madonna
She wasn't crying today.
This Virgin and Child was painted by a monk from Mount Athos in Greece and donated to the congregation here at the Church of Saint Nicholas.
Occasionally both the Madonna and the baby Jesus weep.
The tears appear to be a type of vegetable oil that gives off a perfumed essence. This phenomenon was first witnessed in 2010.
I loved the typically huge beard that the Orthodox priest who led me to the Madonna was sporting.
It was interesting.
Both the beard and the entire church.
Strong as usual . . .
. . . up to a point
Nothing quite like a hot apricot jam crêpe on a cold day.
This place served a perfect one if you ask me.
My sweet tooth satisfied, I boarded the #1 Metro Red Line and got off at the Duomo exit.
As I neared the stairs to pop out of the bowels of the Milano's Metro system, I was overpowered by amazing violin music.
It was this happy musician
playing his heart out next to
the Duomo
I liked him, how about you?
He was definitely worth a donation from me.
Moving on . . .
Arnaldo Pomodoro's "SUN"
in Piazza Meda
Chiesa San Fedele and an Arcade
#12 Casa Degli Omenoni
Where the owner was friends with Michelangelo
Six male figures decorate the
façade of this 16th-century
palazzo designed by Leone Leoni
In 1542, Leoni had his palazzo built
He had local artist Antonio Abbondio design these six stone telamon that dominate the façade.
Locals referred to them as the
Omenomi or "large men"
Leoni was good friends
with Michelangelo
Having seen the pieces that Michelangelo created for the Roman tomb of Pope Julius II led to his commissioning Abbondio to make these six huge, sad figures.
DAMN!
#102 Via Bagnera
The street of the serial killer
Via Bagnera
This narrow lane is only two short blocks long and is desolate as only the backs of its buildings face the via.
It has that feel of a good place to avoid at night so as not to get mugged.
About 150 years ago that was much more than a real possibility. A serial killer roamed the area for over ten years before being apprehended.
In a basement of a Via Bagnera building, the police found cut up body parts of four of his robbery victims.
The killer was convicted of his crimes and was hanged in 1861, the last capital punishment decreed by the city's tribunal.
Unless you count the Indifference to Platform 21.
Painted in 1516
in San Giorgio Chiesa
Located right next to Via Bagnera, I had not entered a church yet today.
San Giorgio slaying the Dragon
Laurel Wreath of Peace
atop a War Memorial
I think Laurie will like this place
I have not tried it but it looks inviting to me.
Some more late photos from our game last Saturday night were posted on-line by Skorpion fans today.
As good as these are, we still lost 16-0.
Offense meeting on the sidelines
It was wet
Steamy Timeout Huddle
Lots of exercise on Monday
I needed it after not going out of the Villa Skorpion on Sunday.
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