Sunday, 7 July, 2019
Today was my 72nd birthday.
How time flies when you are still having the time of your life!
We started our day the usual way, with a trip to the Pasticceria Mirabelli for a cappuccino and brioche. Apparently, Giorgio Nardi had already been there this morning and alerted Chiara, Giorgia and Hilary as to the international significance of the day.
So, when we arrived, the awesome Marabelli staff greeted me loud "AUGURI" cheers!
Auguri is the traditional Italian salutation for our Happy Birthday greeting.
The ladies also created this amazing
Auguri Cannoncini all Crema complete
with a candle for me to blow out!
We have both really enjoyed our relationship with these three ladies plus Christina who was not working this morning. Their great attitudes combined with Marabelli's quality coffee, pastries and now gelato in the Summer make this a place we will sorely miss when we return to California next week.
As you may recall, my second cousin Maria Clara lives in Pavia, just south of Milano, with her husband Dario and their daughter Isabella. Today we were going to meet for lunch at the Birreria La Grancia located on the grounds of the old Abbatia Sancte Marie de Morimundo.
Our Google Maps app led us astray as it led us to the exact spot where it thought that our abbey complex was located, WRONG!
It had guided us to a spot about 15 minutes east of the correct location, we were able to re-program the app and finally got to the abbey.
The old abbey complex now houses
many restaurants and a still functioning
Catholic church
It is a BIG complex and it was
HOT!
The temperature gage in our car said that it was 36°C/97°F in Morimundo but it felt much hotter.
Our dining spot was to the right
All the tables had been moved
into the shade outdoors rather
than have diners suffering in the
steamy indoor parts of the birreria
A gentle breeze made us all a bit more comfortable during our excellent meal.
"Tante Auguri"
I'm becoming really good at
blowing out a single candle
My cousins remembered my Birthday too.
With Maria Clara, Isabella, Laurie
and Dario at Birreria La Grancia
GOOD TIMES INDEED!
After our great shared meal, we all took a short walk around the abbey's grounds and were pleasantly surprised to find a vintage car show on the grounds near the Catholic church.
A smart looking red sports car
was our first sighting
This green Triumph was
absolutely pristine
I have no idea in what year this
classic MG was built but it got
my vote for Car of the Show
Right side steering was a
MUST to get my vote
Cool decals
What a fine looking automobile
The Abbazia Santa Maria
Di Morimondo church in
the background
The slightly different spelling of the complex and the church are due, I believe, to the use of both Italian and the Milanese dialect in naming things at this beautiful, rural site.
An old Fiat with a
seating capacity two humans
on the street or 12 clowns at the
Barnum and Bailey Circus
No idea what make this car
is but I liked its sight lines
More of the abbey grounds
At this point we bid our farewells to the cousins and promised to get together again next year during Season III of our Varese Skorpions experience.
While our Italian cousins headed home, Laurie and I opted to explore the abbey complex a bit more.
Of course we entered
the church
The brick columns
looked sturdy to me
There was not too much to see in this simple, austere sanctuary so we headed back to the car show outside as we made our way slowly back to our car in the stifling heat.
Great wire wheels are part
of a great sports car in my opinion
Why is it that only Morgans
sported these leather belts
around their bonnets?
Ownership Pride
I owned an MG once
It was a 1965 British Green MG Midget that I eventually outgrew.
Not mentally but indeed physically.
Damn, I loved that car and actually fell in love with a girl for the first and last time while I drove it.
Good times!
A Fiat racing car?
One last look at the Catholic church
Due to our typical and enjoyable three hour lunch, we did not get home until late in the afternoon.
It was too hot to bother eating dinner, so we decided to just relax at the Villa Skorpion II.
Wait, what did I just say about dinner?
Anyway, I had a good day today and look forward to the start of my 73rd orbit around the Sun with family, friends and new global American football experiences on the horizon.
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