James' Euro Trip 2010 - Part 6

Sights

 

First off, I'm not much of a museum or cathedral guy. I'm more into diving into the culture and seeing how the locals live now.

Second, I don't think I've mentioned this yet, but all of my photos are here.

Milan

In Milan, I was staying near the train station, which is a very quick twenty minute walk from the central area. In the central, old, part of the city, you can experience fashion at it's highest. The narrow streets are pedestrian only and I happened to arrive on a Milanese holiday, which marked the start of the shopping season.  The streets were packed.

In the middle of the shopping area is a big square, the Cathedral, and shops as far as you can see.

This arcade is a famous galleria. Lots of high end art and fashion can be purchased inside.It's a small, but famous part of the old town.

I liked these statues on this old house.

The numerous side streets had their Christmas lights up. You need big bucks to shop at these stores.

More shops in the pedestrian area. The Cathedral is off in the background.

Munich

Christmas time was alive in Munich City Center. Apparently fruit is a popular Christmas gift and these stands aren't open all year round.

This is the old Munich city hall. It is new, built after WWII.

This is the new city hall. It is old, built around 1910. It amazingly wasn't bombed in WWII and was built to look like it came from Gothic times. The famous cuckoo clock is in the middle of it, and I can gurantee you it's not worth watching. If you ever see a guide book that raves about the clock, throw that guide book away. You can't see what's going on, and you'd be more entertained downing a beer or just looking away from it.

It was cold, and Gothic in Munich City Center.

Christmas cookies! Shops like this were open all over city center. It seems that Christmas in Germany is much less material than they are here.

Lausanne

As I've already mentioned, Lausanne is a beautifully set Hill town on Lake Geneva. I did check out the Olympic Museum, which could have been way better.The Olympics have so much history, and the museum had very little inside from actual sport. A lot of it was official posters, stamps, coins, decrees, medals, torches, and other non-sporting memerobilia. There was a new interactive exhibit, but that was pretty lame too. No photography was allowed inside. Also, they only accept Visa because of a sponsorship deal, but they do have an ATM hidden near the bathroom.

Me freezing at the Olympic Museum.

The Olympic Flame is just out in the open. Anyone can walk up and use it for warmth. I did not mind looking like a hobo for the brief minute I used it.

Apparently this is a famous spot on Lake Geneva, but when I visited, the area was dead. I don't think boats travel the lake in the winter.

Here's a shot of Lausanne with the sunrise. You can see some Alps on the other side of the lake.

Here's Lausanne from their main Cathedral. It's a beautiful, ritzy city.

Genoa

I didn't get out much in Genoa because of their freak snow storms. It's a hillish town on the Mediterranean, with narrow streets, and lots of alleys to poke your head into. I really enjoyed the old part of town. You can walk across the whole city in an hour.

Me at the famous Lanterna.

San Lorenzo Cathedral in Genoa old town. I love when Italian Cathedrals have the florentine stripes.

Anyone want some beef stomach? The gritty old town was full of shops selling it.

Plaza de Ferrari. This has nothing to do with the auto-maker.

I think this is the Christopher Columbus arch. He was Genovian, and his house was nearby. I never quite found it, but I know I was in his hood.

This old house was about a 5 minute walk from where I was staying. It has only been a house and it's only ever been a private residence.

Here's a spoiler for the soccer travels I'm about to write about, but it's also a great view of the Stadio Luigi Ferraris (named after a player) surrounded by the city scape.