The Torino Peregrination

Torino is an excellent city. It was fun, delicious, vibrant and even without the Olympics would be an exciting place to visit. I went with three friends (Matthias, Jenny and Johanna) in Matthias' Opel station wagon. Oh yeah. We left Sunday morning and returned to Grenoble late Monday night. We ate like kings, slept little, toured the city on foot and by car, saw tons of sights, shuddered with cold in the constant snow and rain, went to two Olympic events and loved every moment of the entire trip. I wish I could share the entire experience, but the usual Japanese tourist artifacts will have to suffice:

We drove along some treacherous mountain roads on the way to Torino. This picture was actually taken at the height of visibility. Shortly after the road was closed and we sat for thirty minutes before the swirling winds had died down. Matthias had snow chains for his tires, but luckily we didn't have to use them.


The first Torino toilet I encountered was in the media relations complex and I remain perplexed as to why it was equipped with midget-size shower facilities.


Jenny, Matthias and I posing along a tourist boulevard shortly after arriving. We're still in high spirits, because the rain and snow haven't come, we haven't spent an ungodly amount on event tickets and we haven't had to spend the night in the back of Matthias' car. Fortunately, I'm kidding - the snow made the city even more attractive and the tickets weren't that pricey and were certainly worth the price. But four people in the back of a very European car... whew. It was cramped, to say the least.


The weather was quite nice... for a bit. Then the rain arrived. The snow would follow shortly.


The official Olympic mascots were Neve and Gliz, two Teletubby mutants created by a Portugese designer, expressing the Olympic values of "participation, loyalty, respect and brotherhood." I think he succeeded with three of the four; it was the 'respect' aspect that was a little difficult to imagine.



Speed skating was a ton of fun to watch and though the skaters were racing against the clock, not directly each other, there was always an exciting element of competition, especially since they were whipping around the track at shocking speeds.


We had great seats near the starting line, directly behind some very vocal Chinese (not sure if they were skate coaches or from another sport).


This fellow was an obnoxious Chinese diplomat or businessman. He acted like a madman but finally settled down after receiving several glares from his fellow spectators, including a particularly icy one from the Russian coach seated next to us (an actually friendly man who gave us a couple unopened fruit juice drinks before he left midway through the event to go talk to his team).


There was a huge Dutch contingent and they often broke out into the Dutch national anthem and various fight songs throughout the event.


...and they went berserk after the Dutch skater won gold. Flowers and scarves were thrown out onto the ice as they applauded. And applauded. And applauded.


The Olympic decorations really made Torino attractive at night; these glittering constellations highlighted one of the main city boulevards.


A typical Italian intersection, with three different cars going in three different directions at the same exact time. At high speeds. In snowy slush.



We were a little concerned about finding somewhere to eat late Sunday night, but fortunately discovered a delicious and affordable Chinese restaurant in the suburbs. We had two bottles of wine, four plates each and a great dessert for about $10 or $12.


The restaurant was nearly empty and I think the proprietor enjoyed our company, because after we'd paid the check he brought out four ceramic shot glasses and this bottle (in a much fuller state than pictured here). Without saying anything, he set it down, smiled, bowed and walked away. We were slightly confused, but after reading the label, resolved to try this "remarkable beverage with fragrant flavor helps digestion renders you happiness and refreshment." Yum. Without intending to, we finished the bottle -- and as walked out began to worry that perhaps we had been impolite for taking too much. The owner saw our concern and warmly beckoned us over to the bar where we politely declined his offers for further rounds. More proof of Torino's wonderful hospitality.


Another fusion of old and new.


Monday morning, we found a popular local cafe and discussed the day's plans over delicious espressos, cappucinos and sugary croissants (infinitely better than French croissants).


While eating, we found a menu offering some exotic chocolate concoctions. I can't remember what I ordered, but it was like fantastic hot chocolate pudding.


Some interesting street art near the university.


I found it interesting but the Swedish girls really disliked the Mole Antonelliana, home to Italy's National Cinema Museum. We wanted to visit the Museuo Egizio, the best Egyptian museum in the world after Cairo, but all of the city museums were closed on Monday.


Castello Ducale Di Aglie in Piazza Castello, site of the Olympics Medals Plaza.


We visited the Duomo and saw a replication of the (in)famous Shroud of Turin, a piece of cloth supposedly bearing the image of Christ. It's rarely displayed in public, but we were able to see the container housing it. Ooh.


Piazza San Carlo; the NBC Morning Show stage is setup to the left. Matt and Katie were working on a show and surrounded by quite a few strangely devoted fans.


A picturesque peek into a random Torino courtyard.


The most delicious pizza I've ever had in my life, bar none. I was initially skeptical of the establishment, since they specialized in kebabs, but I was so pleasantly surprised by my pizza... my mouth is still watering now, remembering its rich flavor, potent pepperoni and crunchy crust. Mmm.


A better picture of Neve/Gliz. Maybe it's Gliz/Neve. I'm fairly certain they're interchangeable.


Watching men's freestyle aerial qualifications in Oulx with Johanna, Jenny, Matthias and I, and our collective friend, the ugly, obtrusive and always cold metal railing.


Clyde Getty (American, but representing Argentina) totally blew his jump and landing. He flopped into the snow and lost both his skis, but still ran down the slope and saluted the wildly cheering crowd.