The tiger woman in Verona

 
We were so happy to find Katell as our couchsurfing host in Verona. On the first day she brought us around the city. Quite hungry after the visits. we found it difficult to get good and cheap food in the old town. We passed by a Christmas market, in which a German sausage bun with sauerkaut sold six euro and turned us away. Manu took us to try our first panini, which was just a piece of kabab bread with ingredient of choice. It was not cheap. Mine with salami ham with cheese cost four euro, which gave better food in Hong Kong, where as local we know good and cheap gourmet. French Katell did not like that fast food. I understand that (as Chinese I shared that too but I was too hungry). After the meal we saw an old city gate. Then Katell drove us to her home.

She kept saying that it was a small home but to us it was big enough for a family of four. It even had a garden. There we met her two puffy cats, which are also new to the home (3 months). I made some dinner, shared her interest of vintage car and her work in printing company for fashion catalogue. Personally I enjoyed her car magazine and her interest of vintage car. There was even a vintage car parade trip from Milan to Rome and back. It could be fun to do so. Maria was more interested in the printing work. The catalogue was indeed very beautiful and in high quality. Manu had to work at night in a restaurant and missed our dinner. I made stir-fired vegetable noodle with sour sauce. 



After dinner, Katell was so kind to take us see Verona night. We latter knew that she had a very busy week of work and was a bit exhausted, thus were touched by her hospitality. We saw the nightline of the old city. It is beautiful.
I am satisfied with the jumping star out of the Colosseum photos

 
That night we also went for a small milonga. We became the youngest couple there. The DJ was terrible and did not keep us long. That ends our first day in Verona.

Juliet’s sticky gum in Verona

The Brescia-Verona bus went slowly under the gloomy sky but it was still better than two days ago when we passed the same Simione. This time we saw some sun shining onto the more peaceful lake. We saw more grape tree along the way. The northern part of Italy also produces wine. We had had the luck of drinking organic locally produced red wine when we couchsurfed in Patone. After two hours we were in Julia’s and Romeo’s home Verona. It was still a gloomy cloudy day when we arrived the train station. We felt fortunate to be received by Katell, an energetic woman doing the first hosting. She drove to the station to pick us. As French she came to Verona because of loving the place and then found a job. We were amazed how she could do in the current Italian economical situation. She does it and seems to enjoy her life there.

She asked where we would like to go and we did not have much idea. A city tour would be good. Although we had some plans in mind to visit nearby place such as Mantova, it seems impolite for us to request given that the gas price is high. Katell took us to Castel Vecchio, then we tried the apperitivo (Italian happy hour with drink and snack) nearby so I could go toilet. Then her boyfriend Manu came. We later knew that they knew each other not long ago and we witnessed the two loving birds enjoying Verona.

 

After we visited the ancient bridge we went into the old city. We saw a Rome collesium renovated to a theatre. The one in Rome is still a ruin but this one is usable in summer for opera. There was a steel structure of jumping out star. Then we were brought to a dark alley between buildings. The walls of the alley were full of graffiti with names and hearts. They were so densed to be legible. The alley led to a small inner garden, where a woman statue stood. People queueing up to sexually harass the statue for photos by grabbing right boob. On the browny oxidized statue there was the shiny bronze right boob. Katell asked me to do the same for photo. I felt a bit uneasy because 1) I did not feel horny enough to harass a statute when I am more sexually aroused by my wife. 2) at that time I guessed people did that for love. Why do I need that when I have love already ? Katell encouraged us again. With uneasiness we did the touristy thing. It was just ruining my traveller’s image and I wish Maria not upload the picture to facebook. Later I asked Katell the meaning behind grabbing the boob. She said it was for luck. What a fuss ! Because of Shakespere’s writing a story of the tragic couple who might be real (but of different names, there were million couples of such tragic endings or even worse in history, including China) made this place unique and attracted tourist coming to do stupid things.It also included the waste of locks tangled in the gate, the fake begging posture under the balcony in the garden, and the most disgusting was to put eaten gum onto one wall and the gate sticking post-it or even writing names on the harden gum.

Who knows the curse of gum stick us to Verona. Maria torn her collateral ligament on her right knee during skiing. We went through the six hour wait at Italian hospital. We stayed two more days than we planned there. Even when we pushed ourselves to Venice, I still have to go back to Verona to rent the wheelchair for Maria. We also had to plan our trip back to Verona for picking up the bags which Katell was so kind to keep for us and also returning the wheel-chair.

I don’t think it is because of my disgust at the gum that I was revenged. The gum was just too sticky and kept us to the old city, which was still beautiful and Katell made that more so.

Hot spring in a castle : An relaxing afternoon in rainy Sirmione

Feeling so comfortable couchsurfing in a farmhouse in Paitone, it is not easy to leave for a day trip. We pushed ourselves because hotspring really attracts us. It was a raining Wednesday and we walked downhill on a trail which turned to a stream. Our shoes were all wet but with hotspring in mind we did not care much our wet feet. With some efforts we went to nearby tobacco store to buy bus ticket (otherwise we had to pay 1 euro more than the 1.9 euro bus trip) to Rezzato and then switched to another bus (there we had to pay 1 euro more because we found no tobacco store around) to Sirmione.

 

It is a long peninsula on the lake of Garde. The cute small castle greeted as at entrance and after that we were on a closed peninsula on the lake. The lake water was so blue. A pity that it rained otherwise it should be quite difficult. I can imagine that in summer the small castle on the lake would be very beautiful. We sneaked into the castle to look around while the entrance fee should be 4 euro each.

After continuing our “one gelato a day”, we went around the peninsula on the coast. It was windy and cool. We went to the tip and found the Roman ruin of wealthy residence. The entrance is another 4 euro. We saw that was only an outdoor ruin and there was no sun. So we skipped it.

We walked back and found the only hotspring center on the tip of the peninsula. The Aquaria Termal Wellness Centre costs 27 euro each for 3 hours use of all the hot pool, with effervescent beds, hydromassages, vascular paths and aromo-chromatic showers.The price was fine for us, so we just used the hotspring but not the additional massage service (which cost 80 euro for 50 minutes of spa treatment, which was a bit expensive). We made full use of three hours to try all the facilities, especially the hydromassage, which I saw no difference from a spa massage treatment.

When we left it was getting dark and we took the bus to Brescia. Before we left we took some good night view of Sirmione castle town.

 

We were lucky to use the same tickets without buying new one as the driver let us in. A poor thing was that the driver was having such a good mood in the rainy day and it crashed to the back of a stopped car near to Brescia. In order to catch the time we walked for about ten blocks to the train station to be picked up by Erika.

It was such a relaxing time in Sirmione and within the castle wall there was so much to see and also the hot spring behind.

北極圈追光

今年被喻為＂末日之年”，其中一個徵兆是太陽風的增加會癱瘓現代文明。如果這是真的，我們寧願一享太陽風所帶來的美麗，也不在現代城市(特別在香港)看這末日到來。買了平價機票，我們來到芬蘭的Rovaniemi看因太陽風而產生的北極光，順便探探聖誕老人。

當晚我們急不及待，吃過晚飯就出街找北極光看。竟然我們一到河邊已看到北極光，綠色的紡紗散過長空，在北方的天邊清楚搖晃着。

只可惜我們沒有一腳架，周圍的行燈也很亮，所看到和影到的北極光其實是很弱的。當晚在河的對面較暗處有人影到如此

第二晚，我們租了一輛二人小車（也不便宜，連稅及全保要HKD600一日)，打算在第二晚往較北的地方去看，而且沒有城市的光會更清楚一點。之前以做了些研究，我留意北極光的出現是有循環性的，大約隔一星期一次强的活動，正好是這晚，所以有點不顧一切就出發，理不到當晚雲很多，就算有北極光也給雲蓋了。

在結冰的路上駕駛要非常小心，要一段是間適應才敢開至公路極速100km/h，甚至很久才試開120km/h。小車有時在路上滑行，縱使已換了冬天軚，也要避免急刹車或扭軚。 不但如此，也要經常留意聖誕老人的雪鹿橫過馬路，路是攔不住牠們的，當晚便要刹兩次車去避牠們。

當晚密雲，出發時一心想往北走，看看能否駛離雲區，駛了三小時二百公里外，已是深夜十二時，終於離開雲，又到了四野無人的雪地，只看到漫天星斗等了半小時還是看不到北極光。失望而回，後來再網站才知道當晚大氣磁場活動甚低 http://aurora.fmi.fi/public_service/。還花了近四百港元油錢。回程讓老婆試駕，除了有時過了對面線和上了行人路，都無大問題，回家已是四點。

之後連續三晚都是下雨和下雪，天氣暖了而雲也多了。晚上也不太奢望可以看北極光，找了其他節目。今晚是最後機會，希望可以看到啦...

令我們失望的聖誕老人

一踏出機我們便進入聖誕老人的機場，這是真的名字! 這裏幾乎所有東西都是以聖誕老人為賣點:聖誕老人酒店、巴士、餐廳等。不搭昂貴的機場巴士，我們便走半小時雪地到聖誕老人村，一暏他風采。雖然我們已被旅遊書告誡，這是一個遊客味很重的景點，滿佈紀念品店，及來自各地的遊客。既然一場來到，入場免費，見見官方認定的聖誕老人，何樂而不為? 走進他的辦公室，不需排隊便可進內，經過鬼屋似的暗黑迂迴小廊，便有一個說日語很好的精靈迎接，入房內見聖誕老人。我聽聞他是懂多國語言，但當我用廣東話和普通話和他打招呼，他不懂回應，只用很爛的普通話說”你好”。就算和他說英語，問他在這辦公室有多久(我暗算他會否說在這裏的年資，但聖誕老人應該一向在這裏罷，況且相傳有個使地球慢轉的裝置，好讓他在聖誕除夕把玩具送往全世界的小朋友)，他只說廿年，就敷衍地”邀請”我們和他映相 (曬相是要付錢的)。後面又無人，為何趕我們走?

失望離開辦公室，我們到了聖誔老人郵局，全世界寄給芬蘭聖誕老人的信都來了這兒。其實每個北極國家郵政都有聖誕老人部回信，包括加拿大和挪威，後者還說芬蘭偷了他們的聖誕老人。北方地域聖誕老人任走，只是無聊的國界把他分了罷。郵局內精靈努力分信，好讓來自一個國家的信一次過回，我想這樣可以慳點成本。原來最多寄信給聖誕老人的國家是美國、英國、中國，怪不得回信也有殘體字。這樣令我們更惱聖誕老人的普通話那麼爛!

日落離開傷心地，試試在路邊找順風車，找不着，唯有付貴巴士錢入城(要四歐羅一個人駛半小時路)。天黑到了我們的Couchsurfing主人Anu所住的大厦，找了很久找不著她的單位，老婆試試地下的一個單位，因為燈是開著的，竟然一試是她! 好客的她已煮了三文魚飯，小小的家竟然也有桑拿房。她曾經在村內工作，當聖誕老人的精靈。她說有一次帶了一個朋友去探聖誕老人，誰不知他見她，好客地問她來自何國? 她驚訝為何幫了幾個月，聖誕老人還認不了她，懷疑他得了失憶病，或者他是冒充的。還說我們應該問他為可不給保時捷? 扯他的鬍鬚看看是否真的? 為何他不能說廣東話? 是否記得上次寄給他的信我要甚麼禮物? 我們當了三十多年乖小朋友，三十多年也收不到禮物，當面向他要保時捷也理直氣壯罷! 如果他不能回答，就要大叫他不是真的 !!! 我們決定會再去佢條村拆佢臺 !!!

Laajalahti濕地單車遊

星期一想出外單車一日遊，但是家中兩幼女Saara及Liisa還未痊癒，Annette媽媽要離家開會，我們唯有在家幫她看女。原本可以找緊半小時到附近的自然保護區看看，但是老婆武唔點架單車唔想去，大好天氣無理由唔出去。我就留低老婆喺屋企睇女，自己踩單車到Villa Elfvik。首先我踩了二十分鐘到了已關閉了的Gallen Kallelan博物館，後來我才知道這是我在Oslo國家藝術館看到一幅使我印象深刻的油畫的畫家。他的家的設計也很有特色。

我所喜歡的棕熊木雕

再踩十分鐘就到了Villa Elfvik，這是一間有關Laajalahti湖附近濕地的教育中心，很多展品都有英文翻譯。這個濕地國際有名，春秋兩季都有候鳥來這兒，亦有啄木鳥和飛松鼠在這兒棲身，可惜我沒看到。花了些時間在教育中心看夠展版，不經不覺已過吃午飯時間，我估老婆會留飯掛...

跟着便到附近濕地看看，那兒有觀鳥台，沿路有木板在沼澤地上，有點窄，拿着單車的我有點困難。水邊長滿像燈芯草的植物，像金色地毯往外伸廷，北國陽光照在草上一片金，加上寒風陣陣，很有蕭瑟的感覺。

心知不可太遲回家，便急急地踩過泥地回去。心想這一處美景，集教育休憩於一身，可惜在沒有很多旅遊書介紹，特以此文望多些人認識。
http://www.espoo.fi/en-US/Housing_and_environment/Environment_and_nature/Environmental_Awareness/Nature_House_Villa_Elfvik#

赫爾辛基的芬蘭浴百態 - 男人版

由天光焗到天黑，其實只是黃昏六時

在赫爾辛基九十多年的芬蘭浴館內，我帶着鎖皺的眉頭看着面前舊得發黑的儲物櫃。不是擔心櫃內有其麼霉菌污了我的衣物，妨且心裏還是讚賞它的設計:緊密的一排排，櫃內的底部是鋼網乘着鞋，上面可放那些放工男士的工作包、放學高中生所背的書包、或來這裏一睹傳統的遊客所拿的日間包。櫃內兩邊有掛勾和衣架各兩，為室外那近零度天氣的厚衣大袍放進去也綽綽有餘。腦海是想着那因放棄申請印度簽證所浪費的千多元；詛咒那印度外判簽證發行公司因不接受我們的証件照尺寸而要花三百元拍那核突的即時證件相；那吸血香港銀行來回收取共八百多的電滙行政費。旅行死慳死抵節衣縮食一歐羅一歐羅的摼回，來就這樣斷送在這些官僚及金融搾取下。寫到這兒，頸後也緊了。

唔埋三七二十一，除哂衫只有一條毛巾圍下體，便走進桑拿房內。推門一進不大的房間，已感到右邊的大鋼熱爐迎面的散發着來自燒柴的熱力。後來我才知道是用很多柴燒熱千五公斤的石頭，一立方米的柴燒五至六小時才成

http://www.kotiharjunsauna.fi/press/Kotiharjunsauna_web_eng.pdf。房內暗暗的是靠天花的光管照明,其實不需要看甚麼東西，因為大家都是男人，都是入來享受那一時的熱力，只要當心左邊的石楷往上走，四級後的頂級是木造的平枱，大部份人都選這最上位置，感受來自火爐最大的熱力。

身上的毛孔開着，熱力從外經過毛孔向體內煎，毛頭急着向上豎要散熱似的，很長的頭髮更加無力，不能像箭豬豎起散熱，反而下來撻在頭上，使頸項更滾燙。身體急於排水撲火，不消一會每寸肌膚也濕透了，但也不能防止十字弔咀像酷刑具般燙着胸口。這裏的人進出都害怕熱力流失，都像習慣似的開一開水進爐中，製造更多蒸氣和熱力。我看着放在一旁的綱水桶浸着樹枝一紥，看來把它撥在自己身上，像水下在燒紅的鐡般，更加滾熱。

燙了半小時，出來淋浴房沖一沖涷水涼，很爽，多付四歐元可以找個盛年女人大力刷身，很多盛年男士樂於享受這服務，但我被另一女人看我躶體刷身不太舒服，況且看來也不太大力(我期待在土耳其的浴房大力刷身...)，所以我沒有光顧。很多人嫌不夠過癮，自帶啤酒，只圍毛巾便走出街坐。在郊外的桑拿大可跳進冰湖冰河或大海之類冷一冷，城中的這個舊公眾桑拿場就只有在街上被行人看着一堆堆圍毛巾的男人，也不覺得希奇尷尬。我們付不起啤酒，老婆也懶於聽我講先出外買啤酒便一頭往二樓女賓部走，我只有飲水了。和她分頭焗桑拿，我又不懂說芬蘭語，只有一個人看着別人談天說地，起初還擔心怎樣單獨過那兩小時。這裏的休息室只有兩張長木枱，四張板凳。現在我反而慶幸在這更衣室的角落長板凳找了個位置寫東西，看着眼前男士三五成羣談笑甚歡，有的一個人看報紙、飲啤酒，前面另一個男士正忙於在手機上打電郵，旁邊一眾男士為另一大隻佬穿錯褲頭帶大笑着。其實看看男人百態也好看，像在巴黎街邊咖啡店看行人般。這裏的確是談生意公事的情景，要不也是把酒言歡的社交場。其後的下班時間進來的人越來越多，連衣物櫃旁的板凳也得坐，經過一天忙碌，在這裏焗一焗談一談，應該可以解決很多問題，或如我那樣看看男人，寫東西、或寫了本書出來、作一首歌、寫小說的一節關於桑拿室的情節、或完成一本巨著、寫一個有關芬蘭浴的歌劇或舞台劇。

時間就這樣，很快的流走，我也得把握最後的半小時進去焗多一下，反而後悔不跟老婆說多留一小時。其後再會她，開心聽她大呼過癮，甚麼煩事也抛諸腦後。

Hiking in the snowy Norwegian forest

We came back to Bergen earlier than we wanted so we could join some hiking with Ingvild and Bjarne in the weekend. After breakfast we started easily to a hiking trail near Bergen. According to Bjarne it was not a usual tourist hiking trail and we also saw mostly local going there.

After half an hour drive we reached Hausdau and there was a track upward into the valley. It was not snowing at start but there was more later. The snow on the way was powder-like and deep and sometimes it reached to our thighs.



After two hours we reached the top of the valley, there was a cabin in which a cafe kitchen was operating. We enjoyed our lunch and pay 20 Nkr (about HKD28) for a cup of instant powder hot chocolate, just to pay tribute to the operator and the cabin who stood here in windy and snowy valley to give warm to passer-by.

Then we walked down the same route and slided along the snow slope. It was fun! After an hour and a half we went back to our car and drove back home. That ended our pleasant Sunday day hike. Then Ingvild and Bjarne prepared some traditional Norwegian specialty, 'Rømmegrøt' for dinner.  'Rømmegrøt' is a thick sour cream porridge served with raisin, sugar, butter and cinnamon, with crispy flat bread (Flatbrød) and ham as sidedish. It was very filling.