Of no real relevance, but this is the first Hudson News that I’ve seen outside of the United States and Canada. It’s at the city’s main railway station and reminded me that my trip to the United States is only a few weeks away…..
Author: admin
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Turin – Gruppo Torinese Trasporti (GTT)
“Tourists can find our public transport system difficult”.
I wasn’t going to write about this until the friendly women at the tourist information office said the above line. But since she did, I thought I’d have a random rant as I haven’t done that for a long time.
Difficult certainly matches my experience, so here’s my random complaint about Turin’s public transport for tourists. Since most buses and trams look busy, GTT (who operate the network) are obviously doing something right.
Anyway, in every European city I’ve been to over the last few years (and there have been a lot) customers can buy tickets in at least one of these methods:
(i) On the bus with a credit card
(ii) On the bus with cash
(iii) At machines along bus routes
(iv) On-line
Turin hasn’t burdened itself with such ticketing advances. They’re still doing what Warsaw Pact countries often did 20 years ago and require customers to find a shop that sells the tickets which must then be presented on a bus. To make this ultra easy GTT have put on their web-site a PDF list of the locations, making it more exciting for visitors to have to work out where an outlet might be, rather than putting it on a handy map.
Anyway, I could have worked this out and I know where there is a shop nearby as I saw the sticker in the window. But, the system is ridiculous in my mind (and likely just mine), so I thought I’d use the metro system. The city only has one line, which makes planning easier, which was built for when Turin held the Winter Olympics.
I thought this was a marvellous idea as there are ticket machines at metro stations, so that would mean I didn’t have to walk into the city centre. This excellent idea of mine was ruined when it transpired both ticket machines at the metro station were broken. And, to save themselves employing anyone, there is neither a ticket desk or indeed any staff members before the ticket barriers at the station. This certainly saved money, although I noticed other customers looking confused and lost, so I’m not sure that GTT are doing much for the city’s reputation.
However, all was not lost, as on the wall there was an advert for GTT’s new app. So, I find a GTT app on the Play Store and it doesn’t appear to have any ticketing capability. After some delving, it transpires there’s a second app for that, so I go to download it. I then get the message “this app is not available in your country”, which perhaps shows just a little lack of ambition on GTT’s behalf of how many tourists they might get wanting to use the app. Quite why GTT had bothered to translate the poster into English recommending customers get the app is also a mystery to me. But perhaps it’s not blocked on the US Play Store.
So, for the first time in what must now be hundreds of cities, I gave up and walked. I’ve no doubt I could have spent 20 minutes finding a shop that sold a metro ticket, but it was only a 50-minute walk into the centre and I was already being rather lazy not doing that.
Incidentally, GTT also run the mess of the bus service (mess being defined by my sole experience of the operation) that runs from the airport to the city centre. The sole ticket machine at the airport had broken (there’s a theme here) and customers had to work out where instead they could buy their tickets, and as an extra bonus, the bus then turned up late.
For tourists who want to use public transport, it’s possible to buy the Turin card and then get a transport add-on. This would have been a simple option, so tourists are unlikely to get too stuck, but it was at this point that the tourist information staff member made her comment about GTT’s operations so it seems that I’m not the only visitor who has been defeated by the city’s public transport operator.
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British Airways (Gatwick South to Turin)
This is my first visit to Turin, flying with British Airways from Gatwick South. Initially the flight seemed busy and so I expected it to be a busy service, especially as they had been making announcements and sending texts during the day offering to place hand baggage in the hold for free. This is normally done to free up space in the cabin for what hand baggage there is, so I expected a busy flight. I was seated in Club Europe and it transpired that there was just two of us in the front cabin……
We were around fifteen minutes late departing because the aircraft broke. Or, to be more precise, there was a problem with an on-board computer and an engineer had to switch something around.
The crew member serving the Club Europe cabin wasn’t really strained during the flight if I’m being honest, there’s a limit to how much hassle two customers can be. Anyway, I opted for a gin and tonic as my drink, and the other customer opted for a gin and slimline tonic just to mix things up a bit (literally as well).
The crew member was pro-active and visible for the flight though, as with just two customers it might have been easy for her just to sit on a jump seat and have a little rest. But she didn’t and the service was always attentive and efficient.
British Airways had loaded the grand total of two meals for this flight, both different to each other, although both were based around salads. For reasons unknown to me the crew member had also heated up around eighteen rolls and scones, of which I had two and the other customer had none.
The meal was fine and the ham tasted better than the photo suggests. The pork pie had some flavour, the generous amount of pickle added some texture and the Cheddar cheese was excellent. The lettuce leaf was more decorative, and it didn’t really perform that function with any great merit, and the tomato and mozzarella tasted as anyone might expect them to.
For several years I’ve liked the scones served by British Airways and I take the Cornish approach to these things, jam first and then the clotted cream.
The Alps.
The suburbs of Turin.
Turin as the sun starts to set. The flight landed on time, making up the slightly late departure, and I deliberately let the other customer in Club Europe disembark first so that I could follow him (just to the security area, not to the city centre). All very efficient.
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Gatwick Airport – A320 and A380
These are what I think are an Emirates A380 to Dubai and an easyJet A320 behind it, a reminder of just what a size difference there is between the two aircraft.
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Gatwick Airport – Grain Store (Visit 3)
I’m slowly working through the menu at the Grain Store at Gatwick Airport as access is included with my Priority Pass card. The limit is £15 and on my previous visits I’ve had a breakfast, primarily because I’ve been flying early in the morning and the restaurant only serves breakfasts then…..
So, this is the first time that I’ve had a later flight from Gatwick South, and so I thought I’d try the restaurant’s Thai crispy squid with a spicy sauce and their sea salt fries. And some sparkling water on the side, which all came to under £14, so within the budget.
I’m often nervous about ordering squid as it can be overcooked so easily, and it’s not a cheap dish to order. However, the squid here was perfect and melted in the mouth, so it was better than I expected. Appropriately salted chips which were crispy on the exterior and fluffy on the interior went well with the squid, so I thought that it was a cleanly presented and decent quality meal.
The service was attentive and polite throughout, although I was only in the restaurant for under thirty minutes, which was my deliberate choice rather than me being rushed out. Wagamama next door was full with a queue out of the door, whilst Grain had tens of empty tables, but I’m not sure that many people have really heard of Grain and inevitably just go with the chains.
Anyway, a perfectly good meal and I’m glad that I popped in. Again.
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Malta – Gozo – Victoria – Views From Cittadella Walls
I’ll post separately about the Cittadella since it’s such an interesting fortification which is complex and rich in history. But below, as a starter since I have so many photos, are views from the walls of the Cittadella which visitors can freely walk around.
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Malta – Gozo – Victoria – Museum of Archaeology
Gozo’s museum of archaeology is located inside an historic house, the Casa Bondi, just inside the walls of the Cittadella. Care was taken with the restoration of the building, which has been sensitively renovated and retains some architecturally interesting features. The museum was originally opened in 1960 as a general museum and has specialised in just archaeology since 1986.
A selection of Roman anchors.
A Roman tablet dating to the second half of the second century AD.
This skeleton was found inside of a broken container, and it’s thought that it might be a burial conducted in a hurry by sailors who wanted to create a grave of sorts.
A slab which noted the efforts of one soldier, Bernardo De Opuo, to fight the Ottomans when they invaded Gozo in 1551. Rather than see his wife and two daughters dragged into slavery, Opuo killed them and he was then killed himself in the fighting. He’s perhaps an unlikely hero, but there’s a street named after him in Gozo as well.
The Maymūnah Stone, which is an Arabic tombstone which dates to around the twelfth century, a reminder of the different ownership of the islands. The stone itself was reused and was originally a stone from the Roman period and inscriptions from that date remain. The islands were Muslim until around 1224 when the Arabs left Gozo.
This is the life-sized foot from a Roman statue and the stone was found inside of a wall inside the Cittadella.
This tablet was found in 1855 and dates to the Punic period of Maltese history, to around the third century BC. Some of the tablet is missing, but it’s known to be a dedication to the renovation of a temple.
This isn’t a huge museum and a visit isn’t likely to last more than an hour, but it’s well put together and has numerous interesting exhibits. I got in with my Heritage Malta pass, but it’s possible to buy individual admission or get a joint ticket with other historic attractions in Gozo.
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Norwich – Castle Mall – Veeno
This is Norwich’s exciting new Italian restaurant in the Castle Mall, which has managed to close after just a few weeks. I thought something was wrong when I noted that bloggers were being chucked free meals to review it. I don’t set the bar very high on getting free stuff, but at least my feedback is for the restaurant, hotel and so on directly.
The restaurant is apparently re-opening, so I have no idea what’s happened and nor does it seem does the EDP….
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Malta – Central Region – St. Julian’s Bay – Love Sculpture
I misunderstood this sculpture, I thought that it was meant to be visible from the other side of the harbour, which struck me as slightly strange. Although technically it can be seen from the other side, apparently though it’s meant to make the word ‘love’ appear on the surface of the water. Which is just a little pointless for some of the year as the water isn’t anywhere near flat enough for that effect. It was conceived by Richard England who is a Maltese sculptor and architect who has designed numerous buildings on the islands.
Personally, I think it looks rather banal, especially with the number of love locks under it, primarily because it’s badly sited so it gets in the way of pedestrians. Anyway, it’s inoffensive and it’s liked by many other people.
The sign is just visible in the back of this photo.
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Flights – Malta to London Gatwick South (British Airways) (Third Time)
This is the return flight on my third, and likely final, visit to Malta in 2019. The flight was full today so the usual A320 was used and the boarding was organised, if not particularly rushed. The Club Europe cabin cabin stretched back eight rows and the Euro Traveller cabin also looked nearly full, so a busy flight.
No menu card photo on this journey as the crew couldn’t find them. The meal options were though salmon salad, butter chicken with rice & mini naan and some sort of risotto. Nearly everyone in the first few rows went for the chicken and I couldn’t hear if they ran out by the time that they got to the eighth row.
BA do curries well, and this was no exception, a decent amount of chicken and it was tender and moist. The naan was soft and I liked the mini side salad. The dessert of some kind of strawberry cheesecake was also excellent, and the cheese selection had a really good cheddar as usual. One of the better meals that I’ve had on BA in the Club Europe cabin.
The crew were friendly, efficient and warm, although there was perhaps a lot more potential for engagement. The problem is that I tend to set the best crews as my benchmark, so sometimes other perfectly competent crews don’t seem quite as good in comparison. However, it was easy to get a second gin and tonic, which is my current drink of the month, and sparkling waters.
I took similar photos a couple of weeks ago since the aircraft inevitably took the same route, so here’s another of Valletta, the capital of Malta.
Lots of mountains on the way back, these big hills are the Alps.
The flight arrived around on time and Gatwick impressed me again, as I was able to leave the airport within six minutes of the aircraft doors opening. This has been happening on a continual basis recently, I’m becoming very impressed at Gatwick.
Overall, all rather lovely again.
