1 July 2017, Allen Birthday, Bergamo cleaning, and Navigli


The Allens arrived on 28 (I think) June of last year as our new mission president, so we had a surprise birthday party for them.  They returned from interviewing about 7 pm, but the office anziani had to go to a dinner (invitation), and then the APs, had to go pick up Sorella Zombra from the airport (she had to fly to Sicily, again, for her permesso), so we ended up eating starting at 9 pm.

Myrna marinated chicken (Ron's recipe) and I barbecued at the Mission Home.  Myrna made Idaho spud salad, corn (fish bait--President likes to fish) salad, fresh broccoli and cauliflower salad, crescent rolls, and for dessert, banana cream pie.  The missionaries decorated the mission home dining area with birthday decorations that Anziano Brooks received this week from home for his birthday next week (I suppose we'll have another party.)

While we were waiting for the office anziani to arrive we occupied our time with various things.

Including reminiscing

But we finally got to eat, and we had a good time. (Anziano Hogan said that at their dinner appointment he ate seven arancini, which are baseball sized Sicilian fried rice balls with sugo inside--then they ate again with us.)

Friday we (President and Sister Allen, and 8 missionaries) went to Bergamo with our 3 biggest vehicles to clean out an apartment we have given notice to vacate.  We had to vacate it because there were too many complaints about the behavior of the missionaries.  We have rented it for a long time and there was a lot of our stuff there, including a complete kitchen for which we paid €1800, and an installed air conditioning unit for €2700 (young missionaries are not supposed to have them, but when this was rented it was for senior sisters, of which we don't have any now.)  Anyway, we all worked hard for 6 hours moving (young anziani have strong backs, e.g., took a large refrigerator and washing machine down the 6 flights of stairs) including cleaning years of kitchen, including oven, grime, and the bathroom. It all went well, except that Myrna was walking down the very stuffed hallway and tripped on a cord of the vacuum cleaner, falling on her backside and head on the hard floor.  She was almost knocked out, but her hands were tingly, she became nauseated, and has had a bad headache (3 days now). We went to bed at 9 pm (but had two phone calls after that), and slept well. After reading about falls like this, Myrna asked me to wake her up during the night to make sure she wasn't in a coma (she wasn't), and so we got a slow start this morning, our P-day, and Myrna baked a batch of cookies for a baptism this evening.

We have been going to the Navigli Ward for the past 17 months.  The building is located next to a canal, which we have known was a part of an intricate waterway used during the middle ages to bring in large items of cargo, e.g., big stones to build the cathedral, etc.  For some time we have been aware there is a Navigli District in Milano, but we had never been there. Today, after a late start because we weren't sure what Myrna's head would feel like, we took the TomTom (GPS) into Milano, to the district which is not very far from the church. As usual, traffic was terrible and there was no place on the street to park.  We parked at the Train Station, which cost €9 for 3 hours.  Next time we will take the metro or bus to get there.

We walked along the canals, of which there are several that come together in this part of Milano.

Where there were lots of open shops, selling everything from (probably stolen) bikes and parts, jewelry, trinkets (Myrna bought a couple of items) and antiques, clothing, shoes, and Army surplus, but no food.

There are many bridges to cross the navigli, which literally means ships, but refers to the canals.

And lots and lots of restaurants. The one in front of Myrna had a table of young ladies with white Smurf hats, which said they were brides maids.  They were wearing white pants or shorts and blue shirts.

By now it was 1:30 pm and we were hungry, so we stopped at a buffet, where we got all we wanted and took it to an outside table. We had a little bit of everything, including onion rings, pasta, lasagna, fried chicken, broccoli, green beans, potato pie, cheese with olive oil, egg plant, etc., etc. (The only sweet thing they had were wafer cookies.) They also brought me a large glass of ice for my soda, which is very un-Italian. It certainly wasn't the best Italian food we have had, but it was fine and very plentiful--you could go back as many times as you wanted for only €9, including drink. This is only the second time we have been to an all you can eat buffet in Italy.  After eating, and before leaving, I asked to use the bathroom at the restaurant.  In the back there was a large room, with tables and chairs, an old electronic organ, microphones, etc., like for a band, but on the counter back there were about 20 very large decorated ceramic hookas, which are used to smoke something, perhaps weed, who knows.

I did take a pix of the squatter, which are fairly common in older Italian buildings. Myrna has yet to use one of these.

At one outdoor shop we recognized a young man who is in our ward, who was baptized about a year ago and is going pretty steady with one of the Ney girls. He was working at his mother's stand, and she later came.  Myrna bought a couple of gifts from him, and he gave us a good deal. Although I didn't, yet, take a pix of it, Myrna bought a sun hat (for Rome), from an African, but it hurt her head because of the lump from the fall. It was a bright day, but wasn't very hot, actually, it was very pleasant.
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There were a lot of old homes on the streets, this is, of course, looking up, the bottom wasn't too attractive, but it used to be.

There were also supposed to be a lot of old churches in this area, and I wanted to see them, which we didn't do.  We almost missed the one, whose front door was under the yellow sign.  They were remodeling and here was a large in in front of the church, which hid the scaffolding in front of the church (we also saw this in Venice), which was open.

As usual, Myrna sat in the back of the church, while I explored the vacant cavernous building.

Of course, I saw an organ, and was attracted to it.

A little one manual few pedals job.

Made by Barani in 1996.  It only had wooden pipes.

But with the typical stop names.  I didn't try to turn it on to play it, because there was canned organ music playing within the church, which sounded good (it's unusual to have canned music in a church.)

I saw large organ (pedal) pipes on the floor, covered with sheets, etc.

And could see on either side of the high altar where the real organ had been.  I suppose it is down for restoration. It was only made in 1909, and it would be interesting to know more about it.

In the back of the church was a large poster showing the Santo Sindone, the linen cloth in which the body of Christ was supposedly wrapped while He was in the tomb for three days.  It is a famous relic and lives in the duomo of Torino, The only take it out on special occasions, like ever 10 years, and never open it up, except for scientists to take pix, etc.

I have a book about it I bought in Torino 51 years ago, and I have always been fascinated by the story.

Photographing the cloth when photography was first invented, and using special techniques to bring out the image, this is what, according to the cloth, is believed the face of Jesus looked like.
 
This is a sign for the church, which says,"for night people," (il popolo della notte) the church is open on Friday and Saturday from 9 pm until midnight. (Myrna asked me yesterday why I haven't taken a pix of a prostitute yet, but I haven't.  They are obvious in the way they dress and where/how they stand--there is even one at the exit of my favorite gas station. It is legal, although brothels are illegal in Italy now.)

This area is near this train station, Milano Porta Genova, or the door to Genova.

See next blog for the baptism, I couldn't get the pix to upload here.














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