Parma - parmesan

New day, new train ride. Our destination this morning was Parma, famous for parmesan cheese and Parma ham. mmmmmm! Our pattern this week is: awake, eat a quick bowl of meusli and drink a small, extremely strong cup of coffee, dress and GO! (fired up by the EXTRA caffeine) Bus 27 drops us off at the Stazione Centrale. We buy tickets from a wonderful machine that gives instructions in several languages including English and take off.
Trains are clean and comfortable. Between towns, the countryside is blanketed in acre upon acre of spring-growth farmland. On this train, a snack and coffee vendor wheeled a small cart down the aisles. Sometimes we catch a double-decker train and sit on top, unless it is primo classe. They all have toilets. (Water Closets).
It is so much fun to travel with Gary. Between us, we are able to make sense of the language and seek out adventures upon arrival. Good thing we studied before the trip. We each travel with a pocket Berlitz phrase book. From the train station, we make our way to the Tourist Information center where we gather maps and plan the day's activities. The night before, we research a bit online.

 
Parma is another pretty city with a magnificent ducal palace in the city center. Both of my birthday wishes were fulfilled here; a delicious meal of creamy risotto cooked with, what else?, authentic parmesan cheese, and a visit inside the Galleria Nazionale. The museum houses a glorious theatre, and great works of art by Correggio, Parmigianino, Da Vinci, Canaletto, Canova, and Hans Holbein the Younger.
Once again, I tried to purchase georgette fabric, but this time from an Italian-only speaker. What fun trying to communicate! Still too expensive, though.