Eurossola it's not for sure. Then again, the first time I went to Eurossola it was looking pretty run down too. The food, however, was great. Eurossola has done a good bit of remodeling since then. I haven't tried anything else at Fontana other than the pizza. While I've had way better pizza in Rome and Milano, the one at Fontana is a good bit better than pretty much every pizza I've had here in Z�ri. Including the one I'm going to have for dinner tonight.

Domodossola has been cleaned up quite a bit in the 20 years since I first visited.

They spent millions renewing the infrastructure in Domodossola and replacing all the stuff that is under the street, drains, sewage, electricity conduits, etc. They also prettified many of the streets the way they have done in other European towns, but I don't really like it and I think it was a waste of good money. Also a lot of the old Italian bars and Trattoria are disappearing one after another.

A very nice person on the regional train from Novara explained the Turin transport system and the prices. I ended up getting an unlimited day ticket which cost just �4, and I used it on the new metro system, as well as on buses and trams which looked like they dated back to the 1950s! You can obtain these tickets in little kiosk shops indicated with a T for Tabacchi but you'll need loose change. I found the single metro line fairly easy to use and it was the most efficient way to get to the Holiday Inn. At one point I got on the number 13 tram in the wrong direction, but it was quite easy to correct by simply talking to people.


A wonderful shop full of enticing Italian produce


The alleyways of central Turin with the same focaccia place I visited back in February

I think one of the problems with Turin is that I have tended to arrive there on the "wrong" days, a Sunday or, in this case, a Monday. On Monday many restaurants and kitchens in bars are closed because it is the traditional day of riposo. Downtown Turin is really pleasant to walk around because much of it is pedestrian friendly and getting lost is part of the fun. The old center is quite compact though, and I quickly found myself on the same streets I visited last time, including passing the focaccia place from that visit!


The bar which is called Caff�-vini Emilio Ranzini


The Boka bar, which doubles as an aperitivo place and a restaurant

I began with a glass of Chardonnay, by no means my favourite grape sort, in the charming old world Caff�-vini Emilio Ranzini. At �1,50 it proved my point about Domo being too expensive. But further on, at the Boko bar, I tried some specialist wines, such as Gew�rztraminer from the Alto Adige region, better known as the S�dtirol to German readers. That, including the Arneis from near Turin, was on offer for �7 a glass which I suppose is normal for less ordinary wines. While I was at Boko I had a decent portion of tagliatelle con ragu, which was a more than adequate meal.


Excellent Arneis white wine from the Turin region


Wandering around the old central part of Turin

Returning to the hotel, I enjoyed my platinum member free drink and lounged around the upgraded room before going to bed well before midnight. I think that there are many places to discover in Turin and, anyway, I would like to come back to see the Egyptian Museum and the Mole Antonella, as well as discover some of the Aperocena places.

Somehow Google maps tricked my eyes because this hotel is a lot further out to the west of the city than I thought. Luckily the metro got me out there in about 20 minutes, exiting at the Massaua stop. I must say, the welcome was quite standoffish, as if I was a homeless person walking into the hotel (actually, one did while I was there, but maybe I resemble one at the moment!). I just waited quietly until the lady had checked me in, whereupon she offered me the platinum member free drink and said that she had upgraded me to a superior room on the top floor.


The Holiday Inn in Turin, the only IHG hotel in that city


Nice bar area on the ground floor


The corridors in the hotel are not too grim, but not too joyful either

The hotel in fact, both inside and outside, looked as if it had seen better days and the decor in the dingy corridors belonged to the 1970s. My guess is that the hotel is an 80s structure - I can't easily describe why. It has something to do with the combination on the exterior of metal and concrete but still with lots of glass ... and of course, the rain streaks didn't help. In all fairness I had a very pleasant stay and I enjoyed my free glass of dry white wine with a small tapas of nuts and chips/crisps in the pleasant bar area. There was a restaurant that I didn't try (a couple of small hygiene details bothered me somehow) and I didn't have breakfast there. Yes, most properties of the Holiday Inn brand that I have stayed at are becoming very faded (for example, my stay at the HI Thessaloniki), but I still quite like HI hotels.


My room was like a junior suite, and showed surprisingly little wear and tear


The decor is somehow dated and locked in the past, but I had a pleasant stay there

The upgraded superior room was very nice indeed and I didn't see any clear signs of wear and tear. There was plenty of space although there wasn't much wardrobe or drawer storage. The king size bed was very comfortable and there was a sofa bed made up and ready. The bathroom was decent enough, with a 70s feel to it and soap and shower dispensers with Dove products. There was, however, no bathtub, which I would have expected if booking a superior room. In the main bedroom, I extinguished the enthusiastic air conditioning and had a perfectly good night, with the window opened slightly.


Washroom and shower, with no bathtub


View over Turin from my room

Absolutely great TR. Can�t imagine how fun it would be to have a FT meet-up from the choir section of the audience!

Yes, we definitely have to keep rehearsing that choir so they are singing in tune. In the meantime, a "do" in Turin could be quite a fun concept! In Milan you could end up dancing on the tables, but in Turin I reckon not.

Just an adventure on the way to Turin airport. After quite a good night at the Holiday Inn, I paid the bill (wasn't cheap because I took an extra points qualifying package) and stupidly checked it AFTER payment. I saw that they had charged me extra for the water bottles (free for Platinum members). No problem, refunded in cash - useful to have a few coins in my pocket.

Found an offbeat bus to the airport out there in the suburbs, where there are just boulevards and industrial buildings. It runs only around 5 times a day so I walked up to the unmarked bus stop 20 minutes early. Just kept asking people where the stop was and whether the bus really existed or not. Would never have known where the stop was otherwise. It turned out to be a service for factory workers. Just as well I went to the stop early, it came 14 minutes early...in a country like Italy!! Didn't accept card payments, just as well I had those coins - but it cost so little, just half the price of the usual airport bus.


Calm check-in area for Air France at Turin airport


Empty boarding area for the flight to Paris

At the airport 2 hours early, I cleared security in minutes. Ended up having a fun moment in the Piedmonte lounge in Turin airport. Still not feeling completely recuperated I had a couple of caffe lungo and a mineral water, with a croissant (which is heavy, I know). But the food station here was disgusting and unhygienic, I didn't touch any of the open food.


Entry to the business lounge at Turin


Seating in the business class lounge in Turin airport

I asked the older barman in the lounge for some Coca Cola and he turned round and gave me an extensive lecture about Coca Cola and how awful it is. To me, who usually never drinks the stuff! Just how could I ask for Coca Cola in Italy? Here is our Italian Coca Cola, he said gruffly, pulling out a bottle of Piemonte prosecco and pouring me a glass. Drink that for breakfast! I ended up having two well filled glasses at 09h in the morning!


Here the barman is pouring prosecco for me


Air France Hop! aircraft at Turin airport

Turin Airport was a really pleasant experience, with a passage through security which took mere minutes. The airside part of the airport has shops and cafes and it was totally calm, despite Ryanair being the main carrier at the airport. This is how airports should be, although with only about 25 flights a day this is definitely not a busy airport.

The plane (operated by Hop!) landed a bit late at Turin Caselle airport, which meant we arrived at Paris CDG about 16 minutes late. Once again, the flight was completely full with every seat taken. I saw people from the lounge getting upgraded at the gate, presumably gold or platinum members, which is nice (gives me hope for the future, which I reckon is going to be very economy class oriented). But at least nobody was sitting on each other's laps, like on my flight from Seville to Paris back in February, which went out with 18 passengers for a cabin with 16 business class seats (a child who should have been in its own seat went on the lap of its mother, and somebody else went on the jumpseat in the cockpit).

I had an uncommunicative Italian businessman beside me, who was watching films on his tablet most of the way and who was visibly annoyed that someone was in the seat beside him. That's not my fault, it's the airline: they should block empty seats in business class. He seemed to relent later on and the flight was quite pleasant. Oddly, despite my window seat, I didn't notice any mountains when we crossed the Alps, but maybe that was because it was quite hazy. Par contre, the catering was really quite good. The cold meal service of lightly seared shrimps with quinoa along with a small dish of French cheeses and a rather nice soft milk and apple cake was totally fine for the length of this flight. Jacquart champagne was proactively offered, with a refill even during the descent to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. Quite a number of passengers were stressed because of having very short connections to Luxembourg, Miami, Boston and Washington, so they were allowed to disembark first.

Rating 7*
Aircraft E90
Seat 3F
Registration F-HBLS


The line for boarding the Air France Hop! flight from Turin to Paris was quite long


Our plane, waiting at the gate in Turin


A quick look at the business cabin from row 3


Inflight catering, AF business class TRN-CDG


Other Hop! aircraft as we arrived at Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2G

My stay in the Air France lounge was pleasant, given how frequent flyers generally do not like terminal 2G. By chance I met a retired French Platinum for Life member, which resulted in an interesting discussion. Certainly, for transfers 2G is a major pain because of its distance from the rest of the airport. It's ok if you're transferring between two Hop! flights, but as someone wrote in the Air France forum, "with Hop! there is no Hope"!


Air France lounge in Terminal 2G


Boarding the Air France Hop! flight to Seville

The flight did not turn out to be ridiculously oversold and it wasn't even full, so I had room to stretch out in business class. The problem with the Embraer E90 aircraft used by Hop! is that the neighbouring seat is never blocked, so you can end up as jammed in as you would be in economy class, which totally defeats the point of having a separate "business" class. In fact, the only differentiator is having a small cold meal in business which, I'm sorry to keep repeating, was the realm of economy class until not so many years ago. Actually, it was quite palatable: poached egg, quinoa salad, pea pur�e and walnut crumble. But what's the obsession with endless quinoa in almost all airline food these days? As for the soft chocolate cake, it was more cloying than enjoyable. At least there was Pommery champagne on offer and, despite being no champagne drinker, I had a couple of glasses. The small bottles of white wine looked really mediocre (again, they served better stuff in economy just a few small years ago). Service was really pleasant and attentive and I slept during the later part of the flight, but the seats are so unbelievably uncomfortable that they would be better off in a 12th century church.

Rating 7.5*
Aircraft E90
Seat 2F
Registration F-HBLS


Seating in business class is identical to that in economy


Aerial view of Seville, Spain - correction, this is actually Paris, France


Business class catering on the Paris to Seville flight


Landscape around Seville airport

Looking forward to the Seville part of this trip. My favourite Spanish city. I have been looking in Google Earth what part of the city it is in the aerial view, because there isn't a single thing I recognise.

edit: isn't that a picture of Paris and the Stade de France?

Yes indeed it is, I mixed my photos up.

Just walking past the Hotel Abanico (where I stayed in February) on my way to Santa Justa train station made me realise why I would never book there again. I popped in to say hello to the front desk and admire the Moorish inner courtyard full of greenery. It really is an attractive hotel, but that narrow one way lane just outside the hotel is like a major highway and it can be challenging just to step out of the door of the hotel, let alone walk down the lane. Not to mention the unending noise and rumbling.

The Adriano turned out to be a good choice in that respect and I would rate it a notch above the Abanico, despite the decor and lovely rooms at the latter. Somehow the Adriano had a better location with a good selection of local bars and eating places just outside that were frequented mostly by locals (this was really lacking at the Abanico). However, unless going to the cathedral and touristy center, walking distances to the places I wanted to go to were considerably more. But I was happy to collect more steps and heart points on my counter!


The exterior of the Hotel Adriano


Main entry hall and reception area in the Hotel Adriano


One of the interior courtyards in the Hotel Adriano, which are actually open to the sky

The reception desk staff were friendly enough but not a great source of useful information. Most of the ground floor was taken up by a coffee shop, which served pastries and food as well as decent coffee. The milk coffee was the same price as in neighbouring bars (�1.60), which I did not expect to be the case. Service, like at reception, was a bit indifferent so I had my coffee elsewhere (plenty choice) on the second day. On the ground floor just off the hallway leading towards the rooms, there are three very small courtyards which are open to the sky. Not quite the charm of the big central courtyard of the Hotel Abanico but pleasant enough.


My room was somewhat old fashioned but nicely appointed

My room was bright and pleasantly decorated, with a window opening onto one of the small courtyards. The air conditioning was ferocious, so I turned it off overnight but had no problems with mosquitoes. This room had two separate beds and the one I chose to sleep in was comfortable. The bathroom actually had a bathtub and was equipped with all the necessities except a box of tissues. The hotel actually offered me a bottle of Cava (result of my status at hotels.com) but I politely gave it back and exchanged it for a bottle of San Pellegrino because I wasn't in a state to drink it on the first night - I could probably have got through it on the second, but I don't like Cava all that much. The minibar was totally free, on the other hand, and was full of soft drinks and water, as well as a couple of beers. The beers were replaced for the second night, although I don't touch sugary drinks any more. All the snacks were offered too, which was great! Definitely recommend this hotel.


Another angle of my room, showing the single nature of the two beds


Bathroom and toilet facilities

Sorry guys, the run up to Christmas is simply madness, with projects and concerts everywhere (for example, schools Christmas music project with 500 kids in a big church). I have had up to 3 recitals per day, not to mention all the rehearsals. I'll get back to the trip report immediately after Christmas.

Not to worry, its always a pleasant read when you have time, But I understand work must come first.

There was a certain logic in my choice of places to visit in Seville that probably would not make much sense if I tried to explain it! The "sites" I visited are listed here:

- Parque Maria Luisa
- Museo de Artes y Costumbres
- Casa de la Ciencia
- Real F�brica de Tabacos
- H�tel Alfonso XIII
- Metropol Parasol (Setas de Sevilla)
- Antiquarium
- Palacio Marqueses de la Algaba
- Centro de la Interpretaci�n Mud�jar


One of the decorative fountains in the Parque Maria Luisa


Greenery in Parque Maria Luisa; a waterfall cascades down from this small mountain


Parque Maria Luisa, near the museum buildings

Out of all of these, the Parque Maria Luisa was the clear winner. Despite the late June heat, this park was a haven of peace and cool temperatures, with constant birdsong, duck ponds, flowers and statues. In short, it could only exist in Seville (made me think of Nights in the Gardens of Spain by Manuel de Falla, an amazing piano concerto type of tone poem for solo piano and orchestra). There is also an artificial mountain in the park, complete with waterfall.
The Museum of Local Arts and Costumes was all about the history of Andalusia and included exhibitions on the art of tailoring, the making of castanets and guitars and tile making, among many others. I was offered free entrance when I said I came from Scotland! The Archaeological Museum is currently closed for renovations.
Just outside the park is the Casa de la Ciencia, the Science Museum (�3). To be honest I've seen better, but I liked the displays of maps and Spanish exploration as well as the recreated whales and dolphins suspended from the ceiling of the main hall. There's also a planetarium, open only at weekends.
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Typical Seville costumes


Casa de la Ciencia, Science Museum


Plaza de Espana, which was built for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929

The old tobacco factory is where Bizet's heroine Carmen worked and is the second largest single building in all of Spain. You can walk in and wander around, although the building is now occupied by the University of Seville.
Next door is the opulent Hotel Alfonso XIII which you can also wander into and admire the opulence of and even have coffee and cake at Swiss prices!


Wandering around the University of Seville, which used to be a big tobacco factory


The Metropol Parasol in central Seville, which shelters archaeological remains and as shopping center


One of many bookshops in Seville

The Metropol Parasol is indeed impressive and reminds me of similar "modern" structures in Paris. It's quite photogenic and the outdoor platform on top on the shopping mall underneath is called Plaza Major. They want an unbelievable �15 to ride the elevator up to the roof (it's not that high). The blatant greed is bizarre and I wasn't very polite to them about it, offering 15 cents in the process. Luckily, the huge Antiquarium in the basement cost only �2.10. It reveals the extent of the ancient Roman city and Moorish remains that were discovered underneath the site during construction.
Lastly, the Mud�jar style palace of Marqueses de la Algaba was quite attractive, with its Moorish interior courtyard, but it lacked any real atmosphere, so you could skip this one. The garbled Mud�jar exhibition showed examples of Mud�jar work, which apparently was quite complex.
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