Torino by foot and bike and tram (Saturday 3rd August 2013)

Up for an early breakfast of cereal, toast, tea and fruit so we could get straight into the day! We brushed teeth, combed hair, applied sun-screen and... fell asleep on the bed! Two hours later we had attempt No. 2 to get going. We finally walked out the front door at 10:00am.

First stop was the barber for a haircut and them the TIM shop in Piazza Veneto Vittorio II. My phone was not getting a connection. The girl in the shop insisted I needed to part with another 10 euro to get my phone to work which I reluctantly did. I think I have been ripped off by one or both of the people I have dealt with in the last 24 hrs. I'll write a letter just to make my self happy. Anyway, after 40 minutes SMS messages came flooding in from the telco and the phone worked. I had to manually add APN information to my phone to get the data to work.

That done we walked around the corner to Piazza San Paolo where we found Cafe Torino. To have a coffee in this cafe was one of our reasons for starting in Turin. Way back in the last millennium  Tom Gleisner and Rob Sitch visited this cafe on their way to a stream in the mountains. The décor, the table setting, the service and the whole vibe (sorry!) was so old-world. It was a real buzz to be there. The coffee was good and the little cakes Kerry picked were even better. Despite the opulence and the setting and the service the prices were pretty good. Certainly cheaper than London and Paris. So I had another coffee!

The architecture of Turin is magnificent. Everywhere is a grand, stunning building. Everything is so big. In the large piazzas long, arched verandahs flank each side. Some building are in excellent repair and some are in need of some TLC. But all provide a splendid backdrop to the city. We happened upon a few beautiful arcades with high glass-domed ceilings over polished marble floors, held up by polish marble pillars and enclosing chic clothing and accessory shops.

The centre of Turin is largely a traffic no-go zone, quiet extensive. The narrow cobble-stoned streets are the perfect counterpoint to the many, many small piazzas dotted across the city. Some may have a distinctive column in the centre, some a small fountain. Everywhere is sculpture telling the story of the heroes of Turin.

After our coffee we head for the Sunday market in Piazza de la Republique – we seem to be attracted to places that celebrate a country's freedom. This large piazza at the end of Via Milano is a-buzz with shoppers and shop-keepers buying and selling a large range od fresh food on one side and clothes and trinkets on the other. Kerry lashed out and bought a pair of sandals for the princely sum of 3 euros. If they last a week it's a bargain! Next we headed off to find Turin's bicycle renting shop. Like most cities in Europe Turin also offers this fabulous service. Being a car-free zone makes the centre of Turin a bike-friendly zone. After 30 minutes of wandering down this lane and that we found it. They really should out a shingle out the front as we had walked past it up an adjoining lane twice. For eight euros one gets an RFID-embedded card which provides access to any of the bikes from any of the dozens of stations on the old city. The locals who subscribe get a card which can provide them with free cycling if they time their journey's right. My first bike had a dud seat so I just swapped it for another at the next station and we rode on.

Once again Kerry did a great job handling the bike in some traffic both vehicular and pedestrian. BTW, it seems you can ride your bike anywhere – on the road in the right direction, on the footpath, on the road in the wrong direction, across parks and piazza – well, at least, we did anyway! This is the best way to see a European city. So much ground can be covered in such a short time without wearing out the old legs... and the breeze created by riding is very welcome. At 6pm we dropped our bikes off near the Royal Palace and went to find a tram. The city is very well serviced by trams and buses which go right through the centre. We jumped on a No. 4 to see where it would take us. Out into the 'burbs to the west of the city was the answer. Nothing too special happening out there but it's always good to see where the real people live. We jumped onto the No.4 going back into town near the end of the line and found a place for dinner. I little restaurant near Via Milano.

The food was excellent. Funghi and fontina risotto for me, traditional carbonara for Kerry, a generous glass of vino rossa and cafe. All for just over 20 euros. The opening ceremony of the World Masters Games was being held in a nearby piazza. Soon after we had settled in to our table it finished and the streets were flooded with probably 10,000 athletes, supporters and there families. It was joy to watch them all wander past and see the happiness and camaraderie amongst the competing nations. Indeed a team of Australian women's soccer players chose our restaurant. The team was actually made up of half Australians and half Canadians and one American. A truly international outfit. There are 2900 Australian athletes (the greatest number from any nation) and about 2500 Canadians (the second most) at these games. Italy comes in with the bronze!

After a scrumptious dinner we walked back through the streets to our B & B. It was about 10:30pm when we got home.