Old stuff with young ones

Sunday 16/9/12

The National Science, Technology and Transport Museum:

Bet you all stop reading right now!

This museum may be more interesting in my next life when I can be born with another brain that gets excited about physics and maths. In the meantime - Silas was fascinated and brimming with questions, Gwilym was interested (until he got hungry) and Rory  - well, he's an engineer. The easiest things to enjoy with small boys, were NOT the reconstructions of Leonardo's ideas which could be easily touched in view of waiting museum staff, but were the less easily broken things like cool old areoplanes, an enormous ship (inside), a submarine (outside!), steam trains and the like. It was a big de ja vu having been to the same museum with Richard Wesley 5 years earlier! 

Had I had another 2 years in the museum by myself, I may have expanded my knowledge in how technology we use today was developed. But I didn't. So I don't. Sorry about that.

getting to grips with the finer workings of helicopter flight

After managing about 4 hours (with a lunch break), we exited into the late afternoon sun and found we were in the courtyard of an ordinary looking church front (actually, the church doesn't even make it into the guides!). As is often the case in Italy – you wander in and are immediately GOBSMACKED at gold pillars, original art plastered all over the walls, ceilings, amazing statues, the sheer size of the place and, as a bonus, a group of young, friendly, slightly geeky, bell ringers taking tours up into the bell tower (50m) to stand under the gigantic bells while they play them for you. Somehow, my head for heights has disappeared along with my brain for physics and I found myself thinking quite a lot about earthquakes as we ascended an ancient brick tower, strengthened with ancient logs and not a lot of safety nets beside the rickety stairs. At the top, the keen young man rang (well actually he probably played an amazing rendition)  the ginormous bells (they play what looks like a mini keyboard with their fists pounding on the ‘keys’ which through some rudimentary system, smack the bells). As expected, Gwilym had a go, showing no fear and Silas held his ears.

View from the bell tower - The Duomo - Milan's most famous church, is in the top right corner

Chasing pigeons has become Gwilym's favourite pass-time, or geese, or ducks...

Sant' Ambroggio

Sant' Ambroggio

We wandered into another nearby church (Sant’ Ambroggio) – apparently one of Milan’s oldest basilicas. Gwilym immediately found a small boy to play hide and seek with in the atrium. Kids don’t need language, they just play with what or who they find. In the church itself, a wedding was taking place and it was filled with what felt like, beautiful, modern, worship-full music. The words didn’t seem important – it was a lovely moment.  I know we will get ‘churched out’ – too much beauty and history for a head to take in, but for the moment it is lovely to admire ancient, intact (well, mostly) buildings and soak in the atmosphere, especially in the early evening autumn sun.