I am pretty much ignoring emails and comments for the time being as the cost of internet connection is utterly outrageous, so it I owe you an email, don’t expect to hear from me! 
In the meantime, here is the cathedral in Como – a huge edifice, considering how small the town is. The striped building next door is the old town hall, that dates back to 1214 and was partially demolished in 1477 to make 
way for the cathedral, which was started in 1397 and finished around 1740. So it started as medieval and ended up baroque. Dates like those are completely unreal to an Australian, as you can imagine.
We sat at the café opposite (see second last pic) and had a lunch and gelato, while devouring (in a different fashion) the confectionary decorating the façade…
And I have decided that the way to cope with prices is to look at the price on the menu and decide they are actually talking about Malaysian ringgit, not 
Euros.
The last pic of the cathedral from above was taken from the funicular railway above the town.
Hope the wonderful architecture and landscapes are giving you plenty of inspiration for your work … and the gelato too.
I was similarly blown away by the sheer age of the buildings, fountains and statues that were everywhere in central Paris, when I visited there for a conference a few years ago. One 1500 year old church comes to mind. As you say, human-constructed artifacts of any antiquity is strange/exotic to an Australian, probably because the oldest buildings we encounter in our lives are no more than 100 years old.
I really need to visit Paris again; I loved that place. I especially enjoyed genuine French bread (yum!).
Ooooh Jason, with genuine French butter on that bread. Wonderful.
Have either of you read the book by Ken Follett about Cathedrals, it is a fascinating insight into the history of building them.
I know what you mean about the way you think of the prices Glenda, I do the same thing in the UK, just pretend they are dollars. Otherwise I would be scared to open my purse at all.
Jo, I could live on that stuff. Incredible. While we have French bread sold in Australia, which comes close, it’s somehow not the same. Perhaps there’s something in the Parisian air!
I haven’t come across Follett’s “Pillars of the Almighty: A Celebration of Cathedrals”, if that’s the one you mean. However, on your recommendation, I’ve ordered a copy. I’m a sucker for pictures of mediaeval architecture, even if they’re churches.
Don’t think there’s any pictures Jason, but its a novel about the people of the time who built those soaring edifices to God. Absolutely fascinating story. I hope you enjoy it, its one of Ken Follett’s best