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Published: August 13th 2008
All Hail Milan!
Wonderful, beautiful city who's origins date back to 400 BC & they have so very much to show for it! Clean, thriving with art & business (not to mention tourism on a HUGE scale) with happy, I mean HAPPY people....despite the heat. It's hot here, I'm talkin' EQUATOR hot. Steaming, sweltering hot :D! It's been around 40 Celsius, I'm withering.
One of the things that has surprised me a great deal was the vast unbelievable number of tram lines. You'll notice these in my photos. Bus, metro & tram-public transportation is BIG here. It really isn't any wonder though. In a country that would forever make Mario Andretti proud, Milan HAS to have the most outrageous drivers in the world. I always felt that "honor" belongs to Rome, I was SO wrong :D! In my humble opinion; the fine people of Milan somehow don't see the white line in the middle of the roads. Perhaps it's the glare of the sun in their eyes. Perhaps no one has ever told them the white line is not there merely for aesthetic purposes. A real puzzler. No regard for the lines. It's eat or be eaten on these roads
Fontana
Affectionately referred to as The Wedding Cakepeople! Drive, just drive. If there's a space to squeeze into...SQUEEZE! DO NOT hesitate! These people have scratches & dents all over their cars for a REASON! Expect to swerve unexpectedly for cars left in the road. Parking is a nightmare, so people just park there cars in main routes of traffic, blocking in the poor soul who parked legally. Plenty of horn blowing & fist flailing & as long as you personally are not involved, it's a delight to watch :D!
The police.... look great in their uniforms 😉 they chat with the pretty girls & always use their light bar when going through the traffic (whether they need it or not). "Macho" has found it's origin here for a reason I see. Hey, if I didn't HAVE to plow through this traffic I wouldn't either! They "look" @ cars double or illegally parked I noticed. Not much else. After a short time one learns to ignore traffic laws we have followed our entire lives to jump sidewalks, weave, speed & speaking from personal experience, drive backwards a considerable distance, down a ONE WAY street to snag that parking space someone just pulled out of!!!!! No one honked
their horn, they quietly went around us, the police watched the whole thing-grinned, waved & drove on :O!!! LoL ! Wow, anywhere else & that would have cost BIG money to wheedle out of.
The underground parking lots in Milan are a strange sort. Check your fuel gauge & mileage as nicer cars seem to go walk-about -_- & the parking attendants want your keys. There is a constant shuffle of the "double" parked cars. Parked 3 & 4 deep it's the attendants job to get your car for you. Ummm, "no". We keep our keys- there was a colorful exchange of 5 & 7 letter words with hand gestures like he was conducting the Vienna Philharmonic. Heh looks like he won't be on my Christmas card list this year :D!
One comment I have to make concerning the Vittorio Emanuele; One of the designs on the floor represents Turin & takes the form of a bull. It caught my attention (as long lines of people usually do) because of the laughter & delight on peoples faces &..... the spinning. Hmmm. Evidently the tradition goes something like this- Anyone who spins on the bulls "family jewels" with their
right heel will have good luck. LoL, there HAD to be 50 people waiting to "twirl" :D!!! Ahh the color of Milan.
Well, I'm soon to be caught up on my travelogue. Typing the text when en route or by a pool to cut & paste as hotspots allow. There may be some errors in my titles of photos & some titles have momentarily slipped my mind. So much information to take in, I'll update this during the winter months when I'm not off skiing!
Milan.... I have sat & reflected where Leonardo da Vinci painted the Last Supper. I am truly blessed. I have lived.
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