Blogs from Lombardy, Italy, Europe - page 18

That sounds like the start of a great joke, but alas, there's not much else to tell. Once we started moving, the nun fell asleep and the fashionista took to her magazines. I can safely say that I thought that this, of all days, would be one to skip over on the travel blog. I don't have any pictures, but I do have some stories. First off, the French train this morning was swarming with controllers - those who make sure your ticket is for the journey you're on. At first I thought I was being singled out, but over the next 20 minutes, I saw no less than 6 of them pass by me. I guess it was their day to make something happen. It is the Easter weekend, so maybe they're cracking down on ... read more

We woke this morning to the sound of heavy rain. The news on TV last night reported flooding in Genova and storms were predicted in the wider region. The buffet breakfast was great and we wondered how we were going to get around today without being soaked. Our guardian angel came in the form of a man waiting outside our hotel selling umbrellas. Normally these salesmen are just serial pests but this was one occasion when he was a welcome sight. We entered the underground near our hotel to avoid the rain and caught a train to the Duomo. Trains run very frequently in Italy and if you miss one, the next is only minutes away. The Duomo Met station opens straight onto the Piazza Duomo so the first thing you see is the magnificent gothic ... read more

The plan today was to leave Venice and head to Milan. Milan is one of the places I didn't get to do on my last trip. I wanted to go to Milan last time, but I had some complications with my Eurail pass back then. Unfortunately, I had to change plans on the fly and skip it. However, this time was different. Train ticket, check. Room, check. Beautiful girl by my side, check. We checked out of the hotel at about 10 or so and grabbed a quick bite on the way to the vaporetto. We headed to the train station soaking in the last few glimpses of Venice. It really is a beautiful city. After a couple hour train ride, we arrived in Milan. Luckily, our hotel room was right next to the train station. ... read more

On Sunday (5th October, 2014) Julio (spanish guy from my lab), Weber (brazilian dude from the warehouse), two people I met that day (Daniele and Cinzia), and I went on a bike ride to a monastery, La Certosa di Pavia, south of Milan. Round trip was ~60 km, or 37 miles. I've never biked that far, and used a bike free to use by IFOM. Although it was GREAT that I got to use that bike for free, I regretted not having my own or borrowing a friends: there were only two gears, it was too small for me, and the chain kept skipping past the gears. The only other thing I'll bitch about before I get into it is how sore my butt was afterwards.. I didn't think that would be the thing that was ... read more

Geo: 45.4643, 9.18951After our final breakfast looking at the lovely view of Lake Como, we left for Milan.We had organised a driver through the Metropole, Fabio Fantoni, for the transfer which worked very well. After we arrived in Milan, we were able to check into our hotel, the Gran Duca di York nice and early. After dropping our luggage the front desk explained how to get to the railway station and we headed straight there to catch the train to Malpensa airport. We were very happy with our room - not only was the cost incredibly reasonable, it was a lovely sunny room with a balcony and a complimentary mini bar, non alcohol only as well as excellent free wifi. Our review can be read here: http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowUserReviews-g187849-d2... read more