Originally we were going to catch a sleeper train from Venice to Paris, but at the last minute my wife changed her mind (after booking the accomodation in Paris). All the flights out of Venice were were expensive so we decided to spend a night in Milan after getting some cheap airfares with Alitalia. I really like Milan and it is where I derived my daughters name from, Milana, as it's a special place to me. So I was up for the change of plans.
I went for a run on the last morning in Venice and it was a unique experience. I found my way to St Marks square after taking a few wrong turns and hitting some dead ends. The reward was a very quiet square, which is a rarity. The way home was easier although I pulled up with a bit of a sore ankle from the uneven ground and bridges.
The trip from Venice to Milan was comfortable. We had a bit of a laugh at the expense of the American Tourist who for some reason couldn't see the clear as day seat numbers. She got herself all worked up. Thankfully her son came to the rescue.
We found our apartment which had a drop dead gorgeous view of the Duomo. Sebastian and Milana loved the bath and couldn't wait to have a bubble bath. It was time then to do some quick exploring. I like Milan a lot hence it is why I named Milana after it.
The kids thought the Duomo with all its statues was pretty cool and they couldn't wait to get home and research it. They later found out it was 108 metres tall, has 3400 statues and is the 3rd largest church in the world.
We made our way down to the Castle and park, after a detour shopping. Milana and Sebastian got to burn off some energy.
Being into bikes I took myself off to Bianchi Cycles and Cafe in the evening for a quick look, I would have loved to walk out with a new rig but..... Maybe next time. It is a fairly flash set up over four levels. It has a restaurant, bar, lounge, coffee shop and of course bikes. On the way home I saw a lady on a Vespa collect a pedestrian. Both were OK, but the male was more worried about his suit making sure it wasn't ripped.
That evening we got to watch the street performer sing until about 10pm. He was fantastic. This was the downside of the awesome view, it was a bit noisy.
The morning was gorgeous and did the usual stand up coffee and cakes then wandered through the Duomo. Kids liked the link between the fact that Sant Carlo's crypt was there and it was him and his family who built the palace and gardens on Isola Bella.
As a lover of planes and airports I was happy to visit a new airport, Milano Linate. Although I had been passed it as the Milan International Triathlon occurs just outside its boundary. Being the smaller of the two Airports in Milan and it was a very quick check in and customs clearance. Milana commented, "Is that it!"
The flight on Alitalia was extremely smooth, especially considering we flew straight over the snow capped Alps. They seemed close enough to touch.
Customs at Charles D' Gaulle was also smooth and soon we were trying to figure out the tickets for the train. It kept rejecting our credit cards and would take my coins. It turns out you are not meant to spend over €20 in a transaction. Soon we were on the train which turned out to have a bit of action. A male and female transit police officer were in discussions with a traveller. Suddenly she pushed him and gave him a clip over the head. She was very fired up and had to be restrained by her partner. Would be interesting to know what the man said, I have my thoughts on the general nature of his comments. Anyway they dragged him off the train at the next stop.
Not long after we were at our apartment near Gare De Lyon. Kids were exhausted so a quick wander of the streets to get some food and home. Big couple of days.
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