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Day three was already here and we were waking up in our 2nd City of our tour...Milano.
No breakfast here,so after a much needed nights sleep, we set off to explore central Milan, the West End of London if you like , although to be fair other then crowds of tourists that's where the similarities with our capital started and finished.
We asked the chap on the reception desk about how we would make our way to Duomo a remarkable and intricate cathedral. Two subway stops or a 10 minute walk came the reply. Given it was such a short walk off we set...we walked and walked and walked some more ...at least half an hour later we eventually reached Duomo, and we hadn't even got lost, not sure where he got the 10 walk from even Linford Christie couldn't have made that distance in that time!
However the walk was worth it when we reached Duomo it really is a stunning building and in a beautiful square too.
Our plan was to pay our 2 Euros and take a tour of Duomo, however after queuing 5 minutes for our tickets it became obvious that this would not be allowed as both Alex and Millie both had their shoulders and knees exposed... There are very strict rules here, when it comes to visiting religious buildings so if you ever visit Milan do keep this in mind.
It was now late morning so we grabbed some lunch which mainly consisted of some delicious filled rolls...nice...and cheap, or should I say good value.
In close proximity to Duomo was another stunning piece of architecture - a classically designed shopping arcade housing many of the big fashion names such as Versace, Armani, Gucci and the like, sadly all way out of our price range..maybe one day we'll come back with enough cash to spend spend spend!
The good news was that amongst these exclusive stores was another well known but more affordable shop that being a huge. H & M. So we all checked that out, but bought nothing in the end.
Another well known brand was in close proximity - this time McDonalds...so it seemed rude not to have a drink and a McFlurry.
Nearby to Duomo were the historical walls of Milan, a beautiful fountain and gardens, on our walk to this attraction we also saw a few of the old fashioned (and modern) trams that roam around Milan. It's funny how we keep seeing things that remindme of Blackpool, especially as I have been reading a book The Blackpool Rock a real life account of one of Blackpools most infamous doormen...definitely worth a read.
Time was getting on and we would be needing to make our way via train later in the afternoon to our next stop Lake Garda. We therefore made our way back to Hotel Pomo but this time via public transport... One subway and one overland train...we had to take a bit of a gamble with the overland train that it would stop at the very next stop on the line ( Dateo) where we had to get off.
After checking with a couple of locals we gathered that the next train WOULD be stopping at Dateo but to be honest I really wasn't convinced... However , luck was on our side and the train ( a double decker type) soon pulled into Dateo station. Great news ... But thEM we hit a problem. Where was our hotel? It turned out that we had walked in the wrong direction (seems this was becoming a habit) and then things started getting a bit fraught, whilst we had a map this didn't seem to be helping much, neither was the heat or the fact we all had a raging thirst.
Eventually we sussed it out and were very pleased to see our hotel again where we all had a huge drink in their bar.
In the reception area hung pictures of places landmarks and cities Josie and I had been to such as NewYork, Paris and London - only one picture hung where we had not been... However this was somewhere we would be visiting soon..The Coliseum in Rome, all a little bizarre, but I love these kind of
co-incidences. I blame my mother who has often claimed it (life) is all worked out.
Next stop Centtal Milan station via the number. 92 bus...we couldn't work out how to pay so in the end it turned out we got a free ride! This wouldn't be the last free ride we had but I blame the system which seems far too complicated vas frankly open to abuse.
Central station in Milan is a wonderfully beautiful piece of architecture , we spent around an hour there waiting for our train to Lake Garda which left at 4.35pm and would take an hour to get to our destination.
It seemed to take an age for our trains platform to be announced but eventually platform 10 came up on the board for our train to Lake Garda which was ultimately bound for Venice, a train we would 'rejoin' in a few days time as Venice is our next destination following a short stay in Lake Garda.
Josiie confidently told us that we had no seat reservations on this train, it was only a short ride so we chose our carriage and took our seats. It wasn't too long before someone was looking at us in a way that said 'these are OUR seats'. So up we got luggage and all ready to find alternative seats. This was when a friendly Italian lady stepped in and explained we probably DID Ahave reserved seats...she was soon calling over the train guard who then checked our records on his hand held computer to see if we did indeed have any seat reservations... Whilst all this was happening Josie pulled out the paperwork we held only to find that behind the front sheet was another sheet clearly showing our carriage number and seat reservation information.
We were in the wrong seats, and the wrong carriage but at least we were on the right train , which only now had around 6 minutes before it departed...so we grabbed all our luggage (not easy) and made our way quickly to carriage nine.
At 16.35 the train pulled out of Milan Central and an hour or so later we glimpsed Lake Garda and how beautiful it looked too, you could see the huge lake , surrounded by trees and mountains in the distance.
The train journey itself was relatively unremarkable up until Lake Garda and the landscape was surprisingly industrial for a large part of the way.
Upon arriving at Desanzo we had the problem of finding a taxi that would take five of us and our luggage. So we called the taxi number and explained what we needed... A taxi for 5 plus room for plenty of luggage!
After being told initially that this was not possible there was a quick uturn after a voice in the background said Si (yes), so there we were in our taxi bound for Sereno Camping Village sited right on the edge of Lake Garda. Something very strange and quite amusing happened whilst we were in our taxi. Suddenly the driver picked up his iphone and for the next few minutes spoke loudly at it like he was having a long conversation with himself, all very bizarre and probably illegal, no idea what the chap was saying although every so often the word taxi was dropped into the conversation...it's a times like this I wish I'd studied Italian.
Anyway we safely arrived at the village and enjoyed some beautiful views across Lake Garda on the way too.
First impressions of the site were good and it looked clean and was obviously very family orientated, with a mix of touring caravans and tents in amongst purpose built caravans in which we would be staying - caravan no.16.
After all the admin had been sorted out including a huge itinerary list (which included the worlds tiniest coffee mugs about 2 inches wide and about the same depth) which we were asked to complete, we made our way to our. 2 bed caravan which was compact but clean and in a good condition with all the essentials...we just about had time to go to the site shop to buy some basic food items and groceries which in the main were very well priced. We also felt the need to buy a few essentials such as beer and wine.
This evening we eat on the park restaurant the kids had pizza , I had schnitzel and Josie had a pasta dish. Including drinks the cost came to 48€ Which was quite good value...there was however one shock, which was finding a horse meat dish on the menu... Didn't think about having that particular dish Furlong!
The rest of the evening was spent sitting outside our caravan relaxing, drinking, chatting and having a few glasses of beer wine and soft drinks...a very pleasant introduction to our short stay in Lake Garda.
Just as a foot note when ever Josie and I are on holiday abroad which to be fair really isn't that often, an A class personality, actor, member of the royal family, musician etc etc seems to pass away. In the past this has included such notable examples as Lady Diana Spencer, statesman Ronald Reagan and musician Ray Charles to name just a few, so it came as no surprise to hear of the sad passing today of the renound actor Omar Shariff. God rest his soul.
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