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Day seventeen and I considered writing about Milan to one of Redgum's classic tunes:
"Tram number 33 - under repair
Cab driver talking on his phone and smoking while driving
Hotel flush blocked again
I've been to Milan too
Talked to a guy selling a handbag
Copped some bubbles in the face and came out in a rash
And you can't impress me
Cause I've been to Milan too
Went to the bakery and got a panini
Cost me twenty euro and it wasn't worth a buck
Walked past another fashion store
Look out Prada's got a bargain, lock up your daughters
I've been to Milan too!"
As you can tell that idea lasted about as long as the springs in the bed of our hotel. Piccolo has a bit of character but it's the type of character that would be a good fit for Scorsese's 'Taxi Driver'.
Breakfast was a little dry and the juice was foul - thankfully the croissants and hot chocolate resurrected the offering.
We headed into Milan on the trusty number 57 bus. After the previous evenings debacle with the defunct tram network and lack of signage we were pleasantly surprised the bus network worked as advertised. Of course we did go in the wrong direction initially again and ended up in Milan's version of the Bronx.
The one big difference with Milan to the other Italian cities we've been to, is that it really isn't set up for tourists. In Milan an english speaking shop assistant is about as hard to find as a public toilet.
On the topic of public toilets. Not only are they difficult to find and cost a few euro but they're not that clean. For €1.50 I should at a minimum get a paper to read while doing my business and not have to clean up the previous dudes mess! It really is enough to give you the s***s!
Enough ranting.
Once in town we started our day at the Museo Nazionale di Scienza e Tecnologia. It was just like the Sydney Powerhouse Museum and has everything from trains, aircrafts and submarines to the machines of Da Vinci to the history of radio to biotechnology and metal production. It's an interactive place and we could have easily spent the whole day there.
Next we headed into the town centre to do the key attractions. At Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Sallie span around on the bulls balls a few to many times enjoying inflicting pain on the poor creature. That or she just enjoyed spinning from Prada to Louis Vuiton.
We then headed to Duomo di Milano to tick off our next church. I was pleased to see they were preaching Optimus Prime whose huge portrait along with Bumblebee decorated the external walls of the church.
The detail of the carvings at this cathedral are amazing. We climbed to the roof where you can get very close to them and the level of craftsmanship is fascinating.
After taking in the views of the city it was Sal's turn to pick the activity after a morning of science and art. So we headed off to a few shopping districts.
We actually found a few funky stores with a couple of nifty knick-knacks. Something Andy, Lisa and Jasmin would probably be into is this thing called 'Lomography' - google it! Apparently the stuff is available in Melbourne so we should definitely give it a shot.
After looking at a few different areas, and Sallie surprisingly being a good girl and keeping the credit card away from the cashiers, we began the hunt for some dinner. Not wanting pizza or pasta proved to be a bit of a sticking point.
After catching a number of incorrect trams, and it getting very late, we ended up in a strange area and resorted to the good old cheese burger as a cop out.
Eventually we found our way back to the hotel and collapsed exhausted.
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