I’m sat very uncomfortably on a night train wondering how the hell am I going to get some sleep tonight as we are making our way to Munich and the first time any of us has been to Germany. The seats are poised perfectly straight and have no inclination to relax and recline (I guess they’re German-made) and while Simon is lying across two seats and Itzel is small enough to curl into one, my only options were either to put my feet on Simon’s face or lean to the right, and the passenger on my right is leaning left rather than by the window, selfish bastard! I successfully (somehow) dosed off, only to be woken at 3am by the inconsiderate shite that asked for my ticket and ruined any hope of rest and recuperation tonight.
Through the window the land is brighter than the sky, the Austrian Alps are covered in deeper snow than I have ever seen in my life. Such natural beauty reminds me of what I’m doing and how new and exciting this all is for me. This trip will see a lot of firsts and superlatives, but today was not so much one of those days, as we spent our last day in Italy checking out Milan and Verona.
Arriving in Milan about midday, we scoured the area for somewhere to leave lost luggage. There would be no hostel tonight, only a train journey, which I can tell you right now is leaving me pining for a hostel, or even a normal train! Anyway, after paying a small fortune to leave our luggage (it was a fiver, but I’m talking relative to value here) we headed to the Piazza del Duomo to see what was, simply, the most badass church I’ve seen (okay that was a superlative, touché). Despite being pearly white, I could imagine it being painted black and becoming a lair for a maleficent villain from a Disney film.
I wasn’t expecting much with the churches. I had already seen Basilica Vaticano in Rome and the Basilica del San Marco in Venice and was blown away, but this one, with its 13th-15th Century Gothic architecture (I think, don’t quote me) was probably my favourite of all the churches I saw in Italy. Yes, the Vatican was phenomenal in terms of size and heritage, and the Basilica del San Marco was also rather gargantuan with its prodigious mosaic (I’m still wondering how on earth they did that!), but I guess it was the style of the Duomo that won me over.
The interior was also beautiful. Despite being smaller than the Basilicas it was still grand, with very high ceilings. January 6th also happened to be Epiphany, which the Italians celebrate with witches that reward good behaviour and….. recruit the bad ones? Anyway, there was a mass taking place at the time, adding to the grandiose ambience. I had never seen a Catholic service before. There seems to be a lot more singing and far fewer repetitive lectures than in Anglican services.
After leaving the castle we went to check out the shopping centre just off the Piazza del Duomo. No, we didn’t go shopping – we’re living out of 2 bags for 3 weeks! Plus there was no way I could afford half the items I could see. This was Milan after all, fashion capital of Italy if not the world. The gargoyles on the domed ceiling were watching over Gucci, Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton, Prada… and Mercedes-Benz! Apparently the German car manufacturer sells premium clothing in Milan. Okay……
Castello Sforzesco was next on our agenda. After walking through a high street laden with flags of various countries, trying in vain to guess what countries they belonged to (they were for well-known world powers such as Gabon), we arrived at the peculiar fortress. While I was expecting something that would look more traditional, like Caerphilly Castle near my home in Wales, this castle was…well….red! It looked rather modern, like a state home rather than a castle. But it was still marvellous to behold!
We entered the courtyard and enjoyed the view of the statues and battlements. After relaxing in the sunny garden for a few minutes, we enquired about the admission fee. Luckily because it was Epiphany, there was none, and we entered with gusto to see what we thought would be some awesome sights. A keep. A museum detailing historical battles. A view of Milan from a sentry tower. No, this is what we saw.
After a few minutes admiring the porcelain and musical instruments (obviously my interest was more with the latter, but there’s only so many violins you can look at) we decided to head for one more beautiful Piazza (standard Italian city stuff) before catching the train to Verona to check out the Roman Arena and Juliet’s house before a night train to Germany.
Unfortunately, when we arrived in Verona, we were too late. Contrary to what my Guide to Europe had told me, the Arena wasn’t open until half past 7, and our only hope of entering was to watch a Nativity play in Italian. No grazie! Denied entry to both Roman arenas, we made our way to Juliet’s house.
I knew roughly which way to go because this was and should be the only city on the trip that I have previously visited. When I was 17, my school choir went for a tour in Lake Garda and the surrounding area, and we had seen the Arena, and how wondrous the view was from the top row. I had also visited the fictional setting of one of the world’s most famous plays and stood upon that balcony. But this time, it wasn’t to be. The Arena wasn’t nearly as impressive as it was four years ago. That might have had something to do with seeing the Colosseum two days previously…
And Juliet’s house was also closed early. Maybe it was due to the Epiphany Bank Holiday. I would have taken the Verona arena over a free visit to see porcelain any day, but oh well. My companions could still see the balcony from the gate, as well as the alley that was covered in messages of love. I took a few photos myself, but my camera sucks at taking night photos (which I feel may be very useful indeed during this trip), so they are either blurry or too dark.
We finished our stay in Italy with delectable pizzas in the main Piazza near the house of Juliet before making our way to the train station for what has proved to be a very uncomfortable night. We passed the two-hour wait between everything closing and the train’s departure watching South Park in the station, on Itzel’s laptop balanced on my bag. We looked like bourgeois hobos!
And now we are here, and the mountains look stunning outside. I would wake Simon up to let him see them, as he has never seen snow, but I don’t want him to not sleep for the sake of seeing snow that he cannot actually walk on and enjoy. It was all there for you to see, but you know you can’t really use and enjoy it, basically like a stripper….
Anyway, I’m going to try and go over the German course I have on my iPod and see if I can retain any new words to use in Munich when we get there. Germany – the first of many countries that I shall visit for the very first time.
Arrivederci Italia! Grazie mille!
Rant over
Ollie
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