Experience...Part 2

The following day it was onto a long 7 hour train ride into Italy to the city of Milan. We didn’t mind though because the train took us through some of the most beautiful countryside I’ve ever seen and to be travelling with the Alps looming up on both sides of you was amazing. The weather was still extremely mild at this point and had been for some time….6 to 9 degrees Celsius each day which the Germans insisted was extremely out of the ordinary – the same time last year had produced snow and temps regularly in the minus numbers. So we arrived in Italy and caught a cab to our hotel since it was dark by the time we pulled into Milan. In Milan we did several sights, a big castle, their huge basilica with the mosaic ceilings plus went up an elevator to the top of the dome and took some great panoramic shots from the outside looking over the city. We saw Da Vinci’s Last Supper which was very cool to see after reading, seeing and hearing so much about it after the Da Vinci Code. Milan is definitely the city for shopping though and primarily for fashion so that much was certainly true!

Next it was on a train to Venice – this took around 3 to 4 hours and was also a very pleasant scenic ride. Venice was absolutely delightful! A fantastic place to visit but I wouldn’t want to live there because this city is literally sinking and it’s 200 000 inhabitants certainly have cloudy future. They can see the funny side though with tourists shirts slogans commanding loudly “QUICK! See Venice BEFORE it sinks!”
The canals and the walkways (can’t really call them roads frequently these alleys used to get around the city by foot are only one or two persons widths wide) were very intriguing and beautiful and for those denigrators out there, no Venice is not dirty or particularly smelly, in fact it is one of the cleanest cities we visited! We did a Gondola ride and took a boat out to the island of Murano to see the glass blowing and sculpturing. We spent nearly a full day on San Marco square visiting the huge cathedral, perusing the stores, walking along the shoreway, and riding to the top of the bell tower to get some fantastic shots. Our hotel was just gorgeous and I loved every minute of Venice…so far even though Rome is a must see I would put Venice up the top of the list….if we ever go back though Florence is the next must see city.
From Venice we flew back to Cologne in time for Christmas, still not a skerrick of snow to be seen and nowhere near cold enough. We spent Christmas in a small town called Springe which is near Hannover, Tim and I did the family thing which in terms of a German Christmas the food is plentiful and delicious, the only thing I couldn’t develop a taste for is Saurkraut, it’s just not my cup of tea perhaps you have to be German born to acquire that taste! After Springe it was back to Cologne where the very next day we flew out to Prague in the Czech Republic.

Milan's Duomo - on the outside, they try to offset
the nasty appearance of scaffolding by hanging
painted material murals mimicking what it should look
like underneath

Milan's Duomo - on the inside

Two grinning tourists climbing round the roof of the Duomo

View from the top!

Venice - this is the sight that beheld us when we stepped
through the train station, a small piazza overlooking the
Grand Canal.

One of many Canal shots we took.

San Marco Square and the Basilica

Glass Blowing Master at work in a Murano workshop

The finished product! A Horse of course.

The all important gondola ride - these things feel like they
can upturn in a heartbeat!

A photo as we floated down the Grand Canal on a ferry bus.

No one lives inside this building - if they did they'd
have a permanent tilt to their walk. One muses on what
the Venetians can do to correct such a lean.