The late landing and a ridiculously long wait to get hold luggage from plane to customer enhanced my irritation with the day.  I was cursing the lack of train station signs too until we came across a series of them leading us to the airport’s station.

Our poor Italian sign reading led us, dragging suitcases, to the wrong platform.  This was corrected by using the lift Chris thought we should have used first.  The €13 fare eventually had us on a clean train with charging points and into the city within an hour.  Centrale station is a magnificent building.  The surrounding plaza impressed.  Signs for attractions suggested this is a city that likes itself rather a lot.  Instinct told me beware pickpockets.

The ability for a two hour flight to tire me amazes.  Sore back, not helped by heavy case, exited the station.  I cursed a group of railway staff chatting across a narrow platform, ignoring our need to get past.  It’s been a day of ignorance from the rest if the human race.

We exited the wrong side of the station, so the three minute google Maps walk became 10.  We eventually find our hotel down a side street, next to a building site with a button to press for entry.  The door unlocked and we wandered up a floor.  The Ritz this isn’t!

Our receptionist welcomed us in perfect English, apologising for her poor use of our native tongue.  We joked about our use of Italian, limited to ciao and grazie.  She said we knew more, citing pizza, spaghetti, bolognaise and more as words we surely knew.  A delightful young lady who showed us to our room.  A double room.

My booking had the word “twin” in it, but she insisted that this is the room I’d selected.  No alternatives.  Chris, you’re sharing with Dad tonight!

Painkillers.  A lie down.  Then tea.  Pizza and ice cream with a bottle of red.  Tired, we collectively declined to see Milan by night and returned to our room, eventually connecting charging devices to the mains in the bathroom after a long battle with adaptors and sockets.

A hot sticky night in a comfortable bed.  A basic brekkie awaits.  A morning in Milan before negotiating another Malensa Express service and another 2 x €13 ticket cost.

Fly Eventually