26th
We are up early today, as our flight is at 10am. No problems with check in or the flight. We arrive into Milan an its pouring with rain. Apparently it has been raining for the last few days. It has been raining so much the roof in the baggage collection hall is partly flooded at one end. Anyway we collect or wet bags and make our way to the Bus to take us to the Central Station in Milan. From there its a short subway ride to the place we are staying.

We are greeted by Anna at the street door to her apartment building. She shows us around her apartment and leaves. This is a really nice open plan apartment on the 2rd floor of a really nice villa. So we unpack and and start to worry about what we will eat. Today is a public holiday, so nearly everything is closed. Lucky for us there is a nice little restaurant next door. We order up some nice lasagne and gnocchi.

27th
I go outside to open up the outside shutters to let in the glorious sunlight. The rain has gone today and left blue sky. We take the subway into the Duomo to visit the cathedral and Duomo square. As we walk up the stairs from the metro we are standing in the shadow of the Duomo cathedral. It is stunning, absolutely stunning. It is built out of white marble, and would have to be one of the most beautiful buildings we have laid eyes on.

We join the queue to visit the inside which doesnt take that long. Its pretty impressive inside and the lead light windows are impressive. We then head to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Its one ultra expensive shopping in a magnificent building. Now we head to the Castello Sforzesco. Its a huge castle. This then leads out to Parco Sempione and then the Peace Arch.

We must have walked 10 to 15 kilometres today, but it was an amazing day out, one we wont forget.

28th
Well its not such a nice day. Cloudy and light rain. So we decide to take the train to Monza. Its about 30ks from Milan. The train ride is 30 minutes. Monza is a really cool little village type town. Really enjoyed walking around the pedestrian streets even if it was drizzling with rain.

We arrive back in Milan and it has stopped raining, so we find more streets to explore before heading back to our apartment.

29th
29th
Today we awake to beautiful blue skies, not a cloud in sight. Which means it will be very cold outside, about minus 3. We decide to take the train to Como. The travel time is 1 hour. Its blue skies in Como, but very cold in the shade. We begin exploring Como with a walk along the lake shore, but the breeze coming off the lake is very cold. We walk back into town and find a nice café and enjoy a coffee.

The town has lots of small pedestrian streets lined with very old buildings and lots of little shops. It is very peaceful and quiet, even though there are plenty of people walking around.

Lunch is from the supermarket, some nice bread rolls with salami and ham. We eat at the park next to the lake where the tourist boats leave from. It's so nice basking in the warm sun.

After lunch we walk to the Funicular, a small train that climbs to the summit. Even in the middle of winter the train is packed full of people. The angle of accent is about 45 degrees, so I am glad for the Funicular as it would be a long hard walk to the summit.

Well the views at the top are absolutely breathtaking. After looking around we find that there are many walks to do. We choose the walk to the light house. Its 2ks uphill along a rather rocky and uneven path. It takes us half an hour, and I am certainly out of breath. The views here are even better. We are so lucky with the weather as we can see all the way to the Swiss Alps. Would have to be up there with one of the best vistas ever.

The train ride back is pretty uneventful, and once back in Milan we walk back to the apartment.

30th
Another glorious day, so it is spent walking, sightseeing, drinking coffee in cafes, lunch at a nice little café. Just another great day in Milan

31st
Its another glorious day, so we begin another day of walking and exploring the city, finding streets we haven’t walked yet. Along the way we walk past a hairdresser and she has no customer, so I ask if she can cut my hair. Her name is Anna, and she does not understand much English, but I manage to communicate with her that I want only a trim. Anna does a great haircut and as we leave she shakes our hands, but does not want to let go. What a lovely lady.

We have to get some food as tomorrow is a holiday and everything will be closed. With that done we cook some nice food and settle in for the night.

1st
Another beautiful day. We spend the afternoon walking a different district before ending up at the Duomo for one last visit. Plenty of people out walking, but only a few cafés are open. I will be sad to leave Milan, I have found it a wonderful place to visit. It has so much character to it.

2rd
Today we are off to Zurich by train. It will take 4 hours. We are travelling with Swiss rail rather than the Italian rail. I have read the Swiss trains are better. Our train is 10 minutes late which is very unusual for the Swiss. Anyway we board the train and take our seats. As we cross into Switzerland it is snowing, with lots of snow on the ground.
The scenery is very good, lots of snowy mountains, and pristine lakes. Enjoyed the train trip

We arrive in Zurich at 3pm, and it only takes us 5 minutes to walk to our apartment. Very nice and modern right in the heart of Zurich. We go for a walk to see the old city before getting some really nice food from the supermarket.

From what we have seen so far food is quite expensive here. Anyway it was a great day.