Milan (English /mɨˈlaen/ or US /məˈlɑːn/;[3] Italian: Milano [miˈlaːno] ( listen); Milanese: Milan [miˈlaŋ]), the second-most populous city in Italy, serves as the capital of Lombardy. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area (the 5th-largest in the EU) comprises an estimated 5,264,000 people.[4]

Milan here we come. The girls have been waiting for this day, just so they can see the fashions. We got out of bed nice and early, and had breakfast at the hotel before we made our way to the train station. I mentioned in my last blog that the Bologna train station was very average, with graffiti everywhere. Well on the face of it, my opinion never changed. However today we were taking the very fast train to Milan, which will be a 40 min trip. We were told to go to platform 7. To do that we had to go underground. As soon as we did that, a whole new world just opened up. We have gone from this derelict looking boggy train station, to a very futuristic, clean and modern station underground. On top of that, we had to go down 5 stories to get to the platform we needed. Amazing, it was a bit like Dr Who and the Tardis.

It wasn't long before we were on this beautiful train doing 300 KMH to Milan. Dianne being the thoughtful person she is, decided to steal some croissants from the restaurant at the hotel. She thought they would be good for morning tea on the train. As it turned out, we got there very quickly, so they were not needed. Which is just as well. I have loaded a picture of them. I mean, do they really look tasty? . When we did arrive we made our way to the main terminus. This is a very BIG train station, and the terminus is something to see. It is simply amazing. Beautiful, very beautiful. Brian and Dianne had instructions on how to find the street our Air BNB was in. We were following the instructions, but seemed to be getting nowhere. In the end we decided to get a taxi. We loaded up the taxi with our now very heavy bags, and Brian showed the driver the street we wanted to go to. Now I do not speak Italian, but can assure you I know the driver was not happy. He pointed to Brian in a rather 'Dumb Australian Tourist" look, to say it is just over there. So we proceeded to unpack the taxi, ready for a short walk to our unit. Brian did give the driver a couple of euro's which calmed him down.

Now "over there" in Italian can mean anything. We proceeded,only to get lost. These simple instructions have turned out very complicated. After walking what seemed like an eternity we stopped and asked, and finally we arrived in the right street. By this time the Air BNB host Marco was out walking up and down the footpath looking for us.... and he found us, which was lucky, because I do not think we would have found his unit, as it was well disguised. The unit was great. 3 stories up, and very secure. Brian and Dianne had the main room, and Cheryl and I had the 'Romantic Room" up these very narrow and steep stairs, in the Attic. Romantic is an Italian term for rooms with very low roofs, incredibly small bathrooms, and when you sit on the toilet you rest you chin on the hand basin.

However, it is all good fun, and it was perfectly located and suited for our short stay.

After we unpacked and had lunch, we decided to do the mandatory hop on hop off bus tour of the town. This would help us understand it's layout and help us plan what we wanted to do the next day.

The tour took us to all the main areas, and it simply opened our eyes to yet another time in history with all these beautiful old buildings and streets. Milan has a lot to offer, but our short stay I know would not do it any justice.

After our very hot and quite exhausting bus tour, we found a little bar opposite Milan Central and the Excelsior Hotel Gallia. This Hotel has been perfectly restored, and is probably the most expensive in Milan. A suite can cost up to $10000 a night. Suffice to say, we opted for our Air BNB. The Hollywood bar was great. Brian and I had our drinks and the girls managed a couple Pina Coladas. Time seems to escape you over here. We left later than anticipated. I was ready for bed. When I got back to the unit, I went straight to bed. The girls caught up on some washing and which they had been wanting to do for ages, and Brian once again settled into his book.