Northern Italy: Day 1
Ya, Ya ... a post after a long long time. Yes, you can blame all the fault on Facebook! Without further ado, I should continue now.
This trip was planned long long back, not in this format, but after many changes and tweaks, the trip rested in this present format, which is Milan, Florence, Pisa and Venice, in 5 days. Yes, no one would have imagined that, but we actually made it a success. My companion in this trip was Satish, who is interested to see places, but is very lazy to plan anything, hence I took him along lest he feels left out. Jokes apart, it is always nice to have a companion to travel, to at least discuss how you liked or hated the place, the hotel, the train and everything.
In Norway, Easter holidays start on Thursday, hence if it was planned well, we could have taken three days off and went on a road trip, but as everyone knows nothing happens according to the plan, or the old plan in this case, as the new plan worked perfectly. Coming back to the point, we were packed for our 5 day trip, and we have to pack very well, since Ryanair allows only one hand baggage free of cost and that too weighing 10kgs max. This weight limit has always been a problem for me since I travel with a big camera and a tripod. Anyway, as always, I stuffed some items in Satish's bag (another reason you need a companion), and we were happily waiting for the 37 bus at St. Hanshaugen on the chilly Thursday morning. The bus was a bit late (yes that happens in Oslo), yet we reached Oslo Bussterminalen in proper time and happily boarded the Ryggeexpressen coach (after buying a return ticket). Then it was time for a short nap as the bus will take minimum 1 hour to reach Rygge airport.
Ryanair flies to odd places (and hence it is cheap, very cheap), and our flight was to Bergamo. Not an unknown city for me after having read "Playing for Pizza", but for others it is a small town 45KM north-east of Milan. Our flight was boring as usual and we reached Bergamo at 13:50 hrs (I am trying to follow the European standard nowadays!). From here you have two cheap way to reach Milan, take the bus, or take the train. We decided to be adventurous and take the train, and hence boarded a mini-bus, which leaves just in front of the airport, which took us to Bergamo Station. At the station, we took the tickets for the next train to Milan, and it was leaving after about 20 minutes hence we decided to eat something. Let me tell you one thing here, that is, Satish was broke now and had no money in his Eurocard because it was not loaded. He had just about 100 Euros cash, and it was fun to listen him curse the Finance guys who did not load his card. One such round of cursing happened now when he bought the train tickets.
Lunch was shawarma roll which was available just in front of the station. Food will be difficult in this trip as Satish does not like pasta/pizza, and I don't like McD, which Satish likes, and also he does not feel well-fed unless he has rice and daal, which anyway is a problem in the whole of Europe. The chicken roll was nice and I was relieved that Satish like it, otherwise we would have to search for more food options.
The train to Milan was a normal one (by Italian standards) yet it was a double decker. We of course sat on the upper level, and as the train took speed, the scene changed from a lot of pastel-coloured houses to a few pastel-coloured houses, but the pastel-colour was common. Actually in all of Italy, the houses are pastel-coloured and all are warm colours, very few, almost zero houses will be blue or green.
After travelling through the vineyards we reached Milan Central Station in 1 hour and oh boy, it was a sight. The Milan Centrale Station is really beautiful. It has this huge structure covering the main train waiting area, which is covered with glass of various colours. And all the Eurostar trains waiting at the platform made it more interesting. The waiting hall is also fabulous and is made more like a mall (not as big as Roma Termini) but this one is more beautiful with nice sculptures and super-high ceilings.
Our first stop was to find Gianlucca's flat, which we booked though Airbnb. This was my first real Airbnb booking, the previous one was done by Anil, and so I was a bit skeptic about the person and the place, but when he showed us the house, it was perfect. Everything was as described in the ad, twin beds, hall and kitchen, and a tiny bathroom. Gianlucca was a nice guy and gave us instructions about the doors, and the oven (since one hob was not working) and about the waste segregation.
We freshened up and were out on the streets in about 1 hour. Our apartment was near the Centrale Station and this area is full of hotels and restaurants. Overall, the first impression (or the one day impression) of the city was nice. Very modern, less tourists, very livable, but might get boring soon. But then Milan is connected by train to almost whole of Europe, hence you cannot actually get bored.
We were back at the station, but in the Subway platform now. We took a 24 hour pass, and boarded the metro till Duomo. And as we got out of the subway station, a wonderful sight awaited us.The Milan Cathedral overlooked us in all its beauty, and the square in front was dotted with pigeons and people. The Milan Cathedral or Duomo di Milano as it is locally called, is the largest cathedral in Italy and 4th largest in the World. It took an amazing six centuries to complete and is one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan, currently Cardinal Angelo Scola, whom we incidentally saw inside. There was some program going on due to the Easter. The interiors are equally amazing and due to the program it was fully lighted inside and hence provided a detailed view.
The square in front of the Duomo are filled with crooks who try to sell you those threads (like in Sacre Couer in Paris), and also selling you grains for the pigeons. It is nice to feed the birds, but someone stuffing your hands with grains forcibly and then asking for money is not good. Our firm NO was enough to send the message.
Right beside the Duomo is a superb shopping mall, called Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. The Galleria is equally beautiful with its glass double arcade and a central dome. It houses all famous fashion brands now from Prada to Armani. The other side of the Galleria is the La Scala theatre, we did not go inside and it is not very great to see from outside. We did see the Leonardo Da Vinci Monument.
Our next stop was San Satiro, but it was closed as it was already 19:30 now. Hence we took the metro and went to Porta Genova. Well, I was not sure what is there exactly, but found a fair amount of tourists there. A number of pizzerias and trattorias were there and a walk by the Naviglio Grande Canal was nice too. We decided on a restaurant here and went inside. It was peak dinner time and there was a problem with getting tables, but we got ours soon.
Satish ordered a pizza which came directly from the fire oven in front of us, I mean we could see it been made live and it was not a frozen pizza. My dish was a chicken based one, which was a flop as when they brought it, I was like "I didn't order a dessert!" Yes, it was a very small portion. Anyway, we had taken some breads and wine from a store, so it was ok with the over-prices small portions at the restaurant. I think now I should research on eateries too before coming to a place.
While going back we stopped by the Duomo for some night shots. It was nicer atmosphere now, with less crooks and no pigeons. The moon was shining brightly and the Galleria looked mesmerizing in the evening light. After just roaming about in the square for some time, we decided to call it a day and took the Metro to Centrale and then walked back to the apartment.
At the apartment, the white wine was opened, and it was not cold so tasted awful. We stashed it in the fridge and went to bed. I think Satish had two beers before going to bed, I do not remember now.
And my Yum-Yum chicken noodles is done as I can sense from the smell coming from the oven. This is the best noodles you get in Oslo (of course for non-vegetarians) and will beat Maggi any time, just due to its flavour. Until next time ... enjoy reading!
Cash Register:
Flight to Bergamo from Oslo: 75 Euros (keeps changing)
Return ticket on Ryggeexpressen: 250 Kroners
Bus from Bergamo airport to Bergamo station: 2 Euros
Train from Bergamo to Milan Centrale: 5.15 Euros
Lunch: 9 Euros (for both of us)
24hr pass in Milan: 4.5 Euros
Dinner: 31.50 Euros
This trip was planned long long back, not in this format, but after many changes and tweaks, the trip rested in this present format, which is Milan, Florence, Pisa and Venice, in 5 days. Yes, no one would have imagined that, but we actually made it a success. My companion in this trip was Satish, who is interested to see places, but is very lazy to plan anything, hence I took him along lest he feels left out. Jokes apart, it is always nice to have a companion to travel, to at least discuss how you liked or hated the place, the hotel, the train and everything.
 |
| Milano Centrale |
 |
| Duomo di Milano |
Lunch was shawarma roll which was available just in front of the station. Food will be difficult in this trip as Satish does not like pasta/pizza, and I don't like McD, which Satish likes, and also he does not feel well-fed unless he has rice and daal, which anyway is a problem in the whole of Europe. The chicken roll was nice and I was relieved that Satish like it, otherwise we would have to search for more food options.
 |
| Cardinal Angelo Scola |
After travelling through the vineyards we reached Milan Central Station in 1 hour and oh boy, it was a sight. The Milan Centrale Station is really beautiful. It has this huge structure covering the main train waiting area, which is covered with glass of various colours. And all the Eurostar trains waiting at the platform made it more interesting. The waiting hall is also fabulous and is made more like a mall (not as big as Roma Termini) but this one is more beautiful with nice sculptures and super-high ceilings.
Our first stop was to find Gianlucca's flat, which we booked though Airbnb. This was my first real Airbnb booking, the previous one was done by Anil, and so I was a bit skeptic about the person and the place, but when he showed us the house, it was perfect. Everything was as described in the ad, twin beds, hall and kitchen, and a tiny bathroom. Gianlucca was a nice guy and gave us instructions about the doors, and the oven (since one hob was not working) and about the waste segregation.
 |
| Interiors of Duomo di Milano |
We were back at the station, but in the Subway platform now. We took a 24 hour pass, and boarded the metro till Duomo. And as we got out of the subway station, a wonderful sight awaited us.The Milan Cathedral overlooked us in all its beauty, and the square in front was dotted with pigeons and people. The Milan Cathedral or Duomo di Milano as it is locally called, is the largest cathedral in Italy and 4th largest in the World. It took an amazing six centuries to complete and is one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan, currently Cardinal Angelo Scola, whom we incidentally saw inside. There was some program going on due to the Easter. The interiors are equally amazing and due to the program it was fully lighted inside and hence provided a detailed view.
 |
| Galleria Vittorio Emanuel II |
Right beside the Duomo is a superb shopping mall, called Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. The Galleria is equally beautiful with its glass double arcade and a central dome. It houses all famous fashion brands now from Prada to Armani. The other side of the Galleria is the La Scala theatre, we did not go inside and it is not very great to see from outside. We did see the Leonardo Da Vinci Monument.
 |
| Porta Genova |
Satish ordered a pizza which came directly from the fire oven in front of us, I mean we could see it been made live and it was not a frozen pizza. My dish was a chicken based one, which was a flop as when they brought it, I was like "I didn't order a dessert!" Yes, it was a very small portion. Anyway, we had taken some breads and wine from a store, so it was ok with the over-prices small portions at the restaurant. I think now I should research on eateries too before coming to a place.
 |
| The Duomo at night |
At the apartment, the white wine was opened, and it was not cold so tasted awful. We stashed it in the fridge and went to bed. I think Satish had two beers before going to bed, I do not remember now.
And my Yum-Yum chicken noodles is done as I can sense from the smell coming from the oven. This is the best noodles you get in Oslo (of course for non-vegetarians) and will beat Maggi any time, just due to its flavour. Until next time ... enjoy reading!
Cash Register:
Flight to Bergamo from Oslo: 75 Euros (keeps changing)
Return ticket on Ryggeexpressen: 250 Kroners
Bus from Bergamo airport to Bergamo station: 2 Euros
Train from Bergamo to Milan Centrale: 5.15 Euros
Lunch: 9 Euros (for both of us)
24hr pass in Milan: 4.5 Euros
Dinner: 31.50 Euros
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