What a leisurely start to the day. We didn’t have to get up too early which was a nice change for these trips. Denis cooked me a full English breakfast and ran me to Manchester Airport. Security was easy and I was through in about 10 minutes and then had a 20 minute walk along various corridors to get to the Ryanair departure lounge. Once there I had time to relax and have the traditional airport drink which signals you really are off on a jolly. For once it was actually a sensible time to be drinking
Milan is served by three airports only one of which, Linate, is actually near Milan. EasyJet often fly to Bergamo Airport which (unsurprisingly) is in Bergamo, 52 miles from Milan. Ryanair fly to Malpensa, so that’s where my flight went to. It is 42 miles from Milan but there is a regular train shuttle service to the city centre.
The flight left on time and arrived early. There were a fair few LFC supporters on the plane – taking advantage of the cheap tickets you get coming a day earlier than the masses. Milan Malpensa is a decent sized airport and the station is a little walk but the staff there were very friendly and helpful. I soon had my ticket into Milan and validated it on the platform while waiting for the train – they are fairly frequent.
The train to Milan took nearly an hour, as expected. The Airbnb host had been very helpful with instructions for how to get to the apartment so I found the Metro and was soon there. I’m not sure I walked the most direct route but it was interesting. This is the area we are staying in. It’s known as Navigli.
And here’s some photos of the Airbnb. It’s a bit old fashioned but clean and has probably got everything we are likely to need
The hosts had also left this in the fridge, which was very welcome
Although Paul and Jamie weren’t arriving until Monday , Jamie VS came later Sunday. His route was flight to Verona and bus and train so we were a bit unsure what time he would arrive. I went to the supermarket for a few things – including wine and pizza in case he was VERY late and the local bars and restaurants had shut.
Then I went out for a walk. In particular I wanted to get my bearings for tomorrow. That done, and James still not nearly here, I got a take away pizza and went back to the Airbnb. The pizza was good, the red wine was good and the strange wafer biscuits I’d bought were also very good.
Eventually James arrived. I met him at the Metro station and we walked home via the Irish Bar where we expect the Liverpool fans to be congregating over the next couple of days. Once back James had a beer and finished off my pizza.
Paul and Jamie should be with us by lunchtime tomorrow and we gave the whole day to amuse ourselves and get some sightseeing done. I have a treasure trail for us to do.
Pearl Blog 3 