Day Two - Milan - Off to school

Finally caught some sleep, but as usual was up early, showered, packed and out the door.  I was a woman on a mission.  I walked back to the train station and took some photos for you.  It really is a beautiful building.  Then I wanted to find a plug after the debacle of yesterday.  Now as many of you know, I do like a market or a supermarket and today I was not disappointed.  Nestled in the bowels of the train station was a little supermarket.  The vegetables and fruit were amazing and the delicious smell of bread filled the aisles. There were selves of coffee but I wanted a plug.  I opted for the universal plug which means (apparently) I can use it any country in the world.  €15 later and a packet of Tic Tacs I went to find the hotel where we were all meeting for breakfast.

It always amazes me how I find my way around.  When you travel with someone you can bounce your ideas off each other, when there is just you, you just have to get on with it.  I found the hotel and met up with the others and ordered my first Americano and very nice it was.  Some of the Italian students arrived and I was soon chatting away with an Italian about random stuff.  We all boarded the coach that was to take us to hour hotel (still no sign of sex trafficking at this point, so I think all will be well).  There are not enough Italians to go around at the moment and no one come and sat next to me, but I did make my way to the back of the coach.  I am not disappointed.  I am going to make the most of this ‘quiet’ time and it has given me the chance to write this and to look out of the window.  

My first thoughts of Milan are it looks a beautiful city, but the main railway

Milano Railway Station

station, like many in London show shows how as a world, we are all on the move.  There were very many migrants, just hanging around, sleeping on the street and selling random bits of rubbish that no one really wants.  I know, politically, Italy is leaning to very much right wing politics at the moment and this was apparent with the number of migrants just hanging around the station.  I never feel threatened.  They are just people like you and I, but it does make you think where th world will be in another 30 years time.  It really is becoming a small and we are very much a transient population.

The coach ride was very enjoyable and I guess it was like being on the M1.  However, you do not get mountains with snow on the top of them on the M1.  I like Italy (i did the last time I visited for the honeymoon of husband #2), the food is wonderful and there is a style about it. I could live here, I wont, but I could if I had to.  Arrived at the hotel and it was very full on right from the start.  The programme is very immersive and the Italians have to speak English

Milano Railway Station

throughout.  However, there are some Americans here who do not speak English but speak American.  So the first lesson of the day was a courgette is a courgette and not a zucchini  - if you ask for zucchini in England not everyone will know what it is!!!!!  I then had a conversation with a guy about Brexit and Trump, so I am doing my bit for the United Nations.  I can see a career move here.

We had lunch, stuff courgette (remember not zucchini) and then some pasta which was really lovely then we were told to go and check in.  However, not all of the rooms were ready.  Normally, this would not be a problem, but you have very little down time on this programme 2 x one hour sessions from 9.00am to 9.30pm, so I am having to spend this time avoiding talking to anyone when I would rather go and unpack and have some me time.  I am not the only who is not impressed with this.  I will be going down to dinner late to get some of this time back.  The people as in the Italian students are a mixed bunch, just like the anglos.  It appears that the majority of them are here to improve their English because of their work and quite a few of them have high-powered jobs.  I dread to think how much they are paying for the privilege of spending four

Milano Railway Station

days with me in a rather lovely hotel.  Some of them speak very good English and I don’t know why they are here if I am honest; and there are a few who I struggle to understand.  The grounds to the hotel are beautiful and it is a lovely sunny, blue skied day.  It is also within a nature reserve and apparently there are deer that we should be able to see roaming around.  When I was having the Brexit/Trump discussion you could hear them in the woods but I could not see them.  

Lunch went well but did not get to my room until 6.00pm and now there appears to be a light flashing on and off so it looks as if I am in a disco.  I will have to go and do that very British thing ...... complain.  We need to do a

Pie, mash, jellied eels and liquor - vile!

presentation tonight and I am with four other women from the UK so we are going to educate the Italians on traditional British food.  I have pie, mash, jellied eels and liquor.  That should put them off.  It is good to have some down time and it also gives me time to write up this blog!  Also, the plug adaptor works! Thank goodness.  However, when I leave my room, all the electricity goes off, so I will have recharge Betsy May (my MacBook) and phone over night.  The good thing is, I do not have time to check my phone as the time is fully taken up with the Italians.  I was chatting to a lovely woman today who loves Queen and Freddie and was devastated by the death of my lovely George. So we gave up on the suggested conversation and talked about music.  

The evening meal was very interesting.  The food is not brilliant at this hotel, it is very bland and once again there are issues around my food as 'they' decided that as I am vegetarian I would not eat cheese!  So I was just given polenta, just polenta.  I complained.  I have done a lot of complaining.  I never got into my room until 6.00pm, I complained about the light flashing.  It is now 23.11 and my day has just finished and the light I still flashing.  They have said there is nothing they can do until the morning.  I am not happy.  The organisers say they would help me change rooms!  At 23.15 after waiting all day to get into the room.  I said forget it but that if the light is still flashing by lunchtime tomorrow I will be moving.  So tonight I will be trying to sleep in a disco. As I do not sleep well a it is, I think it is going to be along night watching some Italian Jeremy Kyle on the TV.

The evening conversation was very interesting and myself and another English woman was joined by an Italian guy called Marco.  I was teaching him things like 'bottoms up' 'cheers' and 'would you like a top up'.  One bottle of red later we are on the second with me saying this is the kind of English he needs to learn and will do well asking if he could pour me another drink.  I am sure this is not what the programme is like, but you know me, I have to bring some humour into it all.

So it has been a very, very, very long day.  I am tired and breakfast is at 7.30 tomorrow for a 8.50 start.  Therefore, I am going to say good night to you all.  I will take some photos of the hotel tomorrow and one of me probably smashing the bloody light if it is not fixed.  On that note.

As always, with my love x