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| A market outside Milan train station |
From Lake Garda
we went to Milan for a few hours. The juxtaposition was startling. We decided
to explore the area around the train station to get a sense of this working,
living, breathing Italian city. What we saw, we did not like. The area around
the station is not very pretty and, as you’d expect from a major city, it was
very far from the tranquil paradise of Garda. Milan has always left me with a
funny feeling. It gives off vibes of having a dark underbelly, ready to explode
at any moment, like when the sky darkens before a wicked storm strikes.
Bizarre, but that’s the feeling I get in Milano.
After a few short hours in Milan, we hopped on a train to Bergamo to meet Paolo
and Ashleigh. We stayed in their lovely, tidy flat in the lower town, and spent
our time together swapping stories of mutual friends, eating home cooked food,
and watching the champions league semi finals. It would be an all Madrid final
after Chelski and Bayern got smashed by the Spanish clubs – hooray for
Spain!
Other than catching up, we did a bit of sightseeing in Bergamo. Katie and I
spent a day wondering around the upper old town and the lower, newer town. It
was a relaxing way to spend a few days, which was topped off with a trip to
Lake Como on May 1st.
Paolo
was doing well. His business was turning over some money and they were
both excited about the new chapter they were about to embark on. After
four years living in Paolo's home town, they would be moving to Manchester,
which is where we all met. I noticed that Paolo had that angst that comes with
such a major life change, especially when it involves a move across countries.
They were seemingly shipping their entire life with them and would be hiring a
palette. What a move! So much stuff, including Paolo’s Mini, which has
204,000km on the clock!
I
realised it had been eight years since Paolo and I first met and lived together
in Manchester. And now he was returning. Time flies in adulthood.
It
was a bank holiday so Paolo and Ashleigh joined us and we drove to the lake.
Como wasn’t as serene as Garda but it was every bit as beautiful, and a lovely
way to invite
Katie into a new age bracket (26-39) – welcome to the club sweetie-pie.
We'll
leave you with some delightful snaps of this part of our trip, and join us next
time as we explore Bologna!
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| Bergamo birthday balcony breakfast! |
