Ted's Hiking World A Mini-Tour of Milan

September 23 2014

It's goodbye to the Dolomites as we board the 9 a.m. bus.

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Hotel St. Hubertus

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A hidden nook *
The computer room

At Trento we have more than an hour wait for the train, which is more than enough time for us to cross the street to a little park and watch the local drug dealer plying his trade.

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Awaiting the train in Trento

It is about now that I discover the big St. Hubertus hotel key still in my pocket.  Bummer.  I'll have to mail it back when I get home.

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Beautiful downtown Verona, where we change trains

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In Milan, my very first subway ride!

The hostel in Milan is a converted monastery.  As is true of so many of the buildings around here, this one features a big green courtyard in the middle.  It is off-limits to visitation, however.

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Our new digs in Milan

Although our room was prepaid, the desk clerk wants an extra two euros per person per day as some sort of city tax.  Dave is not convinced that the charge is legitimate.

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The lobby

It appears to be about a mile to the historic center of town, so off we go.

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We could rent bicycles.  Nah.

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There seems to be a church on every corner

Presently we encounter La Scala, arguably the most famous opera house in the world.  Tickets are running $400 and up.

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Dave really wants to visit this place

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One of the fanciest and most famous shopping malls in the world

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A touch of irony

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The big square

The main attraction here is, of course, one of the world's biggest gothic cathedrals:

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Duomo di Milano

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This thing is smack-dab in the middle of the church

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Those look like real dessicated hands

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The souvenir shop

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A portion of the brass front door    ⇔

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Customers sit on the chairs and 'pedal' around the square while drinking beer

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Back at the opera house

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A passage to — somewhere

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This town has streetcars, too

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Motorcycles park everywhere, but there is little parking space for cars

We finish off our three-mile walk with a short stroll through a big park:

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Our flight out of here departs tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock; twenty-one hours later I will be home, and ready for some ice cream.  I didn't have any here.

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