Mom is arriving in Milan tomorrow morning, so I came up the
night before. I began my day at 7 a.m., carrying my 25 pound overnight backpack
on a 30 minute walk to the train station. I managed to see Campomarino as it
was just waking up. The Piazzas were empty, as were the streets. The butchers
and bakers were just opening their gates to the public. The farmer’s market was
still hopping. I had a little bit of a wait at the train station, but I was in
Termoli with about 30 minutes to spare before my six-hour train to Milan.
Thankfully I had splurged the extra 30 Euros for first class and for a direct
train with no switching. It was funny on the train at about 1 p.m. Like
clockwork, passengers began rummaging through their bags and pulled out snacks,
Panini (sandwiches), and patatine (potato chips). The citizens of the Italy
have a feeding schedule, and they stick to it. 
Once I got to Milan, I made the decision to do some
sightseeing before going to the hotel, which would’ve set me back two hours in
my sightseeing efforts. It also meant doing all of my walking today with a
weight on my back. Just more exercise and a definite savings in time. 
I managed to see the Duomo inside and out, as well as
walking through the fortezza (fort). With all due respect to the Milanese, this
city should never make it onto someone’s bucket list. It is a nice city for
locals, but lacks the draw, history and feel of more interesting cities like
Rome, Florence and Venice. The Duomo
here is very nice to see. It has a gothic style, and inside it is very dark and
impressive. The fort was an interesting sight as well, and the grounds behind
the fort serve the Milanese as a sort of Central Park with activities for kids
and adults like running tracks, basketball courts, and playgrounds. There is
also a large amount of open green space, which attracted several people with Frisbees.
Looking for a restaurant was not as simple as I would’ve
thought. I was searching for about an hour with no luck. Everything I saw was
just bars with burger menus, quick service pizza places, and steak houses (I’m
overly cautious with European beef – see Mad Cow Disease). So I went back to
the airport, and I ate dinner at the hotel bar at the Sheraton, where I will be
staying with Mom on August 20. Then I made my way to the Holiday Inn Express,
grabbed a gin and tonic at the bar, and headed off to bed. Tomorrow is a long
drive back to Campomarino.
