A Very Public Private Man: Stranger In Milan 2013

"Travel and change of place impart new vigour to the mind" - Seneca

Genuinely delighted on arrival at Milan Malpensa Airport

As far as trips go, Milan was a disaster, I have always made it a point that I do not use words recklessly, but 'disaster' is apt for my Milan misadventure. Let no prospective employer get hold of the idea that I am that poor a planner. I tend to travel to get away from the grinding boredom and mundane nature of my daily surroundings, but importantly, I want to learn life lessons in the country I have travelled to. In that last respect, I came back from Milan empty-handed. This is not because Milan (Italy writ small), has no life lessons. It’s just that, owing to poor planning on my part, everything was a blur as I tried to see all the landmarks of Milan, never stopping long enough in one place to let it all sink in. How was this disaster concocted?

The Belfast Crime?

Like a complete novice, I booked a flight to Belfast which would happen 2 days before my trip to Milan. The fact of the matter is that too much of anything is bad for you. Travel is much more enjoyable if you have been away from it for about 3 – 4 weeks, otherwise, it becomes repetitive and not dissimilar to work, a chore. I went to Belfast and enjoyed my break there, but what this meant in turn, was that, having to drive to Gatwick again within 48 hours for the flight to Milan was a supreme chore. Gatwick is nearer to me than Heathrow and Luton Airports, so I have made it my airport of choice. The drag of driving to the same airport aside, what really made Milan a misadventure is the fact that I had not been able to read in advance about the historical sights and, worse still, I had not used my usual military planning to time my visits and plan my routes. I believe it was the observation of Cato that, “misconduct in the common affairs of life may be retrieved, but that it is quite otherwise in war, where errors are fatal and without remedy.” I am glad I planned so poorly, here, in this area I believe is the 'low politics' of my life, than had it been in the areas of my life I term 'high politics.'

It took 500 years to build!

Like A Blind Man in a Fog, on a Dark Moonless Night!

My entry into Milan cannot be characterised any other way. I was a blind man on a dark night. Sure I took pictures of some of Milan’s monuments, but the monuments I missed are more than the ones I saw and, what’s more, I did not get to see the inside of any of the monuments. How can I learn anything about a people’s way of life and get a sense of history when all I did was view the outsides of their monuments. I hope no one has the humour to put as my epitaph this remark: “Here lies a guy who travelled to Milan but did not get to view Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece.” True it would be, but it would diminish my worth to passers-by who would fail to understand what kind of man goes to Milan and fails to view The Last Supper by da Vinci.

Da Vinci's Masterpiece: "The Last Supper"

So Why Didn’t I?

It was not for the want of trying that I failed to see Milan’s appetizing sights, I tried but I was so short of time I couldn’t hang around for too long in one place. Add to that, the fact that I wasted time travelling the longer way between two points than would have been the case if I have done my route planning while still in England, and the picture becomes clearer. For instance, I kept returning to the Duomo to start out when I didn’t even know if the Duomo is centrally located. So I was at the Duomo and wanted to see Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper; I took a tram to Santa Maria delle Grazie (where the painting is located), I got there and was told since I had not booked I could not go in. I decided to go to the San Siro Stadium instead. How? Took the tram back to the Duomo, then took the Subway (train) to Lotto Station. Chances are Lotto Station is closer to Santa Maria delle Grazie than it is to Duomo. I may never know for sure, for I doubt if I will pass through Milan again, does money grow on trees? No.

Day Tripping Not So Smart,

History tends to repeat itself. I went to Madrid in 2011 on a day trip; whereby my flight took me from London at 7am, by 10am I was in Central Madrid and had to be back at Madrid Barajas airport at 7pm to catch the 8pm flight back to London. It is a cheap way to see the world but it has its drawbacks: you won’t see all you want to see. When I went to Madrid and did not see all the paintings and sculptures in the Museo del Prado, I swore I would never do a day trip again since it defeats half of my purpose of travel. Yet here we are!

Leaving Gatwick

We swept into the low cloud cover above London Gatwick at precisely 7am on an EasyJet Airbus A320, and by 9:59am I was standing outside the arrivals building at Milan Malpensa Airport. There is a free bus from…actually let me say something quickly about EasyJet, as it is well known in my friends’ circles that I hate what EasyJet stands for. I still do! As some of my background is in civil aviation, and for a national carrier, I am still opposed to the lowering of service standards that low cost airliners are forcing onto the industry. The worst culprit being RyanAir, which I am told, charges passengers to use the toilets on board. Now, who does that?! EasyJet still irks me because passengers have to pay for food, pay to take hold luggage and the seats do not recline; quite the antithesis of our service standards when I was at Air Zimbabwe. But to be fair to EasyJet, they do not cut corners with passenger safety and the pilots and Cabin Crew are of a very high standard! And what do you know? EasyJet is the only airline that met my schedule for a day trip, with other airlines not leaving until 1pm. Day tripping on its own is not a bad idea, you just have to limit yourself to seeing less if your trip is going to make any sense.

Back to what I was saying about the free bus… there is a free bus between Terminal 2 and 1 where you have to go anyway to catch the Milan – Malpensa Express (train). Good stuff so far, then disaster struck!

I have yet to say no to free travel

“How Far is it From Malpensa Airport to Milano City?”

“You didn’t know that before you dropped everything and travelled over 1 000kms to come here?” is what a rude person would have told me, but the Italians I met in Milan were very courteous. My €6.50 in hand, I casually strolled to the window and asked for the Milano Card, the card that would allow me to hop on and off any public transport for the whole day! I, myself, like Columbus’ discovery of America, was about to discover Milan! Only to be told you can only buy the Milano Card, once you get to Milan. So this was not Milan then? €15.00 is what you need to have a return ticket to Milan on the Express. It is worth it and the trains are clean, run on time and are very comfortable. By the way from Malpensa Airport to Milan is 50km distant!

Milano North

What Did I See?

What did I not see is a better subject of enquiry, for there is much ground to be covered in that direction. But I am not aiming to write an encyclopaedia, so I will just limit myself to the sights I saw.

I saw the Sforzesco Castello, quite by accident, for when I got off the train at Milano Nord Cadorna, I went outside to look for an ATM, and lo and behold! to my left side I saw a building whose bricks were quite out of sync with the surroundings. Right there and then I knew the visit proper had begun! As I walked around the building, out of the corner of my eye, and quite by accident again I spied the Arco della Pace (Arch of Peace) – a landmark of Milan in quite the same league as the Brandenburger Tor of Berlin! Even a broken clock is correct twice a day. These were beautiful sights but unfortunately because it was nearing 1pm already, I could not linger, I had to move on. But where to? You guessed it, the Piazza del Duomo!

At the Duomo

The Duomo. The big cathedral reputed to have taken 500 years to build! Wow, I had to see it for myself, and it is amazing! Did I go in? Yes? Guess again! I was going to go to see the Last Supper at the Santa Maria delle Grazie. Did I see it? Hell No! Onwards to the San Siro. I got there, the long way; it was now 4:15pm. I paid my entrance fee and as I was about to start a rushed tour of the San Siro, I was told no one rushes through the San Siro. What! “Yes, unlike in Spain, stadium tours in Italy are guided tours with a group at the pace of the slowest member of the group and usually takes 40 mins.” Me: “You can’t be serious, my flight leaves at 9pm and I haven’t even been to the roof of the Duomo, or seen the Pirelli Tower, or the Branca Tower, nor the monumental cemetery, is there any way I can get a refund.” The kind people there accommodated me and gave me a refund. I don’t know what the inside of the San Siro looks like.

"We are not worthy!"

By the time I got back to the Duomo to try and start out again, it was dark and raining and I was tired and hungry. I had to eat something; by now it was 6pm and my check in closed at 8pm 50 kilometres away. If you do the maths, my Milan trip was over! I sat down to a beautiful decently priced meal at Meat Grill Food in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. This gallery is also an attraction of Milan, so add it to the sights I took in!

At precisely 8pm, my EasyJet Airbus A320 took off smoothly from Malpensa Airport heading back to London Gatwick. I know no more about Milan than you dear reader! Next stop: Rome!