Day 5: From Turin to Milan.

When I wake up, I suddenly realize that I am already halfway through my train journey. Phew… this probably sounds ironic to some, but time flies!

It is with a heavy heart that I leave Turin, but I am also very curious about Milan. I was there once before, about 30 years ago, and apart from the Duomo and the beautiful shopping arcades, I can't really remember anything else.

By the way, it turns out today is a public holiday in Italy: Republic Day. That is clearly noticeable on the train; it is very crowded. The air conditioning is running at full blast again, even though it is a grey day. In fact, it is actually raining!

Anyone who follows me a little knows that I am a big fan of taking photos in puddles, so I am secretly quite happy about this… And honestly: the slightly lower temperatures are also a welcome change.

I travel from Turin to Milan in an hour and a half, and for just 12 euros.

My hotel room in Milan looks very inviting, but I decide to head into the city for a bit anyway, in search of the Duomo. I swap my sunscreen and the extra bottle of water for my umbrella and set off. I'm still hesitating about my sunglasses, but I am in Italy. There, one golden rule applies (apart from the pineapple ban on pizza ;) ): you take your sunglasses with you always and everywhere. Sun or rain, light or dark, it is always sunglasses weather.

Except for today. According to the hotel receptionist, it has been scorching hot the past few days. But now it has been raining all day, and it is going to keep raining. I’m not letting it get me down and am making extra room in my bag for my underwater camera. That is guaranteed to get me some strange looks again when I dive into the gutter, but it often makes for special footage. :)

Golfslag

It is surprisingly quiet in the city. Except on the Piazza del Duomo. It seems as if half of the Italian pigeon nation has descended upon that place. I suspect the other half is in Venice. A few "clever" guys are handing out free feed and then taking photos of you getting snowed under by pigeons. For a fee, of course. I'm not falling for it, but I am thoroughly amused by the scenes around me. I see children running after pigeons, some people are clearly animal lovers, and others are posing with sheer terror in their eyes.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/4894b5_78fc6a356b0b475981ece8a4cc8b4105/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Moments later, a local thunderstorm breaks out and the entire square empties in no time.

Guys, what is this!

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/4894b5_1a5cb1f01e4c4a22965220b3a54c2deb/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Overvloed. ;)

I decide to take shelter for a moment in the nearby shopping arcade, but I am clearly not the only one with that "luminous" idea. I am not really claustrophobic, but that crowded sea of people does give me a bit of an Italian-style anxious feeling (no, not everything in life has to be Spanish... ;) ).

Enough, I've had enough. Like a seasoned Italian, I grab a pizza and settle into my hotel room for the rest of the evening. Long live Netflix. And long live the Red Devils, who beat Croatia 2-0 that evening. La vita è bella.