Milan - The Good, The Bad, and Hotel Speronari (THE UGLY)
We left Rome via Air One (Lufthansa express flights) to Milan yesterday (March 30) and arrived no problem. Dad got stuck sitting next to a really smelly fellow on the plane, which was mostly full. Luckily we were able to scoot mom over to our row so dad could get some much needed oxygen. Can I ask one thing.. if you are traveling on a plane or anywhere in close quarters, go on ahead and take a shower or 15 to make sure you don't smell like a used jock.
Milan is a very modern city. Traffic and streets are so much different than Rome. Rome, old, is a busy busy place with chaotic driving and people crossing every which way. Milan is very modern, and streets are wider and traffic laws are obeyed (by Italian standards).
Upon arrival at the Hotel Speronari - both a Rick Steve's and Gary Bardini especial (or not) - we scooted to the greatest shrine to soccer (calcio) on earth. San Siro stadium. Home of AC Milan, the current champions of Italy and of Europe. I took the tour and walked into the stadium. It holds 80,000 people, and is one heck of a site. We were taking into the locker rooms. If you have seen what the Sacramento Kings locker looks like (or any other pro team in America..) forget it.. CWebb, Peja, etc are SPOILED. AC Milan, one of the greatest soccer teams in the WORLD (and richest) has a locker room that resembles the one that the team from the movie 'Hoosiers' sat in and prayed prior to winning the big regional game (not the state championship, that would have been a biggie).
Holy snappers, the radio is playing that old, kick-ass song 'Heat of the Moment' by Asia. Probably an obscure song for most of you, but Jamal, this one goes out to you!!!
I digress.
So we saw the plain locker room. . No lockers, two showers, a pisser and crapper, and a few pine benches.. NO KIDDING.
The museum was great, and I bought some stuff at the team store.
Next we went to see 'Il Cenacolo' or Leonardo Da Vinci's 'The Last Supper'. What a great experience. I was very very blown away by this artwork. I learned that the painting was nearly blown to bits during WWII, but miraculously the single wall where the painting was survived.
After this, we returned to HOTEL SUCK-O-RARI and discovered the a gas main was leaking outside the hotel (evacuate....no, how about dig into it with a jack hammer and back-hoe). Prior to going to bed, the bed Jule and I had broke.. no kidding. (alright you sick-os, we weren't doing anything, the bed just broke!!) We couldn't hear each other talk, thanks to the ground breaking ceremony outside (and accompanying arguments from the lovely Italians) - and our toilet was running.
So Jule and I got uprooted to a room WITHOUT a toilet - while my parents got to listen to the noise all night. Great &%$£(/&"£! hotel. We argued with the idiot for a while - to no avail. SO we went to bed (not really) to try to salvage our day trip to Lago Di Como, Bellagio, and Lugano Switzerland today.
Il fongulé at the front desk decided to drown out the construction noise by blaring his radio all night.. so when the noise did stop, all we heard was blaring Italian music (not the cool 'O Sole Mio' or 'C'e Le Luna Mezzo Mare' type but rather the crappy pop version). So Jule and I got up at the crack of dawn, scouted out a new hotel, argued with the guy at Hotel Suckmyasso a bit more, and finally just moved down the street to a TRUE hotel. (Bardini, we need to talk - but its more Rick Steves fault.)
Anyhow, it did not ruin our day today. We had a very very marvelous day. It did not rain as planned so we had a sunny day at Lake Como, Bellagio, etc etc. We made it into Switzerland but they didn't stamp our passports! (darn it). No swiss chocolate either.. but freaking watches everywhere. Ok, ok, we get it Swiss folk.. you build good damned watches. Gesù, Maria!
Anyhow, the HotelAristo (the new place) has free internet access and clean rooms and beds that dont break and toilets that dont run and ...
Tomorrow we hop the train to Venice to pick up a car and drive to Cavaso Del Tomba. This will allow us to rest our pulse for a good week. All are doing good. Mom has the sniffles, but she is doing ok. Dad is sore from walking, but he is excited to see his uncle and family. Jule is doing great as well. She's been one heck of a conversationalist with Italians (more than me, I am sad to admit) and has helped me get my folks around with ease. What can I say, she has the brains, and I have the brains and the beauty. (hahahaha just kidding, I have it all.. ok ok ok.. just kidding).
Looking forward to seeing Rosie on Monday. Ro, its still cloudy, sunny and threatening rain.... so bring everything. Dad would like some 400 speed film (dont ask why).
ciao for now.
We left Rome via Air One (Lufthansa express flights) to Milan yesterday (March 30) and arrived no problem. Dad got stuck sitting next to a really smelly fellow on the plane, which was mostly full. Luckily we were able to scoot mom over to our row so dad could get some much needed oxygen. Can I ask one thing.. if you are traveling on a plane or anywhere in close quarters, go on ahead and take a shower or 15 to make sure you don't smell like a used jock.
Milan is a very modern city. Traffic and streets are so much different than Rome. Rome, old, is a busy busy place with chaotic driving and people crossing every which way. Milan is very modern, and streets are wider and traffic laws are obeyed (by Italian standards).
Upon arrival at the Hotel Speronari - both a Rick Steve's and Gary Bardini especial (or not) - we scooted to the greatest shrine to soccer (calcio) on earth. San Siro stadium. Home of AC Milan, the current champions of Italy and of Europe. I took the tour and walked into the stadium. It holds 80,000 people, and is one heck of a site. We were taking into the locker rooms. If you have seen what the Sacramento Kings locker looks like (or any other pro team in America..) forget it.. CWebb, Peja, etc are SPOILED. AC Milan, one of the greatest soccer teams in the WORLD (and richest) has a locker room that resembles the one that the team from the movie 'Hoosiers' sat in and prayed prior to winning the big regional game (not the state championship, that would have been a biggie).
Holy snappers, the radio is playing that old, kick-ass song 'Heat of the Moment' by Asia. Probably an obscure song for most of you, but Jamal, this one goes out to you!!!
I digress.
So we saw the plain locker room. . No lockers, two showers, a pisser and crapper, and a few pine benches.. NO KIDDING.
The museum was great, and I bought some stuff at the team store.
Next we went to see 'Il Cenacolo' or Leonardo Da Vinci's 'The Last Supper'. What a great experience. I was very very blown away by this artwork. I learned that the painting was nearly blown to bits during WWII, but miraculously the single wall where the painting was survived.
After this, we returned to HOTEL SUCK-O-RARI and discovered the a gas main was leaking outside the hotel (evacuate....no, how about dig into it with a jack hammer and back-hoe). Prior to going to bed, the bed Jule and I had broke.. no kidding. (alright you sick-os, we weren't doing anything, the bed just broke!!) We couldn't hear each other talk, thanks to the ground breaking ceremony outside (and accompanying arguments from the lovely Italians) - and our toilet was running.
So Jule and I got uprooted to a room WITHOUT a toilet - while my parents got to listen to the noise all night. Great &%$£(/&"£! hotel. We argued with the idiot for a while - to no avail. SO we went to bed (not really) to try to salvage our day trip to Lago Di Como, Bellagio, and Lugano Switzerland today.
Il fongulé at the front desk decided to drown out the construction noise by blaring his radio all night.. so when the noise did stop, all we heard was blaring Italian music (not the cool 'O Sole Mio' or 'C'e Le Luna Mezzo Mare' type but rather the crappy pop version). So Jule and I got up at the crack of dawn, scouted out a new hotel, argued with the guy at Hotel Suckmyasso a bit more, and finally just moved down the street to a TRUE hotel. (Bardini, we need to talk - but its more Rick Steves fault.)
Anyhow, it did not ruin our day today. We had a very very marvelous day. It did not rain as planned so we had a sunny day at Lake Como, Bellagio, etc etc. We made it into Switzerland but they didn't stamp our passports! (darn it). No swiss chocolate either.. but freaking watches everywhere. Ok, ok, we get it Swiss folk.. you build good damned watches. Gesù, Maria!
Anyhow, the HotelAristo (the new place) has free internet access and clean rooms and beds that dont break and toilets that dont run and ...
Tomorrow we hop the train to Venice to pick up a car and drive to Cavaso Del Tomba. This will allow us to rest our pulse for a good week. All are doing good. Mom has the sniffles, but she is doing ok. Dad is sore from walking, but he is excited to see his uncle and family. Jule is doing great as well. She's been one heck of a conversationalist with Italians (more than me, I am sad to admit) and has helped me get my folks around with ease. What can I say, she has the brains, and I have the brains and the beauty. (hahahaha just kidding, I have it all.. ok ok ok.. just kidding).
Looking forward to seeing Rosie on Monday. Ro, its still cloudy, sunny and threatening rain.... so bring everything. Dad would like some 400 speed film (dont ask why).
ciao for now.
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