4.30am the diesel engine is purring outside and I am paranoid the neighbours will complain. Quite why taxis just won’t switch off engines while waiting, I cannot fathom. After all, we are meant to think GREEN. Quietly shutting the door (if that is ever possible) and for the first time in years, I don’t have to alarm the house, the bane of my life as I am never sure I’ve done everything. Taps, windows, lights.. then getting the code right, without alerting the police.
There’s actually someone home and not the husband!
The ride is quick. Straight through security as check in was done a week earlier. I had only handluggage to struggle with so into the lounge. Yes, proper duppio and some bottled water. The WiFi was free. Quick emails….. how impressive is that, at 5.30am in the morning!!! A quick read of the papers and I head off to the gate. Flights are always on time this early. The staff are great after a night’s sleep and even the jokes aren’t as cheesy. Dead on time for the take off slot and we’re off.
Milan terminal 2, ten minutes early. I’m on a roll. The Malpensa Express at €11.50 is really not that painful, 40 minutes and you are in downtown Milano, so I thought. Wrong choice. We ended up being pushed or pulled (I can’t remember) to the next station and had to wait for the next train. Hmm, maybe the slower coach ride to Centrale at €6.50 would have been better. Hotel – two and a half hours later. At least I’m on the top floor with a view, the local petrol station. When in Italy do as the Romans do, in this case, feed them to the lions.
Dinner was exceptionally good. It always helps to have a hunky Italian with you. No idea what was said and no menu was brought to us. I only understood that no fresh “ricci” (sea urchin) was available – my only request for the evening. Scallops, prawns, mussels (cozze) and then a salad of pulpo and the freshest baby green leaves lightly dressed in DOP EVOO (extra virgin olive oil). Hmm, then lobster linguine. By then it was impossible to get any dessert in. Lovely bottle of Sardo white to wash it all down. Now even the hunk began to worry about the bill. We did not leave the hunk to do the washing.
Sleep -have been up for twenty hours.