Ffffashion, stststyle, Milan

We finished off this trip with a couple of nights in fashion hub Milan. We had even bought with us less scruffy clothes (not that we are normally scruffy, as I know from past experiences getting over borders is much easier if you don't look like you have walked in from the desert, but we did do some ironing before we packed) knowing that we were going to be in Milan.





Milan central railway station is staggering, we didn't realise just how epic it is until our second viewing, it looks like the architect had delusions they were designing a new cathedral.

Everything that we had read about Milan said that it is more of a hidden beauty compared to more obvious tourist hotspots such as Venice or Rome, this is exactly how we found it. There are some beautiful aspects such as some of the parks and the awesome presence of the Duomo.






So big that you can't even photograph it!

If you are into churches then Milan will keep you busy for weeks, there is almost one on every street and most of them impressive.







We enjoyed wandering the less crowded streets (take good shoes as you can end up walking miles) and even hopped on the trams like the locals. It was really nice to see the working side of Italy getting on with everyday life, working, meeting for coffee and shopping. We started to find other sides to Milan such as public art works, pop-up shops, and hints at the other religion, football.













We did indulge in a little shopping, it was hard not to with so many shops around, but a couple of jumpers isn't really high fashion, sorry, although we did wander through a few of the more exclusive arcades.



We spent our last hour enjoying the very good value aquarium, small but well looked after and only €5.







Milan won't go on our list as a must visit destination but if your train stops there it is a nice place to spend a couple of days seeing another side of Italy.

We found good food in Venice

Another couple of hours (going backwards) on the train and we arrived in Venice.



Observation one, Venice doesn't smell any worse than any other big city.
We had a fun time navigating the narrowest lanes going on the way to our hotel which was just 5 minutes walk from the Rialto bridge and therefore right in the middle of Venice. I found it especially amusing when a very narrow alley turned out to be a major route through the maze and would get gridlocked at rush hour.

No cars at all is the best thing about Venice, wandering around without even the slightest fear that a car or moped will shoot around a corner to squash you is very liberating.




It was well worth staying on the island as we were able to see the busiest tourist attractions before any of the crowds arrived from their Star Destroyers cruise ships. We could then spend the rest of the day finding quieter spots to relax and enjoy the canals. This was such a stark contrast that we found it understandable why some of the Venicians who live on the island are trying to reduce, or stop, the cruise ships from coming to Venice. In the morning and evening many of the restaurants were totally empty and would shut by 9.30. Even at midday we were able to get a spot for a coffee on the waterfront as the day trip tourists rushed past the cafe's to get to the next site.




I wasn't sure about posting this bit about cruise ships as I know a lot of people who enjoy cruising and for some it is their only way to access places such as Venice. Travel should be open to everyone, if they want to take it up, not just people like us who are not fearful of getting lost. But sometimes there is something really interesting that the rest of the crowd is missing if you just step off the well worn path (the coffee is often cheaper as well).






Whilst on the subject of food, we found our meals varied widely in cost and quality in Venice with very little link between any of the factors. We had great sandwiches just off St. Mark's square, terrible pasta in a family run Trattoria in a quiet back street and really great risotto in a place so small you could miss it completely. The absolute best food we ate though, we found with our noses. After walking around the cool, hip, arty, youthful area near the old Jewish ghetto we decided to head back to the hotel for a shower before our evening meal. Crossing a small bridge we thought that we had caught a familiar waft of Asian spices, a few moments later the same smell came down an alley we were passing, naturally we followed. At the end of the smell trail a small (three table) shop selling a variety of rice and curry dishes on paper Thali plates. €8 later and we were enjoying the best aubergine curry we have ever eaten (also the best and cheapest meal I have eaten on this trip, but then spicy rice and vegetables is about as good as it gets to me).



Aubergine curry so good we went back the next day.

We also took a Vaporetto out to the islands of Burano and Murano. There were lots of other tourists there but is was quite enough compared to the other major sights to be a relaxing stroll. We didn't go to see a glass making demonstration, as most of them were shut due to Easter, but gazing at the mad objects (the glass replica of a squid was our favourite) in the windows was worth the trip to Murano. The slightly further out Burano is amazingly colourful and a photographer's dream come true (they could have had a really good racket going in the days of film charging crazy prices for slide film).














Venice is very more than I was expecting it to be, I love the way the history is etched into the layout of the city, the way that the changes over time are visibly layered on top of each other, and that it is very, very pretty. All in all very glad Aimee nagged me into coming here.

In search of George

Lake Como decided that it would partly obscure its beauty behind a hazy veil the day we arrived there but we went hunting for George anyway.



The little villages clinging to the steep lake side are very picturesque. We spent a lovely, lazy morning slow boating it up the lake from Como trying to spot George.

George who you may ask?
Well George Clooney has a house in the area apparently but it was probably a bit chilly for pleasure boating so our chances of spotting George on the lake were probably a little thin so we opted to follow in the foot steps of a different George. George Lucas.

Lake Como played the role of the lake country on the planet Naboo in Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones. We hopped off the boat at Lenno to visit Villa del Balbianello.




Even without the galactic connection the villa was well worth the visit as the gardens were beautiful and amazingly well looked after. I really couldn't guess how they trimmed the tops of the trees.

We spent the afternoon wandering the narrow alleyways and market in Como before enjoying some local cuisine. As suggested by just about every guide book we opted for more local dishes such as Risotto and Pasta rather than Pizza as Pizza is a southern dish. We still avoided all of the meaty slabs that the waiter was hoping that we would try. The other thing that we have noticed does not go down well is our aversion to wine with our meal and our preference to only order one course rather than the four that all the other tables seem to splurge on. I can only imagine that the waiter has not seen me blown up like a ballon after I have tried to eat two rich, cheesy, creamy, pastary plates followed by a dairy laden dessert.

Our, very enjoyable, hotel was amazingly well placed for more geek points on the Piazza Volta, named after the Italian scientist, Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta who was born in the area. Volta invented the first electric battery in 1799.

Reversing to Como via Zurich

This trip started with a (slow moving) train from Birmingham to London on Wednesday night (backwards). Eight hours in a hotel then the earliest Eurostar to Paris (backwards). We both really enjoy the odd sensation of walking out into the centre of Paris after a short train ride, it is always a shock that so much has changed after such a short ride.

Next up a chilly walk across Paris to the Gare de Lyon, pausing for a breakfast crepe on the way. I like Paris in the morning, before the streets are too busy with other tourists, I like the routine of coffee and croissants, the markets, and the delivery vans. A gentle wander across Paris is a good way to start the day.












This is our first experience of European rail travel, high speed Paris to Zurich (backwards), starting to feel a theme. It was hugely enjoyable, quiet, comfortable and on time.

We arrived in Zurich to a persistent sheet of light drizzle, the kind that soaks you right through. We stopped and checked the map just to make sure we didn't get any wetter than necessary, and promptly set off in entirely the wrong direction. I have to take responsibility for this, my navigation skills were spot on, I just took us to completely the wrong address. Turns out the hotel was 3 minutes from the station rather than 30. So 60 very soggy minutes later we arrived at the Town House Boutique Hotel. I am rather dubious about mentioning this little gem of a hotel as I would rather like to keep it all to us but as I'm not sure how soon we will be back in Zurich it is good to share. It was luxury without the price tag and even had brand name toiletries in the bathroom, it was a real shame that we were only there 1 night.

We got a little more soggy heading out for tea and ended up eating the local Swiss delicacy of Tex-Mex.






Note the paper napkins that I was using to dry my hair.

The rain halted over night and we spent the day wandering round Zurich enjoying the fresh air. It turns out Good Friday is a big deal in Switzerland and all the museums were shut.







After a long, but very pleasant, day wandering around Zurich it was back on the train again. There was a slight misplanning here. For a long time I have wanted to combine two of my passions, trains and mountains, and travel through the Alps by rail. So we did, Zurich to Como in Italy, one of the world's great train trips.

In the dark! (Backwards again)

Idiot.

On a side note to other travellers on this route, the station at Como is not well signposted. When very tired at 10.40 PM it might be possible to miss the station and only realise as you pull out of the station that you should have left the train. If you do happen to miss the station at Como the next stop of note is Monza about 15 minutes down the line. From Monza it might be possible to catch the 01:05 bus back to Como with an odd assortment of local gents. This bus takes an hour. Just a thought.

I am getting Déjà Vu

We are back in Bangkok, enjoying the aircon'd 7-11's. This is likely to be our last time here for a while so we are trying to squeeze in a trip to all of our favourite places, and a few new ones, before we leave on Tuesday.









Yesterday we spent most of the day lost in Chaturchuk market which managed to feel bigger than ever. We still managed to find our top cafe in the middle.

On our first night back we squeezed in a trip to see Guardians of the Galaxy at one of Bangkok's massive cinemas. No multiplex mini screen for us here the screens are nearly all IMAX size at the big cinemas on top of the shopping malls.






We didn't purchase one if the incredibly expensive novelty mugs but they were amazing, they were cooler than some of the toys in the shops.

Saigon

Back in Bangkok, our three days in Saigon and three weeks in Vietnam went so fast.

Saigon is busy, loud and huge.  There are so many motor bikes, a really unbelievable amount of motor bikes. Saigon is dominated by the bikes, you can always hear the buzz and beep, you are always on the look out for a safe spot to cross the road or avoiding bikes using the pavement as a parking spot. Saigon will not be winning any relaxing city break awards but the energy of the bikes is also a (very obvious sorry) metaphor for the energy of the city. When I rushed through Vietnam ten years ago Saigon was one of the few places in Asia that scared me, it was very dirty, everyone seemed to be running a scam, and I was glad to be getting out fast. Over the last few days we have walked across the city day and night, and felt very safe (except from death by Vespa). We have visited old, crowded temples, and taken in the view from hypermodern sky scrappers. There is building work all over the city and businesses operating from every possible space. Saigon is a city full of energy.

On our last day we visited the War Remnants Museum, we both find it a difficult decision to visit this kind of Museum as we question why we are going. We think it is important to remember that no mater the politics of a conflict real people are hurt on all sides and lives are ruined for a long time to come. Vietnam seems to be moving past this history, it is a shame that in other places the same lesson is being repeated today.

On a much lighter note we sat in one of the parks later in the same afternoon and chatted to a group of students for nearly an hour. We have been constantly amazed at the level of English language proficiency in Vietnam. Almost everyone that we have met, even in the smallest shop has spoke a little English. We have also had a number of very complex conversations with people who have just wanted to chat, this was the case with the students in the park where the topic stretched from Japanese animation to the Scottish accent via Italian Soda.



We had some amazing food in Saigon, but also some amazing food experiences. One of our highlights was a meal at Temple Club resturant on our first day there. After dodging bikes and noise across town we weren't sure if we would find the restaurant but we spotted a small sign pointing down a long passage. After going up a flight of stairs we went into a wood panelled, colonial era decorated club, that was cool and quiet. The food and drinks were delicious but the surroundings give a glimpse of another side (and time) of Saigon, it was almost surreal. Amongst our other culinary finds was a Japanese restaurant so authentic we forgot we were in Vietnam and an Indian restaurant that did the best Dosa we have had in a long time.

Saigon (or HCMC) was a bit of a sensory overload but once we found the best place to cross the road (tip - everywhere and nowhere, just go and let them go round) it had a lot of surprises.

Mui Ne catch up

Just one more stop to cover before we are up to date in Saigon/HCMC.

Mui Ne




We had caught another sleeper train (more comfortable the the last one) from Da Nang to Nah Trang and then picked up at the station by the hotel's driver who transferred us to the hotel. A five hour transfer will always seem very long after a night on a train (or plane) but it was a modern car with working AC and good suspension, the driver was even very careful by South East Asia standards and didn't partake in the game of double lorry chicken. Five hours on bad roads (the good road was being repaired the whole way) after a night in a train is less amusing. Five hours of the same V-Pop CD after a night on a train left us both a little slack jawed and dribbling (why so very very loud).

We went to Mui Ne because we wanted to see the sea once on this trip (we did get to the beach near Hoi An but we hadn't planned that). Mui Ne has a beautiful beach, with very little trash and a very low hawker count (two I think).


We sat under a tree and had a read for a few mornings.

The Mui Ne highlight was probably Iron Man/Rocket Man.

Play Aqua-rocketman Video

I can't really describe it any better than that video, he was amazing. If you fancy giving it a go it was $50 (I don't like sea water much so I watched from dry land but if they get hover boards working I'm there).

We stayed at the very appropriately named Mui Ne Hills hotel, the steep hill was worth the view and the very refreshing breeze. We had breakfast each morning looking out from the terrace of the bar/restaurant (again appropriately named Breeze). They also did a really mean Veggie Pizza.

We have discovered a new delicious drink that has replaced coffee, Italian soda. It is basically really thick fruit cordial topped up with soda water. This may not be news to anyone else but it is new to us and amazing on a hot day.







On our last night in Mui Ne we sat on the balcony, with the super moon reflected in the sea, trying to catch a glimpse of the meteors.

Mui Ne may not be our top beach destination but you can't complain about seeing a super hero and doing a bit of star gazing.