Emilia Romagna 2023

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Traveler Emilia Romagna 2023
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- Nov 29, 2023, 9:14 PM
- ☁️ 45 °F
- Altitude: 413 ft
- Italy Lombardy Municipio 5 Porta Romana 45.451667, 9.20545°27’6” N 9°12’18” E
Day 10
Out with Fun Sarah
November 29, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 45 °F
Sarah's apartment is on the 3rd (4th) floor. I am very thankful for backpack straps on my suitcase! Her apartment is lovely and big! Large living room with a small kitchen attached to a dining area. The bedroom has floor to ceiling closets. The best part is a little balcony off her bedroom and a HUGE patio off the living room!

We had a couple of glasses of wine before we went out to dinner. The place we went was a short walk. Casa Tua was empty when we arrived but filled up. Limited menu--I had the beef cheeks, and Sarah had lamb chops, all with a bottle of Nero d' Avola. We talked to some guys next to us from Pescara. After our digestivi, we headed home.

She had me sleep in her bed, and she slept on the couch. It was after midnight, and I was so tired!Read more
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- Nov 30, 2023, 12:19 PM
- ☁️ 39 °F
- Altitude: 449 ft
- Italy Lombardy Milan Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II 45.465, 9.1945°27’54” N 9°11’24” E
Day 11
Milan Centro
November 30, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 39 °F
I missed Sarah this morning. She said that she tried to wake me up, but I did respond. I was wearing my Q45s, so I probably didn't hear her. Anyway, I woke up at 8:30 am and put my contacts in. Then I sat on the couch and chilled for a bit. Sarah had located an extra set of keys for me, so I was free to go out and explore.

I started going through my suitcase, which sort of exploded everywhere. I decided to just wear the same thing as yesterday. Honestly, I am not sure if I ever want to wear this stuff again! I finally went to a pasticeria she recommended. It was crowded, and all I had was coffee. That was enough to wake me up a bit.

I discovered my hotel doesn't have internet or a dinner restaurant. So going too early is not a great idea. Sarah lives right by a metro stop that goes directly to the duomo, so I decided to be a tourist for a bit.

The train to the Duomo was fast...maybe 4 stops. I popped out right out in front of the Duomo. I headed for the Aperol bar for my 19€ spritz with some fancy snacks. It was cold and rainy, so the balcony was closed.

I decided to check out our old coffee shop from 2021, next to La Scala. I walked through the Vittorio Emanuele shopping area, which is nicely decorated for Christmas. There were RAI news trailers parked in front, so no view of the Leonardo statue, but I stopped for a spritz anyway. It was cold outside, but it was probably my last spritz this trip!

On my way to the metro, I saw someone selling roasted chestnuts and bought a small bag. I think I've had them before, but 'tis the season!

The train back was uneventful, and I stopped at the small grocery to get some wine for tonight. I also got something that is called caprese salad, but looks like pudding. I packed up my bag and hauled it downstairs. There was a cab stand close, so I just walked there.

I'm in the cab to train station.Read more
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Traveler Emilia Romagna 2023
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- Nov 30, 2023, 3:47 PM
- ☁️ 41 °F
- Altitude: 427 ft
- Italy Lombardy Milan Centro Direzionale Milano Centrale Railway Station 45.486667, 9.20333345°29’12” N 9°12’12” E
Day 11
Sciopero
November 30, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 41 °F
I got to the station for 14€ and went to the top floor for the train. I knew there was a strike today (sciopero means "strike"). I know that they don't cancel everything, but was not sure to expect. I got to the TrenNord area and asked where I could buy tickets. She said because of the strike, it was better to take the shuttle bus.

So I went all the way back down out the building and spotted the busses. The good news is that they are 3€ cheaper. Bad news is I had to use some of the last of my cash. Then I dumped a bunch of 1€ and 2€ coins under the bus. Have no idea how much I lost!

I'm on the bus now and will have to figure out how to get to my hotel from here!Read more
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- Nov 30, 2023, 7:58 PM
- ☁️ 37 °F
- Altitude: 764 ft
- Italy Lombardy Vizzola Ticino Milano Malpensa Airport 45.636667, 8.7145°38’12” N 8°42’36” E
Day 11
Idea Hotel
November 30, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 37 °F
The bus dropped us off at Arrivals, which was silly, since everyone was leaving! I wandered around looking for both an ATM and taxis. I walked the long concourse several times, looking for the taxi stand. I did find an ATM and took out another 100€ for my home fund.

The taxi stand was at the very end of the concourse. Of course, it was the wrong one. I've had this before--there is a separate stand for local taxis. This one was for going to Milan at 250€ per ride. The nice driver told me down one level, and 2 doors back the other direction.

It was a long walk and I found the taxis. A not so nice driver told me 20€ for the trip. I asked if she could break a 50€, and she said, "sì". Off we went. It was 1/2 the time as Milan for 2x the cost! As I was getting my suitcase out, she yelled at me because she didn't want me to scratch the car. . in this country!

The reviews had all said that the place was a dump, but it was well located and cheap. They were not wrong. My key for room 110 was on a big metal disk. One good surprise was that there was a restaurant open for dinner at 7 pm. It was about 5:30pm. So I found my room, which was shabby and very hot.

Luckily, there were 2 beds, and I used one to reorganize my stuff. The TV didn't have English stations that I could tell, but the sound didn't work anyway. I used my laptop to watch some videos, while I ate the rest of my piadini and artichoke spread--along with the little boxes of wine I bought this morning.

At 7:30 pm I went to the restaurant and had some risotto and a salad. The risotto was surprisingly good.

Back in the room, I put out all my clothes for the travel day and got everything else staged. I was in bed by 9 pmRead more
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Traveler Emilia Romagna 2023
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- Dec 1, 2023, 8:39 AM
- 🌧 37 °F
- Altitude: 817 ft
- Italy Lombardy Vizzola Ticino Milano Malpensa Airport 45.626667, 8.71333345°37’36” N 8°42’48” E
Day 12
The Long Journey Home
December 1, 2023 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 37 °F
My alarm went off at 6:30am, but I snoozed a few times. I slowly got everything packed up and was down to breakfast at 8:10. My shuttle was at 8:30, so I had a really bad cappuccino and some eggs, bacon, and cold cuts.

The shuttle was packed, and I was the last one on. Arriving at MXP at about 8:35am. Let the games begin!
First stop--check in desk #24. They wouldn't let me in until 9 am, so I had to wait for 15 min. The Sky Priority line was pretty short. Second stop--all the way across the concourse to go through security. After security, I saw a sign for Starbucks in the other gate area. It was farther than I thought. The line was long and I realized that i didn't really want coffee! Third stop--I forgot about passport control, which took about 5 minutes. Fourth stop--long walk to gate 79. I got here early enough to get a seat to wait an hour before boarding at 11:07.

Later... the flight to JFK was okay. I was seated in a bulkhead seat, which I don't like because I have to stow my bag during takeoff and landing. Plus, the tray table and monitor come out of the seat. The good part is that there is room to get out of the window seat without disturbing the aisle person. Except I did disturb the aisle person! My water bottle was not completely closed, and when I got up, my tray flipped up a little bit and knocked the water bottle on the guy next to me! After I said, "I'm so sorry," a hundred times, I went to the bathroom. At least it was just water...

We arrived at JFK on time and I stared the reentry process. The passport line was okay--I couldn't get my Mobile Passport Clearance to load, so I had to do the regular line. I also didn't have Global Entry...yet. After passport control, I waited for my bag on the carousel. I decided to offload a bunch of stuff I didn't want out of my carry-on bag. It was too full!

I had a 4:30 pm appointment for my Global Entry interview. I've been waiting since May for my application to be approved, and I lucked out that it was approved Wednesday. That's because I could do my interview at JFK, instead of having to go to SeaTac. I found the office without a problem, but there was a long line. It was 3:45 pm, so I went outside to get some fresh air. The line took about a half hour, getting me to the front at 4:25, then there was another waiting room! They called my name after 5 minutes and the whole interview involved getting finger printed, confirming my address, and...wait, that was it! They gave me my number and I was off.

Back through security again, I walked to my gate. The Sky Lounge had a line, but it wasn't too bad. I still had a couple of hours, so I went in. I had a few glasses of wine and some food. I was really stuffed!

My next flight was on time, and i planned on sleeping. I had "borrowed" the pillow and blanket from the other flight, so I was all set. I slept off and on, but re-watched Barbie, Crazy Rich Asians, and ?

The flight Landes was early, and my bag was one of the first off. Kristen was there to pick me up fairly soon. Home at last!Read more
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Out with Fun Sarah

Milan Centro

Sciopero

Idea Hotel

The Long Journey Home