Tuesday 20 March 2018

Europe, Three Cities in One Day

The centre of MilanThe Manneken Pis monument in Brussels

A beautiful morning in bella Italia! I have had a good sleep, and now I am ready for the new discoveries!


Honestly, I have booked the cheapest room in Milan. Unfortunately, it has a shared bathroom, not to mention the lack of the TV set and no breakfasts. Nevertheless, it is only 10 minutes away from the central station, and 20 minutes from the historical centre.



So, early in the morning I set off for the walk around the city. Luckily, the weather contributes to a leisurely stroll.



I do not think that Milan has many remarkable spots to see. However, only the Duomo square with its historical surroundings might become the real reason of visiting this global capital of fashion and design. Moreover, I always wanted to see how the famous opera house La Scala looks like. And now my dream came true. The theatre is also located near the Duomo square. All sights are in one place.


So, the main attraction on the main square of Milan is the Cathedral. Enormous, white, ornate and unusual. They also say that there are more statues on this gothic-style cathedral than on any other building in the world.


For me the main treasure is hidden not inside but outside this building. Though, I paid 3 euro for entrance and went inside. The ticket includes visiting the Cathedral, the museum and a small church.




Well, the cathedral inside looks very impressive. The ceiling is supported by the tall columns, which at the top are occupied by the figures of some saints. Interestingly, in the Milan Cathedral one of Christianity's most important relics is preserved, and this is a nail of the Holy Cross.


Milan itself is the enormous city and its size does not provide me with any comfort. Definitely, I would need to stay here longer to find some more personal jewels, which would shine in my memory after a while. But for this time this city is primarily for the transitional stop before visiting another great place.


Airport Malpensa is only 100 kilometres away from Milan. It is the main hub of northern Italy. You would need about 60 minutes by bus to get there. Interestingly, there is a special terminal for EasyJet only.

Malpensa airport is an ideal place for shopaholics, because there are numerous boutiques and gigantic duty-free shop here.


So, I am aboard. I hear the first "bonjour" instead of "bounjorno". By the way, I am flying to Brussels, Belgium.


There is a train running from the airport to the city centre of Brussels. It is very fast and comfortable. However, you should be aware of a diabolo fee, additional fee to get in/out the airport!


Fortunately, the weather in Belgium is excellent. The sun is shining. and it is not cold at all. And, first of all, I headed for the central square with the local Town Hall.



Of course, I could not but visit the monument of the pissing boy. People say, that there is also the statue of a pissing girl in Brussels, but I had no time to locate it.


What can I say about this city in general? To start with, it is the unique place with the distinctive architecture. Speaking about the local traditions and preferences, I would mention the waffles, chocolate and french fries, which are very popular here and eaten everywhere by everyone.




Briefly, I liked Brussels. It is comfortable and rather friendly here. I believe, I will come here again another day and will try to stay in the city any longer. But now I am catching the last minutes of my stopping in Brussels before departing to another place.



The streets are dark already. It is time to move to Brugge by train. On the station I met my friend, who has arrived today from Moscow, and we continued our voyage together.


The town of Brugge. We have found our hotel without any problems, because it is located only 100 metres from the central station. Actually, it is Ibis budget hotel.

The room is not luxurious, but clean and bright. And there is a private shower and toilet in the room!


Even late hours did not stop us from our first raid to the city centre. In a nutshell, it was the fabulous experience! However, the most engaging story is ahead.




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