Flying to Italy

We got quite the surprise this morning. Everyone went to the airport in a jovial mood, but when we checked in, everyone's tickets were Business Class! We were told Premium Economy so that was a treat.

Excited in Koru Lounge, we ate unnecessary sandwiches and coffee. There was a Boh Runga stand with my Robin necklace in it (that I had lost to burglary). So we went down to Walker & Hall and Mum and I split the cost of it. I'm slowly regaining my jewellery.

I also called Josh, and he told me to download Viber so we can call in Italy.

Once we got on the plane, the reality of the holiday sunk in. We were treated like actual princesses by all the nice staff. I was 'Miss Adams' and they remembered how I like my tea. We got a bit over-excited eating-wise before we realised the four-course lunch lasted for over 2 hours and they never stopped offering snacks. A bit of a metaphor for our upcoming holiday.

My feet didn't swell for the first time ever, probably due to the glorious seats where you could lay flat on your stomach with cotton-like duvet and pillow.

It was cloudy the whole way so I didn't see anything out the window. I watched Cuban Fury (I want to recommend it to Josh asap but I have no contact until we get there due to the time difference) and the Invisible Woman. Okay, but it felt weird that Fiennes directed as well as acting. I also got into True Detective even though my ears hurt from headphones. Took some photos on 400 ISO BW film, especially of food. Will be interesting to see how they turn out.

Now we are in Hong Kong airport and I'm so tired the ground feels like it's rolling beneath me. Flights have been delayed so the airport is packed for this time of night (2am). Lucy got really mad because she was stressed out about buying perfume (because she thought Mum and I were annoyed but we were actually just exhausted). I don't know how she will ever manage to travel by herself, she gets so worked up at the slightest things like paying with EFTPOS, and she can't read maps. [Jokes on me because she actually becomes a flight attendant three years later.] Actual quote: "there are so many people and no one's helping me and everyone is speaking Chinese." I'm so sick of sitting and eating. Can't wait to sleep on the next flight.



We have just got off the second flight and are sitting in the airport subway station. The train to Milan Central comes in half an hour, so we are sitting on a cool wire bench seat. The flight was in this huge plane, and business class was perhaps 3x the size. Our individual seats were huge, with three windows each, a swing out TV, heaps of storage compartments and a really long sliding seat/bed. When we got on I was so exhausted, I received the menu but fell asleep before the lady came back to take my order.

I woke up twice to go to the toilet and reapply moisturiser, but otherwise, I slept for just under 8 hours. I woke at 2.30pm NZ time. Then I watched a couple more episodes of True Detective and awkwardly received yet another 3-course meal. The coffee was fairly average but I had two. Now everyone is greasy and annoying each other slightly. Lucy is bolshing, Mum keeps going on about how much she didn't like the flight, Hugo didn't sleep and is exhausted. I'm surprised how much I learned in Poland, as Mum and Lucy keep wondering if this is the right ticket office/platform/train, and from experience, it is very obvious to me that it's the right train.




UNA Centrale Hotel Milan

We arrived in Milano Centrale after an ugly train ride that made the city look like a mixture of industrial London/Bangkok. It was cold on the train and raining outside, certainly not the fashion capital in summer that I was imagining. I also discovered my savvy way of bringing Body Wash in a little bottle had exploded through my luggage in an oozing but a nice smelling mess. I cleaned it up with the overabundant plane socks we had.

As we got off the train and walked up the dirty platform, the station seemed to keep opening into new canopies. At the front of all the platforms, a gigantic metal arc swooped above, with smaller ones going out to the wings. Inside there were several chambers. Each one got progressively bigger and more beautifully detailed. The whole building was incredible.

The first of many chambers at the Milan train station

We found the hotel fairly quickly, it was close to the train station. Unfortunately, we were 4 hours too early for check-in, so we awkwardly changed in the lobby toilets while a small Italian man took our bags away before we could pack our dirty travelling clothes back in. I had to carry them in my backpack, an effort that made me even greasier and in need of a shower.

With nothing to do, we decided to walk to Duomo, although this perhaps wasn't the best decision for our tired physical state. The main drag from the station was wide, with all the shops (mostly banks) shut. It looked like Auckland central. There were trendy designer shops in the style of Britomart. We found one place open and had very milky coffee and pastries. There were lots of young girls walking around. Suddenly they all started screaming, and everyone was running to a driveway outside a funny-looking hotel. Turns out, One Direction is there, possibly waving out the windows. It reminded me of young girls chasing the Beatles in the 60s. They were swarming every vehicle leaving, hammering on the windows.

One Direction in Milan

From there more building actually looked European. We walked down a park, then went the wrong way and got lost for an hour (because Dad only had a tiny map with no street names). I used my travel skills to locate a tram stop that had a map inside. Eventually, we found the right path. Nearing Il Duomo, we saw McDonald's and tried to go in. It was packed. All the shopping streets leading to the square were swarming with people, buskers and beggars. We got to the church, went in and sat down in relief. It was nice and cool compared to the increasingly muggy heat outside. The air seems to hand thick and misty, much like outside after rain.

Inside Il Duomo

Next, we walked through an old shopping centre that seemed to be of the same period as the train station, but now filled with Prada shops. I basically begged Dad to go home, because I was so sweaty, smelly, tired and needed the bathroom. Mum saw a secret street that she liked because it looked like cafes would be in it, but it actually only had Dolce & Gabbana. It came out at the top of the park. We stopped at an open restaurant on the same street as our hotel. The food we ordered was basic, with no veges. Risotto Milanese, my choice, was literally just rice. At home, a shower never felt so nice.