BHM to Milan

Tracks of the StoneBear Copyright MCMLXIII Uncle Hargus ALL Rights reserved

ROF= Ring of fire Odyssey  MEF-H = Marine Expeditionary Force- Hargus 

ITL2  = Italy 2 Tuscany journey            

April 10, 2018   Tuesday      

Milan Italy,  Malpensa.

Arriving at Malpensa, the Milan Airport at 0739. you’ve been on a flight for almost 24 hours. Yes you can sleep some on the plane but it's not restful sleep.   Go through Malpensa to the metro train shuttle and catch the #2 metro shuttle to the central train station.

This is the metro shuttle that runs from Malpensa to the Milan Central train station, about every 45 minutes. There's a reason they say stay behind the yellow line.

Milan Central train station is really unique with a half barrel domed structure with hundreds of skylights, and a dozen plus tracks for incoming/ departing trains.   A really great modern train station facility.

And when you see these slick modern high speed rail trains inch into and out of the station, no noise from an engine,  no exhaust from a combustion engine. a sleek aerodynamic high speed rail train that looks like it’s from 100 years in the future,  possibly another planet it is so unique.

These trains are really works of engineering at its best. And they are ALL on time. The trains in Italy WORK great!!!!!!!!!!

Poor Amtrak.  The United States is/are hopeless. Our us trains AR operating on a 1920/  1930 mentality. Amtrak trains operate between major cities on antiquated time tables.  Italy trains connect every small town two major hubs very efficiently. the airline industry in the US does not connect small towns  efficiently .

Next post- Took the train from Milan down through the Italian Countryside to Genoa Italy.

You never drink twice from the same stream. 

Just because you wander doesn't mean you're lost. 

Uncle Hargus: Last of the Independents  

Have Bear,    

          Will Travel 

StoneBearTracks Copyright Uncle Hargus MCMLXIII ALL blog posts/photographs/video ALL Rights reserved 

ALL Blog posts/photographs/video Copyright MCMLXIII ALL Rights Reserved  

Milan to Genoa

Tracks of the StoneBear Copyright MCMLXIII Uncle Hargus ALL Rights reserved

ROF= Ring of fire Odyssey  MEF-H = Marine Expeditionary Force- Hargus 

ITL2  = Italy 2 Tuscany journey   ITL2/Tuscany day2         

April 11, 2018 Wednesday        

Milan to Genoa, Italy

Took the train from Milan down through the Italian Countryside to Genoa Italy.

Graffiti leaving the Milan station.  Urban Italy has a LOT of graffiti.

A rainy day;  a good day to be riding the train to Genoa.

Most of the train ride to Genoa was following the river down the valley.  Stopped at several towns for boarding.

Closer to Genoa could see Italian towns and cities, the river running right through town.

Got off the train at Genoa brignole.  Still raining, couldn't find the bus to the airport so took a taxi to the airport, Christopher Columbus Airport,  Rented a Fiat 500 to drive through Tuscanny.

Now in a rental car Italy gets very interesting and entertaining in Italian traffic. This is a new experience in life. The first Italy trip was all mass transit trains, buses, no driving. This is a new frontier.

It took about an hour to go four or five miles and learning OJT  Italian traffic and Street signs.

We're lost only a few times and finally found the B & B.  Atillo was I nice host.

Late afternoon views we're interesting but was tired and hungry and went to get a bite out.

This is right on the Mediterranean Waterfront Street.

I can't believe this,  I'm walking the same streets where Columbus, Marco Polo, Magellan and many other explorers have walked. Genoa may be a modern city now but its history being a trading center of the Mediterranean, of the known world at that time when the Explorers sailed,  I'm glad I got to see this.

Crashed and slept hard. Next morning sunshine and more clear could see more of the Genoa docks from the apartment balcony. It was really fascinating to think that right here where I was standing… was where the Explorers launched from to go to the New World.  

You never drink twice from the same stream. 

Just because you wander doesn't mean you're lost. 

Uncle Hargus: Last of the Independents  

Have Bear,    

          Will Travel 

StoneBearTracks Copyright Uncle Hargus MCMLXIII ALL blog posts/photographs/video ALL Rights reserved 

ALL Blog posts/photographs/video Copyright MCMLXIII ALL Rights Reserved  

Genoa to Lucca

Tracks of the StoneBear Copyright MCMLXIII Uncle Hargus ALL Rights reserved

ROF= Ring of fire Odyssey  MEF-H = Marine Expeditionary Force- Hargus 

ITL2  = Italy 2 Tuscany journey            

April 12, 2018   Thursday Tuscany day3      

Genoa to Lucca, Italy

Crashed and slept hard. Next morning sunshine and more clear could see more of the Genoa docks from the apartment balcony. It was really fascinating to think that right here where I was standing… was where the Explorers launched from to go to the New World.  

Heading out early, still learning Italian traffic only lost a couple of times,  circled around the same place a couple of times and finally headed out of town on the A10.  

This huge Bridge was such a neat structure,  phenomenal in size, So unique I had to take a couple of pictures.   I could see the valley and the river the train tracks followed down from Milan,  400 feet below. These were the train tracks from Genoa to Milan that we traveled on  the day before.

This huge bridge was maybe three-quarters of a mile long.  A close encounter moment, not that close but 5 months later this Mondavi Bridge would collapse killing some 40 + Italian citizens. A horrible disaster and I still say a prayer for all of my Italian friends that endured this tragedy.  

Stop for coffee and pastry a few miles down the road.

You can see the mountainous and Valley region along the Italian Coast and see how the bridges and tunnels make driving Italy unique,

some glimpses of coastal cities on the Mediterranean.  Headed To lucca, Italy.

You never drink twice from the same stream. 

Just because you wander doesn't mean you're lost. 

Uncle Hargus: Last of the Independents  

Have Bear,    

          Will Travel 

StoneBearTracks Copyright Uncle Hargus MCMLXIII ALL blog posts/photographs/video ALL Rights reserved 

ALL Blog posts/photographs/video Copyright MCMLXIII ALL Rights Reserved