Alps to Italy July 18

Fri Jul 18

Day 6 - from Wengen to Milan
1	Wengen	Spiez	big train
2	Spiez	Milan	big train

We planned to sleep late, but Sam knocked on our door at 8:50 to say that he had read the instructions and we were expected to be out by 10:00. So we packed up and left. The final trek up the little hill from Bergkristall to the train station was especially tough with tired legs and dragging suitcases.

saying good-bye to our apartment in Wengen

final nutella in the tiny kitchen

the living room

our deck from the Kristalberg

Jungfrau and Silberhorn out the bedroom window

We bought out tickets in the Wengen station, and headed on the train down to Lauterbrunnen. We got cappuccino and snacks there. There was some discussion of Josh and pesto spillage. Ted and Josh hung on the porch of Coffee Time (the coffee shop we like there) while Sam and I browsed around. I bought a cable to connect my camera to my computer, so I could update this blog. Sam bought a shot glass for Ana. I bought Sam a T shirt showing the symbol of Lauterbrunnen. I suppose the 3 white triangles represent Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau.

at the Lauterbrunnen station again

view out the train window to Spiez

The next train was from Lauterbrunnen to Interlaken Ost, then another short train to Spiez. That's actually a very pretty place, right on Lake Thun. 

we had 30 minutes to wander a bit and pick up drinks, spending our Swiss Francs

Spiez is on the lake, very pretty

Kyle Gass band!

Then we took the big train to Milan.

Along the way, we passed a beautiful lake with some gorgeous homes. Looking at the train route on the excellent Rome2Rio.com site and then doing a little internet sleuthing, I figured out it's Lake Maggiore. Or, as the website for the Hotel Villa Carlotta states "Enjoy a relaxing stay at the Hotel Villa Carlotta, a romantic period mansion and an oasis of peace set in the greenery of its 30,000 sq. m. centuries-old garden on the luxuriant Piedmontese shore of Lake Maggiore".

We passed a lake with beautiful homes and resorts in northern Italy

We took a taxi from the station to the Hotel Gran Duca di York in Milan. The driver kept spiralling closer and closer to the hotel, but the one-way streets and road construction made the trip take twice as long as it should have.

Out we bounced to see Milan. I was so happy to see the Duomo again, and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. I have fond memories of Milan from when I was there on a EA press trip. I stopped in the bookstore I remembered on the Duomo plaza, and bought an Italian phrasebook and a great map of Florence (which came in handy the very next day).

We went up the top of the Rinascente department store, where they have an incredible gourmet food court. They had the most beautiful selection of chocolates I've ever seen. These shoes are all made of chocolate.

Marzipan

Then we ate at the fabulous Obika Mozzarella Bar, which I dearly love. I think I could eat there every day. 

Mozzarella at Obika. OMG so good. 

The mozzarella dishes were so big, we were too full for pasta later, much to Josh's disappointment. 

We walked down via Dante to the castle, and were going to go into the park. But the mosquitos were plaguing me and Sam, so we headed back. Like the taxi driver, we spiraled closer to our hotel.