Ciao miei piccoli amici! I am having an amazing few days here in Milano recharging my batteries after all that travelling by train. What!What! I have been exploring Milano an its tourist attractions the past couple of days. I went to the Duomo of Milan which is an amazing sight my little friends. It stretches up high above the piazza del Duomo. It has a staggering 3,500 statues and 135 spires that adorn the marble structure as well as five bronze doors carved by different artists. It's no wonder that it took 500 years to complete and building work continues today. What!What! To appreciate this beautiful cathedral in all its glory, I took the lift to the roof, from where I managed to have a breathtaking view of the Alps. It was marvellous a truly wonderful experience. Well as you know I like to keep ahead in the fashion stakes as I am a very stylish individual. Now Milan is a haute couture powerhouse, where the city is all about fashion. Now Milan's boutiques fit into one square so it was a wonderfull afternnon perusing the latest fashions. But I must say these latest fashions are really not my style. You cannot beat a well-tailored suit. So in Milan they are very well known for their extremely long lunches. Now I went to one little bistro for a bite to eat at lunch. Now at the Bar della Crocetta the humble sandwich has become an art form, with over 100 panini oozing wonderful ingredients, from wild venison to prosciutto. Well I ate so much at that lunch I could hardly move. What!What! Now I thought I would try to get into the sport I think you call ‘football’. So I went to the San Siro Stadium which is apparently is the 85,000-seater home to two rival clubs, AC Milan and FC Internazionale, which are among the most powerful in the world. So I was given a tour and I also managed to visit their museum, which gives an insight into the powerhouse of football. It was fascinating but my tour guide, who was called Geovanni, was trying to explain to me about something called the ‘offside rule’. Well, really, I could not understand a word of what he was saying. Well tomorrow I join the Simplon-Orient Express again and journey on to Venice. I cannot wait to go to such a historical and beautiful place. Arrivederci alla prossima volta.
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Ciao from Milano. I arrived here yesterday and I am staying in a rather grand hotel called the Hotel Principe di Savoia, where I must say effortless elegance meets timeless tradition. It is so me and on a plus side also has wifi and the biggest television you could imagine. So yesterday after I arrived mid afternoon I decided there was one place I had to visit and that was the Church of Santa Maria delia Grazie. Now there is a very famous painter called Leonardo da Vinci and he painted ‘The Last Supper’ which is arguably the greatest painting of the Renaissance. It captures the dramatic moment at which Jesus reveals one of his disciples will betray him. What!What! It's so realistic that you can imagine the shock, amazement and hostility of the religious followers. Well I was in awe I can tell you. It is the most wonderful painting and incredible to see up close. Later on I took a stroll around the city trying to get my bearings and soaking up the atmosphere of this wonderful Milano. I spent the evening in a rather traditional restaurant, which serves the most varied of all Italy's regional cuisines. The restaurant called 'Antica Trattoria della Pesa' is located in a 19th-century weigh station, it had a very cosy ambience and some of the finest funghi porcini pasta I have ever tasted and the generous Costoletta alla Milanese (breaded veal) barely fitted onto its serving plate. Today I will be sightseeing around Milano including visiting AC Milan where apparently they play football. I can’t wait to see more sights of this remarkable city. Arrivederci my dear friends!
Well I left Lausanne yesterday but had to wait until late morning for the train. I journeyed on the Simplon and luckily the train would be waiting for those who wanted to explore. Very fortunate indeed. Now Simplon is really called ‘Simplon Pass’ because it is a high mountain pass between the Pennine Alps and the Lepontine Alps in Switzerland. It connects Brig in the canton of Valais with Domodossola in Piedmont (Italy). The Simplon Tunnel was built beneath the vicinity of the pass in the early 20th century to carry rail traffic between the two countries. What a beautiful place it is my friends. As we departed the train a fellow tourist called Benjamin showed me some of the 'apps' on the iPhone. Well I was very excited. Did you know about this 'Google Maps' you can use to pinpoint exactly where you are? See that red marker? That's me! The sun was shining down on us today so I took the opportunity to trek up the mountain and what I view I saw. Now Miss Howells had another 'app' on her iphone called ‘Photosynth’ which allowed me to stitch some photographs together to show you a panoramic view of the pass. This new technology is very clever you know. I really cannot believe all the things I have learnt to do. What!What! When I arrived back at the train, my steward had brought my supper to my cabin, as requested. I had decided an early night was in order as I was exhausted from all the treking up mountains. A gentleman is not used to such exertion. Tomorrow I will arrive in Milan where I believe I may stay a few days to recover. Toodle pip my dear friends!
An early start this morning in Lausanne. I departed the train at 07:35 and proceeded to the Mövenpick Hotel. The hotel is nestled on the shores of Lake Léman or Lake Geneva as it is called in English, with astonishing views over the Alps. Oh how I love Switzerland. What!What! Now Lausanne is a very interesting place. It has a population of approximately 133,000 and is the headquarters of the International Olympic committee(IOC). Well after a lovely breakfast of croissants and pastries in the hotel I decided to explore. First I went to ‘The Olympic Museum’ which is located in the Olympic Park in Ouchy and was opened in 1993. The Olympic Museum contains the history of the Olympic games through pictures, video, documents and others (coins, stamps,etc.) from ancient times until now. I can tell you it was fascinating. I continued my exploration in the Old Town of Lausanne which is the picturesque part of the city with numerous pedestrian streets. I was lucky enough to walk there during Sunday morning when most of the squares and side streets were filled with happy locals that gathered there for shopping among the numerous stalls with fruits, vegetables etc. I stopped in a local café and was overcome with an array of gorgeous smells of baking. Well I do have a sweet tooth and had to stop myself from indulging too much. In the afternoon I then went to the Cathedral Notre Dame, which is one of the most beautiful Gothic structures in Europe. Lausanne Cathedral stands 150m above Lake Geneva. Construction on the cathedral began in 1175.
The doors and façade of the Cathedral are luxuriously ornamented with sculptures and bas-reliefs.
The Cathedral has two towers; and I climbed them both. (I had to try to work off some of those calories from lunch somehow.What!What!) The south facade is studded with a spectacular giant Gothic rose window of stained glass, and flying buttresses encircle the exterior of the choir and ambulatory. It was a marvellous sight I can tell you. My evening was spend at the hotel. After dinner I enjoyed an digestif as I admired the spectacular views from the hotel. Tomorrow I rejoin the train as I journey on to Simplon. Toodle pip!
Well as you know I need to now get to Egypt. So I decided to travel across Europe by train. What! What! But you know me by now , it could not be any train, so I booked my trip on the Venice Simplon Orient Express. You do know how I like a bit of luxury and it was a snip at £5700. Without stops it would take six days but I decided I would like to stop off at different places on my way so it is going to take me 12 days to get to Venice. But what an adventure I will have! So I boarded Venice Simplon Orient Express train at Paris Gare de l’ Est, mid afternoon with Scruffy, of course. After being greeted by my steward, (Who’s name is Andre), I settled into my cabin and relaxed with a delightful afternoon tea. As you can see my cabin is wonderful. The height of luxury. So me! Later I enjoyed a delicious gourmet dinner on board the train in the dining cart. Oh it was marvellous. I enjoyed the sublime scenery as the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train and relaxed as a pianist played some wonderful relaxing songs. There was a great deal of chatting with my fellow travellers. What!What! I met a lovely couple called Tom and Maureen Weaver who were enjoying their 40th Wedding Anniversary aboard the train. I am now sat in my cabin ready for a good nights sleep. I will be arrving in Lausanne very early in the morning so I need my sleep. Toodle pip!
Bonjour my friends. Well today has been very busy. what!what! I went for a stroll this morning along the River Seine and began a conversation with a Parisian. He was telling me all about France and a place called 'Disneyland'. Now I am an explorer and I have never heard of a land called 'Disney'. Well that got me thinking and as I am waiting for your final report on routes etc. then I thought I would try to find this 'Disneyland'. I headed to the train station and managed to get a train at a cost of £12.5 euros which is around £10 I believe. When I arrived in 'Disneyland' I could not believe my eyes. Did you know what they have mice that can walk around and are called 'Mickey' and 'Minnie' and ducks that can talk! I was so amazed I can tell you. There was a gigantic castle with princes and princesses. I was overcome with the sights that I saw. I went on something they call 'rides'. There was 'Space Mountain', 'Rock and Roll coaster' and 'It's a small World'. There was this parade where all these people paraded down the street but I can not put in words the colours and sights that invaded my eyes. I am now on the train travelling back to Paris and maybe I need a day to recover before I begin the journey to Egypt. Hopefully you are near to finishing your report so that you can help me decide what to do next. Toodle pip!
Bonjour my friends. I have had a wonderful day today visiting lots of tourist attractions here in the wonderful city of Paris. What!What! Have a look at all the wonderful places I have visited. I have had such a lovely day, but very tiring. I will now be travelling across Europe over the next week. I will try to keep in touch by blogging and texting and as and when I have wifi what!what!. Good luck on your new challenge I think this might take you longer than a day or two but keep me up to date with your progress. Toodle pip!
Well, bonjour my friends. I have just arrived in Paris. I took the 16.22 Eurostar train you told me to take and arrived here at 19.27. Apparently this is much faster than normal. What! What! It felt like a long journey I must say but well worth the £114 fare. But I am here now and have been wandering around the little streets around the Eiffel Tower. I must say it is very beautiful especially with the lights twinkling in the river Seine. But there was something you forget to tell me. What! What! Well I wanted something to eat in one of the bistros. I ordered some escargot in garlic butter. They were sublime. So I asked very politely for the bill and then they handed me a bill not in pounds but in something they said was Euros. Well I was so confused.
Apparently in Europe they have a different currency and the euro is equivalent to 80p. So when I was presented with a bill for 3 euros it had my head in a spin I can tell you. I am still unsure how much I paid for my meal. It's so confusing. Anyway I am about to go check in to my hotel, the Shangri-La. Apparently it has a stunning view of the Eiffel Tower. But firstly I am just going to ask a passing tourist to help to video for me and I'll post the video to you tonight as I have some important information I need you to work out for me before I can continue my journey. Au revoir. Well I have arrived in London Town. I have to say after leaving you I journeyed to Tonypandy in Miss Howells' car. It was very comfortable but she does drive a little bit too fast for my liking. I then took the 13.33 from Tonypandy to Cardiff Central. I have to say it was a lovely journey. I passed Pontypridd and some large university campus. Very enjoyable indeed. I had a lovely cup of tea at Cardiff Central train Station(in a cup and saucer no less) and then journeyed on catching the 14.55 to Paddington, London. I have to say it was worth paying for first class as I was given lots of tea and biscuits. But the only thing was the tea was in a paper cup! Can you imagine. Well I have now drunk tea from a cup, mug and paper cup today. Oh! the new experiences I am having. Well I arrived safely in London town where I travelled by Taxi to my friend's house in Chelsea. I thought I would blog to you now before going out for a little light supper. Thank you so much for all your help today. I do not know what I would have done without you all. Our challenge has been set, the journey has began, I wonder where it will take us...
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AuthorI am attempting to circumnavigate the world in 80 days or less, for a wager with @Alienfromvega. I will need the help of my friends at Cwmclydach Primary School in my quest. I vow to return to London by 3.15 pm on Friday 18 July 2014 at the latest. ArchivesCategories |