What I like about Milan

It is now 8 months since I arrived in Italy's second biggest city. I am now used to the routines, idiosyncrasies and officious bureaucracy of the place. I am enjoying my job, and it is very handy living in the centre of Milan.

I thought that now would be a good point to list what I like about being here.


Things I like about Milan

1. The transportation is quite efficient. There are buses, trams, metro and suburban trains. The taxis don't cost so much and there is even something called a radio bus which is a minibus you can call and get it to pick you up at unscheduled stops and destinations. There is also a bike sharing scheme (like the Boris Bikes in London) and a car sharing scheme (like Zip Car), so between all of these it's not too difficult to get around.

2. The compactness of the city means that many areas of the city are within walking distance. Before I got my folding bike I used to walk to work - something I'd never be able to do in London.

3. There are plenty of events going on - whether it's the routine "happy hour" in most of the bars, a book festival, a film festival or fashion week, there is always something to do. Because of the city's compactness it is quite easy to reach those places.

4. The car free days that they have once a month. One Sunday per month central Milan becomes closed to motorised traffic, apart from trams, buses, taxis, emergency services, and elecric vehicles.
This makes alot of difference to the atmosphere in the city. The authorities usually put on events like making the museums free, have an open market, or stage a mass participation running race or bike ride. It certainly makes Milan a pleasant place to be.

5. Hidden beautiful courtyards and churches. Most tourists flock to the Duomo and the Castello Sforzesca, the most famous tourist attractions in Milan. But there are some other quaint churches and squares that are less well known. The small squares near the St Ambrogio church (behind St Ambrogio tube station) are very pretty and have cute cares. It is true that Milan is not the prettiest of Italian cities! But there are still a few very old cobbled streets and ornate monuments. Another nice area is a the zone between via Torino and Corso Magenta, where there is an outdoor bar/cafe close to some ancient ruins, nestled among the trees.

6. The Navigli. Near where I live are the Naviglio Grande and the Naviglio Pavese. These two canal ways (navigli) which were previously the main trade routes into Milan are now more ornamental than commercial. The canals start from the Darsena channel in Central Milan and run all the way out of Milan to other towns like Pavia, and out towards Varese where they join into tributaries of the River Po. 

The great thing is that the navigli have cycle paths all along the way so they make for very pleasant bike rides out of the city. Another Naviglio to the northeast of Milan runs out towards a national park close to the hills near Bergamo.
If you are not cycling the Naviglio Grande and Pavese are trendy places to hang out due to the numerous cafes, bars, restaurants and independent shops.

7. Easy reach of Lake Como. Milan very much a working city. Ask anyone what brings them to Milan and invariably it will be for lavoro - work (or maybe to study, in order to improve job prospects). There is a smattering of folks who are born and bred in Milan, but many people are from somewhere else. 

So naturally, Milan is one of those places that people escape from as soon as they get a chance - at weekends, during the ponte (long weekends associated with public holidays), or as soon as the weather is fine. My personal escape route is a train from Cadorna station to Lake Como. I am just a 20 minute walk from the station, and it is a 1-hour train ride to Como where I am treated to one of the most lakes in Europe, and lots of walking trails and beautiful cycle routes through the mountains to lovely towns like Lecco, Cernobbio, and Bellagio. I feel very blessed to be able to have this regular route away from the hustle and bustle of this city.

Shoot Story - Doncaster

I never thought I'd see the day when I'd say - "I had a great time doing a photo shoot in Doncaster". But d'you know what, I enjoyed it!

The photo shoot for the "Up the Don" Cycling Active Escape feature was done shortly before I left the UK to start my job in Milan, so it needed to be done crisply and efficiently as I was short on time and had a lot of things to wrap up before leaving London.

While on my way to Hull I stopped off at Doncaster and thought I'd check out the route between connecting trains. By having the route nailed it was helpful for Higg the photographer for when we returned there to do the actual shoot the following day. It was a nice day for it. Considering it was February we were grateful for this small mercy in the north of England at that time of year!

I must say, everyone goes on about Donny being not up to much, but really there's quite a bit going on there. Stepping out of the station the shopping centre looked lively with its high street shops. Once you look beyond the numerous pawn brokers, pound shops and push chairs it's a town centre like any other!

Getting away from it all to countryside was surprisingly easy. I rode to a place called Bentley and within 3 miles of the town centre we was on the Trans Pennine Trail - a long distance cycle trail that runs from Hornsea to Stockport and passes through South Yorkshire. This trail formed a large part of the feature for Cycling Active.

The funny thing about doing a recon of a route is that when I do them I ride along and I record verbal notes that will help with my write-up. This means that I ride at a slow pace.

It was a little embarrassing when Yorkhire folks, who naturally like to stop and chat, asked me if I was riding the full Trans Pennine Trail. And laden with all my panniers for a weekend away, I replied that I was going to Conisbrough - just 5 miles away!

The following morning Higg and I returned to the Trans Pennine Trail beside the River Don to do the shoot.

As it was another sunny day there were lots of local cyclists out, many on mountain bikes. A group of riders appearing to recognise us said - "Are you guys from Cycling Weekly?" We replied yes - or at least its sister publication. "Aye, I recognise you, I've seen your photos." Wow, how I was flattered to be known in Doncaster!

Later on, while Higg was taking photos of the sign boards some non-cycling locals chuckled at us. "By heck, how sad is that taking photos of sign boards!"

Sprotborough Lock proved to be a rather busy area to photograph as lots of families were out walking with their children and their dogs. The canal path was narrow and people were happy to give way to me as I was being photographed riding up and down, but they did get somewhat bemused when I was being repeatedly photographed on different sections, which to them just seemed to be "the same as the last place!" I guess it's only the photographer who sees those subtle differences!

At Conisbrough Viaduct the path rose up very steeply, and many locals riding up it struggled to make it up the slope in the saddle. I too had been reduced to walking up it when I had all my luggage with me in my panniers. But on shoot day with my un-laden bike I was able to ride up the 15% climb. The trick was to ride gracefully and not look like it was a difficult task for me. Not only did I have to do this for the sake of producing a decent photo, but I also wanted to keep my dignity in front of the curious passers by watching to see if I was a proper cyclist! Thankfully I passed the test.

South Yorkshire has been associated with industry and the coal mines for so many years that that's the image that is conjured up in my mind. However, mining has been all but finished since the late 80s and in fact the landscape has since been given an extensive makeover.

That was what I found to be a pleasant surprise during our travels. We went through Bentley, Sprotbrough, Conisbrough (which was also pretty hilly), Cadeby, High Melton and Cusworth. Along our way we passed through nature reserves, woodland, farmers' fields and a small country park, as well as Cusworth Hall - an impressive looking mansion. It was a fun day out and judging by the photos in the magazine feature I'd say we could have done a lot worse than go to Doncaster for a photoshoot!



photos by Higg

 

One Day One Photo - 30

Sunday 30th September

Of course, you can't go to Dublin with out tasting a bit of the old Liffey water, and you can't go to Dublin without going to Temple Bar. Even though it is the most uber touristic parts of Ireland, I still like the atmosphere around the cobble streets and traditional (ish) pubs in this part of Dublin.

We were also there to see a play as part of Dublin Theatre Festival. The play was very off-beat, but then again this area is a little arty so it should not have been a great surprise.

We didn't actually go into this pub, as we were celebrating the birthday of Higg's niece. As she was only 1 year old she was a bit young to be having a tipple! We went to a restaurant opposite instead.

Still, it was a fun afternoon out, and a nice way to spend time in Dublin.

One Day One Photo - 29

Saturday 29th September

As I was having another weekend away in which I wouldn't be able to ride my bike or do any significant amount of sport I decided to make the most of the walking opportunities that presented themselves.

Since we were in the Wicklow mountains it would have been remiss of us not to stop and walk around Glendalough, a glacial valley in County Wicklow. Although it was getting late in the day when we arrived there Higg and I still chose to do one of the many walking routes made available. We chose the blue route, which consisted of almost 2 miles of uphill around an area called the Spinc, followed by a mile back downhill to reach the lake.

I quite enjoyed the route as it was varied. Starting from the lake, we climbed up past a waterfall, and then continued through woodland.

The path consisted of what must have been thousands of wooden steps that continued upwards unrelentlessly, until the landscape opened out about two thirds of the way from the summit. I can't believe people actually would have laboured to put all these steps in. The wooden steps even had various nails and meshing over them to stop them from becoming slippery in the wet. Very considerate of them!
At the summit we could see the lake and the carpark, 250m below us, where we had started! Breathtaking views.

Luckily we managed to get across the exposed area just as the rain and the wind took over and we were able to duck back into the shelter of the woods to return to the start. It had been a brisk, if hilly 5km, but for me it had done the trick of giving me a little work-out. So I didn't feel too bad about tucking into fish and chips later that evening!

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Friday 28th September

If you want to see a Japanese garden, don't go to Tokyo, go to Wicklow!

The Wicklow Mountains, to the south of Dublin are a beautiful area to go walking and generally taking a trip out to the great outdoors. You can imagine with all the rainfall that Ireland gets it would be very green and lush. It is!

However, I hadn't expected to see this beautiful array of colour! This the Japanese Garden in Powerscourt House, near Enniskerry.

The stately home is famous for its gardens, the main section of which is modelled on those found at the Palace of Versailles, near Paris.

Higg and I took a trip to this place and visited the gardens, which are extensive and incorporate various sections.

The Japanese Garden was my favourite section - not just for the various rich colours, but also for its quaint location within the woods and its intricate pathways and hideaways that interspersed the gardens. It's like being in a mini maze, and you want to play hide and seek with your friends. Yes, it brought out the kid me!

One Day One Photo - 27

Thursday 27th September

Another week another flight! This time it's to Dublin. I go to Ireland regularly since that is Higg's homeland and his family are all pretty settled over there.

Being in Italy and returning to London each month, in between travelling to other places for work and pleasure has meant that I have not been able to go back to Ireland as much as I would normally. It was therefore good to be able to finally get across to the Emerald Isle.

And what made me quite happy about my journey too, was not having to fly with that Irish low cost airline with the blue and yellow logo!

When flying to Ireland, Aer Lingus are definitely my wings of choice. They got me there on time, the air hostesses and captain sounded cheerful, and when I arrived in the fair city I still felt pretty human!
 

One Day One Photo - 26

Wednesday 26th September

The Milan Stictch'n'Bitch group was one of the first places that I went to when I first came to Milan. It had been a way of being among people doing an activity that I enjoy (the stitching rather than the bitching)! It was also a chance to speak Italian. The girls were a friendly bunch and I got to know a couple of people who I began to see outside of the knitting and crocheting sessions.

The thing is I haven't been to the group for a long time. On a number of occasions I was not in Milan so I had a good excuse. However, there have been times when I did not go even though I was around. The reason? Because I am rather embarrassed to go there bringing with me the same project that I had with me 6 months ago.

If I were crocheting a coat it would be reasonble that I still be working on it since March. However, I was just crocheting a beanie hat. Something that should only take a few days - a couple of weeks at most, during these busy times. A couple of the girls are so skilled that they would be able to do it all in one session.

I, on the other hand have just not had the time. Also I realise that I can't crochet and talk at the same time otherwise I lose my line when following the pattern. Since talking is easier than crocheting, the latter is what gets left behind and I end up sitting with the other knitters and crocheters chatting away while my project just becomes some kind of decorative prop, as opposed to a tangible project. I was therefore very happy to have spent a few hours working on my beanie today, and it is even beginning to look like something I could wear. I just need to crack on so that the next meeting I go to, I will have something new to show - and I might even be able to do a couple of stitches during the gossip session!