Concerto

I am a fan of the low cost regional trains in Italy (the equivalent of Inter Regio in Switzerland) because they are so cheap (€11 from Domodossola to Milan), reasonably efficient and pleasant to travel with because the rolling stock is new and there is air conditioning along with improved seat comfort. Most trains seem to operate with a 2nd class only configuration and, while they do get busy, on my trips they rarely became totally jammed. Ticketing, however, can be an issue because there are two companies in the north, Trenitalia and TRENORD (not to mention Frecciarossa, the intercity trains). Sometimes it is tricky to create tickets across the two companies and separate back-to-back ones are required. Also, sometimes, around the Milan area, they offer itineraries which include a trip on an urban or suburban metro which needs to be paid separately. The Trenitalia website often features fares that are impossible to book, such as domestic Italian fares on Austrian ÖBB trains that go down to Verona and Bologna. I wouldn't go near the TRENORD website and I use only the Trenitalia machines in the stations. The Italo ones are useless for my purposes and I never see anyone using them.


Leaving the train from Peschiera del Garda at Milano Lambrate station


Milano Centrale station

The regional train from Bolzano to Verona (€14.80) was reasonably efficient and punctual, although the rolling stock wasn't the most modern. The bus from Verona Porta Nuova station to Verona airport (where I had a car rental waiting) is now €7.50. For me, this is just another Italian scam because I remember when this route was €1. In fact, they've jumped on the bandwagon all over Italy of suddenly charging a lot extra for airport connections (there are interesting ways around these, which I am on principle attempting to do). In fairness, the Verona airport bus is very fast and efficient.


Main entry atrium of Milano Centrale station


Exterior detail of Milano Centrale station

The regional train to Milan Centrale which I took a few days later from Peschiera del Garda (€11) consisted of new rolling stock and picked up about 10 minutes delay. I hopped off at Milan Lambrate to look for a restaurant I had discovered last year (Pizzeria Anthony) which had been refurbished, but it's no longer worth a visit: the food was ok to good, no more, and unimaginative. Later on, the regional train from Milan Centrale up to Domodossola (€10.80) ran with a punctuality that would make the Swiss envious. In Domodossola I stumbled on a celebration for the opening of a new bar in front of the town hall and enjoyed free flowing prosecco and food!


Boarding a regional train at Milano Centrale station


Interior of the regional train from Milan back up to Domodossola​​​​​

Coming back down to Milan a week later the regional train from Domodossola to Milan Porta Garibaldi picked up about 12 minutes delay, but we arrived only 3 minutes behind schedule. Porta Garibaldi station is a bit complicated, for I had to transfer down to the underground platforms (Sot 1 and Sot 2) for the S train to San Donato Milanese, beside where the Crowne Plaza Milan Linate airport is (see separate review).


New rolling stock and interiors on the train from Domodossola to Milan


Upstairs seating on the same train as in the previous photo

Finishing off my trip back to Bolzano in the Alto Adige (or Bozen in the Südtirol, depending which language you want to speak) I took the train from Milan Centrale to Verona Porta Nuova (modern air conditioned rolling stock) and hopped off at Peschiera del Garda. The station café had the previous week offered me the best cappuccino I had drunk in the last 20 years, but it was not so good this time. It wasn't so bad, though, and I had a cheese and ham toastie and, later on, some of their excellent ice cream. I jumped on the next train to Verona, then caught a crowded regional veloce train to Bolzano which didn't have air conditioning. I snored most of the way to Bolzano which had the advantage of me ending up with several seats free near to where I was sitting!
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Arriving at Desenzano del Garda


Station building at Peschiera del Garda

Concerto

When the famous jazz festival ends and the crowds recede, Montreux breathes a sigh of relief. This year I skipped the festival, although there were a number of interesting shows, Bob Dylan and Pat Metheny among them. My goal once back in Montreux was to complete paperwork that I have not attended to. It was tedious concentrating on that while I could have gone swimming in the lake or on a hike somewhere, but at least I totally completed it. I think that this is something that genuinely does me in, all this bureaucracy and paperwork, but there's no other way of staying completely on top of things. The intention is to update documents almost daily, as I'm going along (for example, creating a prepared tax declaration template for the coming year), but it doesn't really work out like that in the end.


Outdoors at the Baccara bar in Montreux


There are dozens of vinyl LPs on the wall, making up the word Baccara, all of them classical discs

One thing that I did need to take care of was signing up for and taking an examination in advanced French. I have been offered to apply for the C permit, which is more like an authorisation for permanent residency. The Swiss Institute of Higher Management (SIHM) was where the "office de la population" sent me, beside the train station. A lovely Ghanaian man presides over this institution and he signed me up for a mock exam (test de simulation) which I sat during the week I was in Montreux and which he corrected the moment it was over. It went very well and I don't think that the language exam, which is set for early August, will be a problem for me. Still, it's another hurdle to go through, along with all the other items they require (confirmation that I don't have any debts for one).


When travelling from Switzerland, the train costs 70% more than flying


Lakeside view in Montreux, while I walked home

Fabo.sk

It's a very pretty country to live in, though at times difficult. I don't know that I would go for it, long term.

Concerto

I sometimes wonder about those who go to retire in a country where the cost of living is low, like Vietnam or Thailand. If you don't mind being immersed in another culture, you could do it. I reckon I could do it because I was born in Hong Kong. But on the other hand, HK was very British back then.

Concerto

Milan never disappoints. It's not a key tourist town, but it certainly has some sights away from the Duomo which are well worth seeing, such as the Brera museum. But the absence of milling crowds is refreshing in itself and that means that any good eating places that you find are bound to be authentic. There are plenty of places where you can plonk down and enjoy a cappuccino, or a mineral water, or a beer, or a glass of wine as well as some patisseries or light food. I tend to utilise my intuition and nose for the places that I end up in, although I don't always get it right.


The cathedral (duomo) of Milan


Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele, an upmarket shopping center near the Duomo


Me sitting in front of La Scala opera house; not quite the orchestra pit, but not so bad either

I've been returning to Ciu's Bar for years now, hidden away in Via Gaspare Spontini, because it has the best aperitivo that I have found so far. You pay a flat price, these days €12, for a drink and unlimited food from the buffet and if you're somebody like me, who can eat like the way a camel stores water, you can max out! I took a giant beer for €14 (must have been a litre) and enjoyed the buffet with it, starting off with a Bruschetta. There are hot and cold options, including chicken, fish and meat dishes and, of course, plenty of pasta. True to the multicultural crew at Ciu's, there's couscous and rice dishes as well. I like to get there early, just after 18h, so I can eat before too many people have started poking and digging around the food because, as I have often written here, I am no fan of buffets in general. But I make an exception for Ciu's and it's worth doing. Funny how I was unable to find a place like this in Turin.


Tramlines in the street near La Scala


The underground railway system in Milan is pretty efficient


A bar near Corso Buenos Aires

Later on, we hit some of the street bars for a few cheap grappas, which didn't really help with the quality of sleep I got later on out at the Crowne Plaza Linate. I try to make sure I drink plenty of water as I'm going along. One point to keep in mind in bars like Ciu's, which have this sort of aperitivo, is that if you buy a second drink it's going to be billed as the same price as the first drink which includes the food. So you would end up paying twice for the aperitivo, which probably still works out at a very good deal if you eat as much as I do. After 22h the drinks go back to normal prices.


Interior of Ciu's Bar in Milan


Just a fraction of the food on offer at Ciu's Bar in Milan

Fabo.sk

Milan is one of my favorite cities to visit. I'll keep Cius in mind for the next time.

Concerto

Oh yeah, at Ciu's you'll end up dancing on the tables. If you stay long enough.

Concerto

This was a new IHG hotel for me and it was nowhere near Linate airport, despite its name. There wasn't even a shuttle and it was quite a challenge with public transport unless you have a head for that sort of thing (like me!). I was able to arrive and leave from San Donato Milanese suburban train station, much to the bemusement of the check-in staff. It's totally doable but it's the sort of urban wasteland train station that, at night, you might expect the horror clown to show up at (remember those videos?). If you come by car there's loads of free parking around the hotel, especially by San Donato Milanese station, so don't get sucker punched by the hotel offering their parking for a significant upcharge!


Exterior of the Crowne Plaza Linate airport as I approach it from St Donato suburban railway station


Reception area of the Crowne Plaza Linate airport

The Crowne Plaza Linate is another of those hotels displaying faded grandeur, typical of the Crowne Plaza brand. But in fairness, none of the public areas of the hotel were run down or faded at all, despite the feeling that Crowne Plaza exudes. The hotel is in a high rise with a lobby, bar area, restaurant and conference rooms with lots of space. I enjoyed my short stay at the bar enjoying my free platinum member drink, but prices at the bar were far too high: you're not going to knock back more than one small beer here before reality kicks in. Staff at check-in were pleasant and helpful, despite being somewhat old school, and they spoke English impeccably.


Bar area in the spacious ground floor of the hotel


The breakfast buffet was really good at this hotel

As a Platinum member I was offered an upgrade to a a Superior room, followed by a double upgrade to a Deluxe room and was given the opportunity to view the rooms because I checked in so early. Oddly, I chose the Superior room because I felt that it had the edge over the Deluxe room. In truth, both rooms were pretty small and I hesitate to think what a standard room was like (probably the same size). The room was comfortable enough, but I really didn't sleep that well in it - it was ok, but nothing more. The bathroom and shower facilities were good enough and soap, shower gel and conditioner were provided by Antipodes. I booked a rate which included breakfast and it was a pretty decent spread, with hot and cold items and the usual muesli options, with various fruit juices and a surprisingly good coffee machine (given what they're usually like). It was a good stay, but would I go back? Not sure...


Interior of my so-called Deluxe bedroom


Showing the flat screen TV and the main exit to the room

eightblack

You had me at blanc de blancs and your plans to fly privately

You lost me as soon as you mentioned Holiday Inn Express! Wonderful effort Concerto keep it up.

Concerto

Well, this is a trip report without a private flight as such, although the SkyAlps flights are pretty close to being private flights! In addition, they take me to airports that are really off the beaten runway such as Bolzano (BZO) and Kassel Calden (KSF). As for Holiday Inn Express, I know what you mean, but there are quite a few really good hotels under that brand.

Concerto

I can't put my finger on Bolzano. The place is strange. That is the first impression I got back in 1982, when the bus from Verona airport taking us on a school skiing trip in Val Senales skirted the edge of Bolzano before joining the SS38 to head up to Merano. I recall seeing forbidding residential tower blocks and an unattractive urban sprawl off to one side, hemmed into the bottom of the valley between mountains. These days it still hasn't really changed but a lot of the modern architecture is a bit brighter, although I fear that might be an appearance that will be short-lived. The place reminds me a bit of industrial parts of Austria that tried to reinvent themselves, successfully mostly. But for me, Merano is undoubtedly the prettier of the two largest settlements in the Alto Adige/Südtirol region. Despite a predominance of the German language, Italian seems to be what everyone falls naturally back on.


The streets of the old town in central Bolzano


The arcades at the sides of the street protect you from rain and other elements


The youth hostel at Bolzano, near the station

The new Jugendherberge (youth hostel) near the train station gets top marks from me. Sure, if you have a front room looking out onto the train and local bus station it can get a bit noisy. And the reception is a bit nondescript to say the least. But I slept much better there than I did at the Crowne Plaza Linate and I paid only €31.85 which included an excellent breakfast and the city tax. For food I ended up in Hopfen & Co, which had wonderful house brewed beers and really good food. Later on I put my nose into Batzenhäusl with the intention of trying one of their many microbrews, but I got the same snotty unfriendly reception that I had got earlier the same evening, so don't go there. Unless you like that sort of greeting and service. Honestly, I just don't understand how these places still get customers.


Some interesting and odd window dressings in the arcades


These small windows were on the pillars under the arcades and were oddly eye catching!


Inside Hopfen & Co, with its selection of house brewed beers


This is what I ordered in the Hopfen & Co brewpub

The best experience was the following day, on the way to the little airport with a local bus just before a public transport strike was due to begin. No bus actually goes to the airport, so you have to use the suburban lines and walk a bit (10 minutes) to reach the terminal building. When I got off the bus I found a little local bar, Café Columbus, with mostly older people drinking their apéritif of wine at 10h30 in the morning. Well, after a final excellent cappuccino and a chocolate brioche, I joined them! The cappuccino, the brioche and two glasses of wine cost me €4.40. Now beat that if you can!


A local watering hole, Café Columbus, on the way to Bolzano airport


I spent a pleasant half hour in this bar (Café Columbus) near the airport with the locals, before continuing to the airport to get my flight

Fabo.sk

I thought that hotel sounded familiar. Apparently I stayed there back in 2018, though I don't have any pictures, save one of the yellow seats in the bar area. Not sure why, probably for a friend who is fond of the color.

I remember being not too impressed. At least the roooms have been since refurbished, back then they exuded strong late 90s - early 00s vibes.
At least the hotel itself was better than by now former HI Linate, current, I think, Belstay. Though that definitely did have a shuttle. (But I think back in 2018, so must have had the CP otherwise I wouldn't stay there before a morning departure I don't think)

This spring, I just went for the Moxy. I hope it will be an easy walk in, I'll have a long day behind me.

Fabo.sk

Nice place that cafe. It's good to get a reminder from time to time that not everything everywhere has become so expensive as to make going out unreachable.

Concerto

The Crowne Plaza Milan Linate Airport is quite pleasant and perfectly ok as a hotel. But it's not easy to reach without a car, although it can be done. If you've got a car rental return the following day at Linate airport then it would be fine. But I doubt I'll make the effort to go there again. Actually, all of the IHG hotels in Milan have become really expensive so I am now seeking other options (I don't like the ibis near Centrale station). The HIX and CP at Malpensa airport are usually reasonably priced, as is a Holiday Inn somewhere in North Milan (Zara?). That's a nice enough hotel, but a bit of a pain to reach with metro and bus.

I think we should make a list of these cheap normal cafes that still exist because the greed for money (and the wonderful excuse of Covid for putting prices up) has no limits. Yesterday, I went to finally try a little Indian hole in the wall place I've been wanting to go to for some time. It was in Villeneuve (Vaud, Switzerland) while playing for a music competition there. I had a good lunch, not exactly a massive portion, but well filled, with a cup of tea. Well, the whole thing came to CHF47.50, which is a ridiculous for a little place like that. I must say, all these people who come to Switzerland and open eating establishments (and I'm very much thinking of the multitude of Italian places here) are obviously, and rightly, taking the Swiss for complete idiots if the local people are prepared to pay the stupid prices they are asking. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of good places, but the question is finding out which are the decent ones.

The other thing that irritated me in Villeneuve was that they didn't take any credit cards. I mean, we're in the 3rd decade of the 21st century, aren't we?? This really a German and Swiss sickness, this card nonsense. I mean, it was only during Covid that a branch of the REWE supermarket that I use in Mülheim began accepting credit cards.

Fabo.sk

True that.

Over the last two years, I've spent a lot of time in Stockholm and London. I still have no idea how Swedish Kronor look like and the only Pound note I have is a Scottish one from 6 years ago I kept as a souvenir.

The Dutch have a bit of a first-adopter problem - card payments are widespread, but a lot of places are (or used to be until recently) set up to accept Dutch debit cards and not much else, most notably the biggest supermarket chain. But I still only extremely rarely use cash.