After San Siro, I completed my short list of places to visit in Milan. Went back to the friend's place for dinner and a quick shower.
I thought I have ample time to get to the Milano Centrale station. The regional Italian train to Verona was leaving late in the evening. After reaching Verona, there would be a DB City Night Line to Munich. The Milano bus would get me right to the station. What I didn't take into account was the fact that today was a public holiday in Italy. The bus service stop early in the evening. I was waiting at the station to no avail before I realize that the LED board in the stop was informing customers of the change in schedule. As more and more of us waiting at the stop left, I decided to give up as well. I tried the tram station, it was apparently they were not running anymore, too. And what started out as a evening drizzle began to pour. None of the taxi was stopping as I tried to flag one down under a flyover. I realized I would need to call the taxi-booking number, but I have no idea what that number is. Taxi never figured in my plan.
Then, I realized that I could get help from the hotel I was staying in the last 2 nights. I dash out in the rain and went to the hotel counter. The guy at the reception remembered me. I told him I am no longer staying there, but I do need a favour: a taxi to take me to the station in this rain. No problemo. He took out what looks like a NETS payment terminal, punched a few buttons, a piece of paper scroll out of the handheld terminal and told me a taxi would be right outside the hotel in 12 minutes.
Things turn out alright, although I have some trouble communication with the driver in the beginning. He was obviously Italian-only. Through the rain, we arrived at the station with enough time before the train leaves.
On the way, I was staring at the meter. Luckily the fare for the trip wasn't too much for the heart to handle.
It was dark by the time the train pulls out of Milano. I couldn't see what Verona was like. But it was obvious from the containers by the track that Verona is a seaport.
The DB City Night Line leaves Verona for Munich in the middle of the night.
This was a sleeper train.
By the time I woke up, it was still misty outside, and from the T-Mobile Austria roaming welcome message on my cellphone, I was somewhere in Austria.
Early in the morning, the CNL train pulled up into Munich station.
No comments:
Post a Comment