Bergamo 🇮🇹 to Salzburg 🇦🇹

I farewelled my lovely cycle buddies and had a travel day today:

Flight from Bergamo to Bratislava

Bus from Bratislava airport to train station
Train from Bratislava-Vienna- Salzburg

Pretty chilled day, sitting and watching the countryside go by. 

Arrived at my Japanese/Korean hostel about 7ish, filled with asian students and me - the mature age blonde lady 🤣🤣.  Students are all sweet and friendly and location is great. 

The slippers we wear inside the hostel 🤣

Went for a little explore and it has a beautiful clean, magical, romantic feel to it.  Wandering the neat and tidy streets with everyone rugged up going to and from dinner.  I was getting a little bit cool with my limited clothing range.  14 degrees and a little breezy.  Can't believe I was in 40 degrees only days ago.

Looking forward to exploring tomorrow, starting with a free walking tour.

Bergamo 🇮🇹 - Final day

 We awoke this morning with mixed weather forecast but decided to head out on our bikes for our last day.  We set off for local bike paths that were gravel.  Through some lovely parks but hard going on the thick gravel.

So we don't he'd the paths and headed off for a ride we had wanted to do.  Unfortunately I got a flat tyre but a bit of team.work and we were on the road again.

We headed for a valley we had heard about.  It had some steep sided mountains, lots of water in the stream but was quite an industrial road with lots of gravel and rock factories along the route.  

Lovely waterfall

We followed the valley back to the main road and cycled through some tunnels which offer rockfall and avalanche protection.

Then up the 10km long climb through the Seriana Valle to Selvino, riding up the mountain we had cycled down a few days ago.  The views back to the valleys so much clearer after the rain.  It had some steep.parts and I wasn't sure I would be able to make it, but I did.

We rode back down the switchbacks and then on our way back to town Mary found a path alongside a rushing canal, full of rushing water from the storms.

We finished with takeaway Pizza from a local restaurant.

It's been a wonderful week away with friends😊

Milano 🇮🇹 day trip

 A weather forecast of thunderstorms and rain and so we all had different ideas on how to spend the day.  I caught the local train to Bergamo and changed to a train to Milan.

The Milano central train station is a spectacular building.

I caught a metro underground train to the Duomo which was close to the meet point for my free walking tour.  The Cathedral is the largest in Italy and inside can fit 40,000 people standing 😳. It has 65 Spires and each one has a biblical figure statue on top of it.

The doors are incredibly ornate.

We started the walking tour just as a huge thunderstorm hit!  Rain was pouring off the Cathedral and flowing ankle deep through the square.

The show must go on and so off we went to see the Galleria - the first enclosed shopping street in Europe and home to many top brand names.  The roof was replaced after WWII as it was bombed.

Then to the Opera House

Great informative tour.  I had the local speciality of a topped focaccia.  Tried potato and zucchini with pesto, followed by a pistachio cannoli.

I wandered the stylish Fashion house streets, the brand names lost on me 🙄

I walked to the castle as I wanted to see Leonardo da vinci's fresco of The Last Supper but unfortunately the museum (and most others) is closed on a Monday.

I caught the train back to Bergamo but a delay meant I missed my local train by one minute.  Found and caught a bus instead and walked in just as dinner was served 😊. Fabulous day.