BACK FROM DEUTSCHLAND

So we learned today that it is not actually time for Day Light Savings yet in Europe. After setting our clocks forward last night and losing an extra hour of sleep, we found out the hard way that we were an hour early to the train station. We woke up this morning in a hurry to get to the train station because we were nervous that we might miss our flight back to Italy. On Saturday we had heard that the German transportation workers would be going on strike on Monday, meaning that all trains, planes and buses would stop running. If we missed our flight we would have to become students of German architecture until the strike was over, but no worries, because I am writing this safely from Italy.

Today was a long day of traveling! We left our hotel and caught the light rail tram to the main Düsseldorf terminal where we could catch our next train. At the train station we boarded a tiny train with an engine and two passenger cars- it was the smallest train we have been on thus far. I guess you could say it was like the short bus- but on train tracks. Boy did we feel special! Anyways, it took us about an hour on a short train to get to the small town of Weeze where we found the local airport. From the train station we hoped on a bus which dropped us off right in front of the airport, where we were 2 hours early for our flight. Considering there were only two flights out of the Weeze airport that afternoon, we didn’t have any trouble getting through security. The airline we flew on has first come, first serve seating, so all five of us got window seats! It is nice to have a window to lean on, rather than sleeping on your neighbor on a long plane ride. Ninety minutes later we were in the Milan Airport, with another two hours of traveling ahead of us. From the Airport we took a private bus to the central Milan train station, which has become our second home. Most of our trips out of Como require transferring at the Milan Central station to long distance high-speed trains, so we have become accustomed to waiting in the station. For the final leg of the trip we had to catch our routine, hour-long train from Milano Centrale to Como San Giovanni. When it was all said and done we had traveled for 8 hours, rode on 3 trains, 2 buses and 1 plane.

The weather was overcast when we got into Como and it looked as if it was going to rain and this served as a perfect excuse for me to stay inside and catch up on my blogging…