It's getting brighter

So I'm in the middle of school holidays and I've not gone home. Well there's only one thing to do: travel. I waited a whole two hours after school finished for the term before setting off to Dortmund. An evening of the 'Dortmund experience' (football and beer) later and it was off to Milan. Thank you Germanwings mystery flight for choosing my travel destination again. Despite DBBahn's best attempts to ruin everything, Matt and I made it to the airport in time.

The first challenge upon arrival was to get from Milan Malpensa airport to actual Milan. The ticket machines were not the easiest things to use ever but we got a train and 45 minutes later found ourselves in (the very impressive) Milan central station. I do love a good Hbf. It was then time to find the hotel, complete with very grumpy receptionist (now known as Julian) which was in a pretty good location close to a metro station. In the middle of the central piazza in Milan is the Duomo (Milan cathedral), an absolutely spectacular building. It dominates the piazza, which is pretty impressive considering some of the other buildings there... the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and Palazzo Reale to name a couple. With help from our amazing map (we were far too enthusiastic about it but it had little illustrations of the main sights) the sightseeing began with Villa Reale. After the obligatory ice cream stop we went into the shopping area. Just wow... Armani, Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana etc. The words "there's Prada shops everywhere" were definitely spoken. But our favourite shop was Versace home - perfect for student living...

In the evening we went to Navigli, the canals bit of Milan (no I didn't know it had any either). Perfect for sitting out, drinking cocktails and people watching. The side effect to sitting out is that you get approached by a steady stream of flower sellers, who don't seem to listen when you say "no I hate flowers". Hmph. Then it was back to the hotel, via the Duomo.

New day, new metro ticket, new sights to see. First stop of the day was the San Siro. It was not as impressive as I'd expected but it was very big and stadium-like. Then back on the metro to Castello Sforzesco/Sforza Castle. It was a good castle, but difficult to enjoy with so many bracelet sellers around. They were... erm... persistent. And calling me Shakira was not going to get them anywhere. But we managed a wander through the courtyards and the gardens beyond (complete with arch). We found the Santa Maria delle Grazie, home to Da Vinci's The Last Supper but tickets were sold out for the day. So it was back to the map, taking us to assorted churches and interesting looking buildings, including an amphitheatre. Well the remains of an amphitheatre. It was sad to imagine what once would have stood there and look at what is left.

Then it was back to the Duomo for a wander on the terraces. After getting through security (surprisingly tricky) we were allowed to climb the stairs to the terraces and onto the roof. We stayed up there until closing time, when we were escorted down in a lift.

The final sight was supposed to be Cimitero Monumentale di Milan, a huge cemetery. But that was closed for the day, so it was back to Navigli for tea. The done thing seems to be paying a set price for a buffet meal and a cocktail. A genius plan if you ask me.

And we're up to day three. It set off early (we're talking leaving the hotel at 7) as there were a lot of trains ahead of us. It began with three hours of train from Milan to Lavagna, a small town on the Italian Riviera. It was far less touristy than Milan, as we discovered when finding and ordering breakfast. Then it was back on the train along the coast to Cinque Terre. As the name suggests, Cinque Terre consists of five small towns: Monterosso al Mare; Vernazza; Corniglia; Manarola and; Riomaggiore. And we had a day to explore all of them. We bought a Cinque Terre card which gives you unlimited use of the railway between the towns. Although they are only 2 or 3 minutes apart by train they are 2 to 3 hours apart walking, which gives you an idea of the sort of topography we are dealing with! So so steep.

Monterosso al Mare is the flattest and most beach-like of the towns. It was very exciting wandering along the beach and being warm in early April.

Vernazza has a wonderful harbour area. So we sat on the rocks and had an ice cream and enjoyed our surroundings. However, the sea thought differently. We both saw the large wave heading straight towards us but knew there was no way we could move fast enough. Absolutely soaked. But it was pretty funny. There are steep paths on either side of the town, revealing lovely views over the town and landscape beyond.

Corniglia is the hardest to get to. From the station you have to climb and climb, as the town is on the cliff top rather than by the water. The streets are so narrow and full of stairs. Exhausting but very pretty.

Manarola is possibly the most picturesque, with buildings clinging onto the steep hillside.

Riomaggiore was the final stop. Like the other Cinque Terre towns, the streets are narrow, the place is full of stairs and there is a lemon (and limoncello) obsession.

After we had made our way down the coast it was time to find somewhere to watch the sunset. So it was back on the train to Manarola where we sat with limoncello on a rock and watched sunset over the sea. The clouds were not cooperating so it wasn't the best sunset ever but there's always something special about sunset over the sea.

The trains run until midnight so, determined to get the most out of our Cinque Terre card, we went back to Vernazza for a wander. And then back to Lavagna where we had a near disaster as the hotel was locked. No amount of trying to use our key was working, so we rang a doorbell and knocked on the door. Fortunately someone came and let us in. Phew.

Our final day in Italy set off with an exploration of Lavanga, which was lovely considering I chose it purely based on its proximity to Cinque Terre. The cemetery is worth a mention - completely different to British/German cemeteries - all marble busts and family tombs.

We walked by the harbour (which is probably bigger than the town) into neighbouring Chiavari, which was very similar to Lavagna. Then it was time for a train journey up the coast to Genoa. The trains are actually quite fun because they go right by the sea so you get a lovely view... when you aren't going through a tunnel. On the way to Genoa we laughed at the description of it as a city full of "enticing alleyways". However, after visiting I can confirm that the alleyways are actually very enticing. The buildings are so tall and close together that the whole place is a maze. You can't see any of the churches or palaces until they are straight in front of you which is fun.

Genoa has that falling-apart quality to it. If you took any of the buildings out and plonked them in Fetcham they would look dilapidated but somehow in Italy they look charming.

I then had my ice cream related highlight of the trip. A violet frappe. An amazing ice cream shop with a massive selection of flavours, any of which could be made into a frappe. It was like drinking parma violets. AMAZING. It possibly tasted even better because it was hot and sunny and we were sitting on the cathedral steps.

And suddenly it was time to begin the trek home. A horribly hot train from Genoa to Milan, then the Malpensa Express to the airport, then a flight to Düsseldorf, then a train to Dortmund, an overnight in Dortmund, then a bus to Hannover and a train to Bad Salzdetfurth. And that doesn't include the metro/S-Bahn. Home.