Six things we didn’t know about snow

Barcelona was a hiatus on the road; a pilgrim’s pit stop. It seems to end quickly and ten days later it is time to go and we are on the move again. We catch an early plane with Ryan Air and head for Milan. It was an eventful flight but I won’t go into the details. On landing at our destination a tune is played, ‘da, da, da, da dah…Congratulations, you are on one of the over ninety per cent of Ryan Air flights that arrives on time’. Cool. It is 11am and we experience full snow. Not the pitter, patter of snow- the light, dancing sprinkle like in Kiev-but snowing cats and dogs. In Japan they have a saying, ‘only children and dogs like snow’ and for the four of us our inner children are quick to emerge.

Between snowball ball fights we discover these six things we didn’t know about snow: 1. Experience an Igloo – Why go to the South Pole to experience an igloo when you can do so by simply hiring a car. Just rent it, park it in a snow storm and then bunk in for the night (no guarantees you’ll wake up).

2. Slip, sliding away – Snow can be very slippery, especially on roads and footpaths.

The kerbs are high and we all have many near falls. On the way to dinner I find myself slipping down a bicycle ramp toward a large puddle, Rocco tries to help by grabbing my hand and then we are both sliding…Frank saves us just in time. 3. Random snow balls – While walking to the train station in the morning we are hit by random snow balls and it’s not from each other. It’s not some clown having a laugh at tourists either. Snow clumps fall from trees and light poles etc. with random regularity.

4. Freezing your butt off – Bike riding is good exercise and so is extracting your bottom from the bike seat as the hapless owner of this bike may have to do.

Touché for motor bike riders.

5. Heavy snow is really, really cold and wet(well this shouldn’t be a surprise should it). 6. There is nothing quite so beautiful – a building or landscape draped in snow is magical; A coating of fairy powder can transform what might otherwise be ordinary into the spell binding.

We have two nights in Milan and have a sleep in after the first night. After a quick breakfast in the hotel we catch the Metro into the Duomo, in the City Centre. Emerging from the subway we are struck by the unexpectedly spectacular sight of the Milan Cathedral.

Pigeons flock around us as locals place popcorn on the boys’ heads and arms.

Milan is the fashion capital

and Rocco is ready for it.

We decide to take a look in the boutiques. I admire a top and the shop assistant, also Angela, insists I try it on with the pants, jacket, belt etc. to see the full ensemble. I do so and feel ridiculous. Just to make sure I ask Frank what he thinks. ‘You could wear that to the Melbourne Cup’, says Frank.

I say, ‘You really think so?’ He says, ‘If you’re riding a horse’. Hmm This shopping thing is boring for the boys so they go to McDonalds and I head to Rinascente Department Store. I notice a nice handbag; it’s 12 000 Euro (About $15000 AUD, I just want to put stuff in it, not drive it across America). Maybe a few Dubai Nationals could justify the cost.

I am looking at an eye shadow pallet and a young Italian man offers to do my make-up (it’s okay he works there). Well why not. It is quite fun and I buy a couple of things I’m running out of. Later in the day the four of us head to the seventh floor of the Department store for something to eat. There is a lovely view of the Cathedral from where we sit. As night falls we go into the Cathedral and it is very special. The boys are surprised to see there the mummified bodies of deceased Cardinals. Their hands are all shrivelled up but their shoes are in mint condition (Louis Vuitton perhaps?).

For dinner we go to a little restaurant near our hotel and sit next to a family of Australians for the second night in a row (different family each night). It is great to compare notes and chat about home. Tomorrow we are off to, what I remember as, one of my favourite cities in the world – Firenze.