By Christine Swan

I left Florence on a rainy afternoon and boarded a train to Milan. Unfortunately, the weather did not improve during my journey. I arrived at Milano Centrale station in pouring rain. This is a cathedral of a station and a monument to fascist architecture.

Milano Centrale is a cathedral of a station

My plan was to walk into the centre of the City, visit the Duomo and shopping galleries, however, I was carrying all of my belongings and the rain was so heavy, and the temperature chilly, I didn’t get too far. Additionally, I had received some bad news. Overnight, I had received an email informing me that my Thello sleeper train back to Paris had been cancelled and replaced by a rail replacement coach. Oh dear! I am not a great fan of coach travel, but overnight, over the Alps, appealed even less. It was difficult to muster enthusiasm for the rest of my day.

I hadn’t walked too far before my shoes had leaked and soaked through my socks, the rest of my clothing was getting wet and I was getting cold. I had to get out of the rain.

I gave thought to a tram ride as a means of drying out…….

The rain was relentless

I located a quiet cat cafe. The cats were quiet because most were asleep. The cafe was quiet because custom was slow. The staff were very welcoming and explained the rules. All of the cats were rescues, customers were not to pick them up or approach them but the cats can approach customers and then can be petted. It was a warm and cosy haven and I really enjoyed spending time watching them and drinking hot coffee from a cat shaped mug.

And relax……

The cats rule the roost here – literally

I had some food and then decided to give up and head back to the station. I felt disappointed that I was there, in Milan, but the weather was just too bad to walk around in.

Back to Milano Centrale

Frieze detail inside Milano Centrale

The station was not as cosy as the cafe. It is a cavernous building with no cosy nooks to warm up in. I found a seating area and read for a couple of hours. I read and reread the instructions. I was to wait by a platform entrance where I would be met and allocated to a coach.

I managed to move my stone cold feet, and walk with my wet jeans clad legs, to the platform. Quite honestly, I just wanted to get warm. I smiled at a few other people waiting and one lady asked me if I was waiting for the coach to Paris. She was surprised when I answered in English – “I thought you looked very European,” she responded. But, of course.

We chatted until the Thello staff arrived with clipboards to check our tickets and allocate us to our coach. Unfortunately, I was not going to travel on the same as my new found companion. We said goodbye and went out into the cold night air.

We were provided with snack bags and an airline blanket. I was very grateful for the latter but the closeness of the seat in front didn’t make it comfortable or easy for me to remove my soaking boots. This was probably just as well as I had been walking around in wet socks for some hours.

After several checks, we departed. I finally had a mini tour of Milan but I still wanted the temperature of the coach to be a bit warmer. I had to make a choice – cover my top half with the blanket and retain my cold feet, or cover my legs and feet and chill from the top. I wasn’t tired so enjoyed seeing us leave Milan and approach Turin. The cityscape disappeared into the distance and the terrain became more rugged. On my outward journey and had seen snow and as we wove our way through the Aosta Valley, I was fairly confident that I would see a lot more. Flanked by mountains, the road wound its way through Italy through tunnels and open stretches towards the French border. We passed the impressive Mont Blanc cable car at Courmayeur before going through the tolls at the entrance to the Mont Blanc road tunnel.

I was grateful that the coach driver was alert even though I was feeling weary. It is a demanding drive through impressive terrain. The two members of staff accompanying us on our coach had agreed that one would sleep while the other remained alert to support their customers onboard. I was seated towards the back of the coach and my Italian had served me well thus far. After a few hours into the journey and after one stop, the man who was awake tried to rouse his sleeping colleague. The latter really didn’t want to wake up despite the other’s efforts. He was conscious enough to ask for more sleep but his colleague didn’t approve of this suggestion. An argument ensued with much gesticulating and one push. This didn’t aid my restfulness or the bonhomie of the journey.

I could feel the curtain of sheer exhaustion come over me and although it was not a comfortable sleep, I did snatch some minutes. When I awoke, we were far into France, heading towards Paris. A quick calculation led to the realisation that there was no way that I would be able to catch my scheduled Eurostar train. I rebooked onto a later train at some expense as I was doing this just a few hours before departure.

We pulled into Gare de Lyon and our luggage was unloaded. I took my small rucksack and headed off towards Gare du Nord on foot. The weather was cloudy but dry, unlike my boots and socks. I desperately needed a shower. In the warm Eurostar departure lounge, I could feel myself microsleeping but was determined not to miss my train back to London. I forced myself to stay awake until it arrived and I had boarded. I do not remember that journey at all. I think I was asleep in minutes . When I arrived in London St Pancras, I had booked into a hotel which I trudged to, checked in, showered, and continued my slumber. I had travelled over 5000 miles in ten days, across four countries completely flight-free.

My aim had been to spend time with my daughter, which I achieved. As a secondary aim, I visited some of the most iconic sights in Italy and Malta. I had travelled on two of the most incredible rail journeys – the Paris to Venice Thello sleeper, which is now discontinued, and the Treno Notte from Rome to Sicily. I also travelled on one of Europe’s fastest trains – the Frecciarossa 1000. My grand voyage

Paris, je t’adore

Further information

Everything you ever wanted to know about Milano Centrale station

Thank heavens for the Crazy Cat Cafe, Milano