I think this is going to one of those trips where the driving is epic. Our next stop is Milan, city of fashion and finance. Turns out that Milan is more bicycle friendly than Rome, and we were inspired by the number of riders there. Also the drivers seemed more civilized.
They have a bicycle sharing scheme here, like Paris, but since we had our own wheels, we didn't need to use it. If you ever come to Milan, you should certainly grab a bicycle and ride.
We rode all around town, and of course, went to see Duomo, the largest cathedral I have seen so far. The square is filled with tourists and touts (this time Africans selling pieces of colored string and pigeon food).
Nearby, is a place Singaporeans are familiar with, Giant Shopping Centre. Except this one is way fancier than anything we have. The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is the oldest mall in Milan. It looked like a nice place to sit and sip coffee and people watch too, but we didn't want to sell a kidney to buy a cappuccino there.
Cycling around Milan, we stumbled across some pretty nice stops, like canals and parks.
Of course, you cannot visit Milan without visiting the San Siro Stadium, if you are a football fan. Especially if you are a fan of AC Milan or Inter Milan. We made our pilgrimage there by bike too.
Our final stop for the day was Parco Sempione ("Simplon Park") a large city park that was established in 1888. It is huge, lovely to chill at, and has a castle next to it. We spent a quiet time watching some blokes play football on the grass and wished we had brought some wine on our bikes too. Next time, we might pack a nice Chardonnay, maybe.
