Berbenno di Valtellina to Torino
Italia
Buongiorno, another travel day. We are leaving the beautiful Le Corti Dei Sassi in Berbenno di Valtellina and going to Torino to spend a month. Damilia isn’t staying as long as we are, but our plan isn’t really to necessarily stay in Tornio the whole time, but to use it as a base from which to visit places. Yes, of course, the real reason is to visit our newest granddaughter, Amadea.
We were downstairs for breakfast at 08:30. Mariagiulia and Alfio were invited by Luigi to stop for a coffee and to say goodbye. We said all our goodbyes and pack ourselves into the car by 09:30. An entire half hour earlier than programmed. We drove into Sondrio, and I dropped the ladies off at the train station. Then I took the car to the gas station and filled it up, then dropped it at Avis, which is part of the same gas station. It is almost never that easy.
It is raining slightly, but like the other day it is raining one minute and not the next. I opened my umbrella and began the walk towards the train station. Down Vial Stadio, to Hotel Vittoria, took a right on Vial Adua, crossed the Torrente Mallero, the stream or small river that runs down the valley into Sondrio from Valmalenco, here the road changes names to Via Giuseppe Mazzini past the historical headquarters of fascista party, and took a right on Piazzale Giovanni Bertacchi and ended up at the train station, 1.3 km later.
We had tickets for the 11:41 train to Milano. It was just 10:30, remember we left Berbenno a half hour earlier than was expected. So, Mary suggested we simply take the 10:41 train to Milano. Damilia and I went to inquire of the station master if it was ok to take the earlier train. He said no, it was not possible. Now, a long time ago, if you had a ticket on a regional train, where there are no seat assignments, you could take an earlier or later train, at least on the same day, without any problems or questions. Of course, this was a long time ago before electronic tickets, and when you still had to validate your paper ticket in the station. Basically, you bought a ticket for a certain day, between two points, when you went didn’t matter.
I suggested we simply play the stupid American card if we have to. An extra hour in Milano will give us a chance to have lunch at the station in Milano. Damilia wasn’t really into the program, but we got on the 10:41 anyway. The train was just about 7 minutes late anyway. That is 7 minutes closer to 11:41. Sometime after Morbengo the conductor came by and checked our tickets. He didn’t say a thing about the time on the tickets. Easy peasy.
We arrive in Milano and went to the Mignon Caffetteria which is just on the west aside of the station near Binario 2 after the ticket gates. That way we didn’t have to go out through the gates and back in again. The Mignon Caffetteria isn’t anything special, but it is easy. Mary and I each got a panini. We took them apart and got rid of one of the slices of bread and folded the other one over to make a smaller but more condensed panini. We don’t need the other half of the roll. Damilia got herself a more healthy salad.
The only issue with the Mignon is its proximity to the bagno. The restrooms are on the opposite side of the station. We have plenty of time so it really isn’t an issue. We walked to the restrooms, completed our business, and then walked toward the center of the tracks. Now I predicted it would be track 7. It would have been, except that the train on track 7 was 15 minutes late and didn’t leave before our train arrived. We left from track 6. Good guess anyway.
We boarded the train, we had assigned seats facing one another with a table in between. The plan was to play cards. We had hoped the four seat would be vacant. It wasn’t. The train crew hadn’t had time to clean up from the previous passengers, so we stacked all the stuff left behind on the table in front of the fourth seat. Fortunately, someone came by and clean it up shortly after we pulled out of the station.
We played a couple hands of canasta in the hour it took to get to Torino. In Torino we headed to the taxi stand. We took separate taxis to our apartments. We couldn’t have fit all our luggage and the three of us into one taxi. The apartments are only a couple blocks apart. I texted our landlady that we are on our way. She met us just outside the apartment.
We had seen the apartment last time we were here a couple weeks ago, so there weren’t any surprises. She showed us around, we dropped our bags and then headed over to Serra and Pietro’s. Serra is still in the hospital, but we could at least see Luisa and Pietro. We could also pick up our winter clothing suitcases which have been stored in the cantina. After a short visit we took our suitcases and headed back to the apartment.
We unpacked and got organized. By then it was time to call it a night. So, we did.
Buonanotte e ciao, Enrico e Maria
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