404 - My First Trip to Europe XIX

Germany/Italy:

Right away, I notice my taxi driver could easily be a New York City cab driver. Zigging in  and out of traffic until reaching the famed Autobahn.

Then, the fun began.

His foot hits the floor, and the car leaps forward as we easily jump to over 100MPH, then, as soon as we hit open road, the needle creeps upwards to well over 140MPH. I look down at my right hand, and it’s white knuckled on the armrest as we sail past smaller, lesser cars on the greatest paved surface on Earth. Corners are banked. Instead of going down then back up in valleys, they build a bridge across it. Even the asphalt is pristine with no bumps, holes, or imperfections that I can see (at >140MPH).

Now, I enjoy high speed, but I like to be in control of the vehicle going that fast, and while my nerves eventually calmed down, it was time to exit to the airport. The cab was prepaid (and tipped) but I handed my driver about a $10 tip and he was very appreciative, and I headed indoors to look for Alitalia Airlines.

The flight was great, as it was a good sized jet, but there couldn’t have been more than a dozen people on it, so I got more or less personalized service. We flew over the Alps, and I saw the pristine snow capping them from above.

Before long, we landed and I was met by Antonio, the manager at the field office I was going to. I have to be honest and say I didn’t get to see much of Milan (or Milano as they call it) because we drove straight to work, and didn’t take the scenic route.

At lunch, Antonio took me to a small restaurant nearby where I ordered my requisite pizza, and tried to take it all in. Sadly, the pizza was nowhere near as good as I was hoping it would be (maybe my expectations were too high?). Back to work it was and by 6pm, I was back on a flight to Germany.

The ride from the airport to the hotel wasn’t as good this time as the driver spoke very little English, but it was ok, I was writing stuff in a small journal I brought with me to remember when I got home.

Monday, I get to drive the famed Autobahn!

Have a wonderful weekend all!