Jourduhns Journey

It all started about 72 hours before I flew from Gatwick. I accidentally booked my return flight for the week after I had initially planned. I usually book my flights separately, so this wasn’t a shock. I was more surprised it to so long for my clumsy self to make this mistake. I couldn’t change my ticket and was forced to buy another one, which cost me about £40. Not a high price, but that was the same price as my original flights both ways.

Accommodation is where it gets interesting. My original plan when I thought of this trip was to relive my first trip to Milan in 2021, and this was the trip that pulled me towards the vision of being a travel photographer. First, I tried to stay in the same hotel I had stayed at in Citta Studi, but at over £200 per night, that was a no-no. Finally, I found one not too far away, around a 10-minute walk from that hotel, so it wasn’t too bad, but at £82 for one night, that hurt me.

So now I’m at Gatwick about to relive my first photography trip; flights are booked, and the hotel is all booked. Nothing to worry about, right? Well, let’s land in Milan and get into it. As stupid as I had been with booking the trip, I was proud I remembered the airport and train station so well. I knew exactly where I was going regarding exits and even remembered what train to catch at the central station. This put me in a good mood as I became proud of myself for remembering everything. Little did I know this was all about to change.

So after about 20 minutes of walking up Via Nicola Antonio Porpora, I finally reached my accommodation for the night. So I went to check in straight and sensed something was up. The guy at the check desk struggled to see my name on the system. So I looked on the booking app to show him, and in large black text, it said the 16th, which was the following week. I’d never felt so clumsy in my life. I had to try a play it off like it wasn’t me who booked the room, so I asked how much it would cost for a room that night, and he replied €240. That was never going to happen, so I left and top him id be back next week. For one night, that price was outrageous. I thought id look up a few hostels in the area, and even they were coming up at roughly €100 for one night in a bunk bed dorm. My only option then was to fly back home. The time was only around 1 PM, so I thought of walking around for a few hours. I’d still be able to get the pictures I wanted and then catch the last flight back home. It sounded like the perfect plan for my situation, but at least I could find a positive from this situation. Well, that wasn’t to be either. A flight from Milan back to any London airport was coming up at over £170; now that would never happen. So I looked for some connecting flights and found one for £78, but it was an 18-hour flight, with connections all over Spain. Well, with no choice, I booked the flights home and started walking.

On a positive note, please do so if you have yet to go to Milian. It’s a magnificent city with lots of outstanding architecture. In addition, it has a retro-style tram line which circles the inner city. They stop often, too, which allows you to get terrific pictures next to them. The Grand Central station is very eye-catching too. While walking to the Cathedral, I was trying to recapture many of the photographs I had initially taken back in 2021. This was the main reason for me travelling to Milan. I wanted to compare my Photography in the two years I had been doing it.

I managed to find the exact route I had taken 18 months ago. A lot had stayed the same, apart from some previous road works that had been completed. When I arrived, I first noticed how the Cathedral Square was packed with tourists. This wasn’t the case back in 2021, but that’s due to the pandemic and not many people wanting to travel. It is a sight you must visit if you ever find yourself in Milan. I’ve never been inside so I can’t give any experience about what’s inside, but this is a must if you love architecture and historic buildings.

After a few hours of snapping some shots and eating my favourite Italian dish, Carbonnara, I went to the airport. I had done quite a few stopovers in the past but was unsure of what to expect with this one. The first flight was simple. It wasn’t a busy Flight as we took off at 10:55 PM, and it was only a two-hour flight to my first destination of Alicante, where I had a nearly six-hour layover. I hoped to find a nice bench somewhere and catch a few Zzzs, but I didn’t seem to be alone in a sleepover at the airport. I ended up watching 2 star wars movies back to back on my iPad to try a stay awake then I found a bench to sleep on. I woke up about 45 minutes before I had to board and was completely surrounded but people in the terminal.

The second flight was only an hour long, but I slept the whole way through. It had now been 24 hours where I hadn’t slept more than 3 hours in one go. When we landed in Bilabo, I was tempted to leave the airport and go into the city as I had never been here before, but the weather was terrible, and I had all my gear, so I went to try and find another bench to sleep, and yet again it wasn’t meant to be. I had another seven-and-a-half layover, so I took out my iPad and returned to my Star Wars. It was about 3 PM now, I was exhausted, hungry, and my body was aching from all this travelling, but I was about to board my final flight back to Gatwick. I thought this would be a simple flight back, but boy, I was wrong. The plane was full of kids making so much noise it was impossible for me to get any sleep. So I spent the two-hour flight telling myself how I would never make such a stupid mistake again. I then started to get tired and was dosing off until I was awakened 10 minutes before we landed.

So moral of the story….

Always double-check your dates before you book!!