Switzerland, Part 1 : Milan

Hi everyone! We're finally posting our pictures from the short trip we took to Lucerne, Switzerland for my birthday. We had a fantastic trip. Except for the spectacularly expensive tickets for the train ride back, it was perfect. For me, Switzerland was like the country equivalent of Disneyland.

To start things off, here are a few shots of the Milan train station; we had to wait about two hours in Milan before we could get the train that would take us out of Italy. The train station was built in 1931 and is a good example of fascist architecture.

The station from the outside.


Detail of the inside. Soldiers were depicted everywhere; Fascism was very taken with militant masculinity. Notice the SPQR under the soldier's head. Fascism also considered itself old-school Roman: SPQR ('Senatus Populusque Romae', i.e. 'the Senate and People of Rome') is the insignia for both ancient and modern Rome. "Biglietteria Ovest" just means the west door for buying your tickets.


Lots of murals inside the train station. For those of you who know northern Italian cities, you'll be able to see that this is a mosaic of Torino.


I just threw this in for Dad and other transportation buffs.


Does this remind anyone of Union Station in Kansas City?


Here's the more modern part; there were three big 'tubes' for the trains.


Okay, enough of Milan. On to Switzerland!