Milan Central Station, Milan, Lombardy, Italy

Milan Central Station, is an Italian railway station, terminus, located in Duca d’Aosta square in the center of the city of Milan, capital of the Lombardy region. It is the first station of the city and second Italian station with a passing average of 120 million passengers per year, around 300 trains and approximately 320,000 passengers per day. It is served by the Frecciarossa and Frecciargento, Italian Intercity and Eurocity to Switzerland, Thello joins it to Paris-Gare de Lyon and of course, regional trains Trenord to Tirano and Bergamo. It was officially opened in 1931, replacing this way the old station 1864 because it could not support the traffic of the time. The first stone was laid by King Victor Emmanuel III in 1906 but construction began in 1912 and due to the First World War and the crisis, it proceeded too slowly. When Benito Mussolini became head of government he decided that the station should represent the power of the fascist regime. Its facade has 200 meters wide, the ceiling is 72 meters, has 24 docks and large steel arches. The station has several floors accessible by stairs, elevators or escalators. There are many shops selling a different range of products even as cafes and restaurants.

Tips

If you are traveling to Milan Central, you will find everything you need while waiting. If you are traveling with the Freccia, you have an exclusive waiting room for Freccia customers.
As there is always a lot of people, try to go with enough time to catch your train because there are long walks to do in it depending where your train leaves from.
Try to have coins with you to go to the bathroom that are paid because the exchange machines are not always functional.

Scullion Garden, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, Canada

By buying abandoned land in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean in 1985, Brian Scullion had begun the development of his business, a production nursery and in 1999 he decided to diversify his activities by creating the Scullion Garden. This garden has a little more than 2,000 species of plants from around the world, many of which have had to adapt to the harsh climatic conditions of the region. This place is a pretty important tourist attraction in the area. You will find beautiful landscaping, buildings and infrastructure, several trails, streams, a mini farm, games for children, an ancient forest camp, picnic areas and several animal species. There is also a new development of 12 hectares with nearly300 species of conifers.

Tips

A very important detail is that all signs are in three languages (French, Spanish and English) and everything is well indicated.

If you want to visit the area of the new coniferous garden project, you can rent an electric cart.

Several packages are available to visitors and children under 5, accompanied by an adult, enter for free. For groups of 30 people and over, there’s a guide service.

Pets on a leash are allowed on the site, except at the restauration service.

Mijas, Malaga, Andalusie, Costa del Sol, Spain

Mijas is a municipality in the province of Malaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia in Spain, on the Costa del Sol; 30 km from Malaga airport. It is divided into three areas: Mijas Pueblo (historical center), on a mountainside at 428 meters above sea level, Las Lagunas (industrial and commercial area) and La Cala (closest to the coast). Two rivers cross it, Las Pasadas and El Ojén, which join to form the river Fuengirola. To see: the oval shaped arenas (1900); the caves of the old forge; the church of the Immaculate Conception which was built on the ruins of the old mosque (1541) and which preserved the Mudéjar tower which was adapted as a bell tower; the Chapel of Calvary; San Sebastian Chruch (1541); the Hermit of the Virgin of La Peña, patroness of Mijas; the Gardens of the Wall; the Wine Museum; among others. There are several beaches but the sand is rather obscure and there are often rocks. The Burrotaxi is a special way to move with donkeys.

Tips

Mijas is a place with several year-round festivals. The most important and varied are in summer. Check before if you would like to attend a special festival: jazz, flamenco, Celtic night, latin night, there is something for everyone. During the summer, you will find the Nights of Moon and Beach in the neighborhoods that are next to beaches. Mijas Pueblo is also known to have a lot of life in the evening.