Fast forward one hour. Cabin Crew prepare for landing. Milan.
Central European time is an hour ahead of British Summer Time so it stays lighter even later.
There is now a debate about whether Britain should advance its own Summer Time (quite brilliantly called Single/Double Summer Time) by a further hour so that it is in line with the rest of Europe.
There are two strong arguments for change.
The first is that if British Summer Time is maintained during the winter months, it would have the effect of reducing the number of accidents as a result of the lighter evenings.
The second argument focusses on the potential energy benefits of Double Summer Time, which could apparently save almost 500,00 tonnes of CO2 a year, although how anyone can measure this is entirely beyond me. But apparently it would have the effect of taking nearly 200,00 cars off the road.
Against these two seemingly compelling arguments is the other side of the coin as it were, which argues that in Northern Britain winter sunrise would not occur until about 10:00 am or even later and that the dark mornings could result in increased risks of accidents amongst younger children on their way to school.
I even read in my newspaper that older people who apparently rise earlier would more at risk.
I must say that suprised me because when I was communting the forty or so miles a day from Bedford to Aylesbury via Milton Keynes at 6 30 in the morning I rarely if ever saw an older person out and about and these days I think 8 00 am is a perfectly reasonable time to get up unless I fancy a lie in.
The most unreasonable argument is one which appears to belong to the Eurosceptics who want to resisit the UK adopting the same time zone as central European countries. It could be that those who hold this view are afraid that it could result in shops and businesses closing during the afternoon and reopening later in the day and then remaining open into the early evening, resulting in a fundamental change in the British character.
That could of course be both good and bad.
I arrived in Milan just as the Italian Parliament had decided that Berlusconi should not have to answer to the court in Milan, something about communist judges and a fair trial apparently.
On the Malpensa Express, in the washroom, I read an amazing piece of angry graffiti. I had enough Italian to recognise that it was a comment about the Berlusconi 'trial' and that it contained some words best not repeated in a Blog aimed at a family audience!
I guess that all nationalities have their individual characteristics, modified by the personal temperament of the individual. When we arrived at Milan Centrale station last time we made this journey, we arrived with less than twenty minutes before the last train of the evening left for Genoa.
We presented ourselves at Sala Bleu the office that provides assistance for disabled passengers, the official behind the desk saw this as a challenge he got us onto the train and arranged for us to be met in Genoa, Perfecto! indeed he was on the same train as his shift had ended and he was on his way home, as he left the train he wished us Buona Sera.
This time, as soon as I saw the chap behind the desk, I knew that he wasn't going to co-operate.
Even though it was just after 7 30 and the 8 10 train for Genova was on the platform and the person who helped us off the Malpensa Express said he could get us on the train, we were made to wait for the 9 10.
I protested and pointed out that the train was there, we were here, Manchester United - Chelsea was on TV and we were missing the match, it was all to no avail .............. he was a big man in his version of the big society ..... there just are times when you have to admit defeat as they (might) say in Italy ..... Ther c'è luce senza oscurità .....
Central European time is an hour ahead of British Summer Time so it stays lighter even later.
There is now a debate about whether Britain should advance its own Summer Time (quite brilliantly called Single/Double Summer Time) by a further hour so that it is in line with the rest of Europe.
There are two strong arguments for change.
The first is that if British Summer Time is maintained during the winter months, it would have the effect of reducing the number of accidents as a result of the lighter evenings.
The second argument focusses on the potential energy benefits of Double Summer Time, which could apparently save almost 500,00 tonnes of CO2 a year, although how anyone can measure this is entirely beyond me. But apparently it would have the effect of taking nearly 200,00 cars off the road.
Against these two seemingly compelling arguments is the other side of the coin as it were, which argues that in Northern Britain winter sunrise would not occur until about 10:00 am or even later and that the dark mornings could result in increased risks of accidents amongst younger children on their way to school.
I even read in my newspaper that older people who apparently rise earlier would more at risk.
I must say that suprised me because when I was communting the forty or so miles a day from Bedford to Aylesbury via Milton Keynes at 6 30 in the morning I rarely if ever saw an older person out and about and these days I think 8 00 am is a perfectly reasonable time to get up unless I fancy a lie in.
The most unreasonable argument is one which appears to belong to the Eurosceptics who want to resisit the UK adopting the same time zone as central European countries. It could be that those who hold this view are afraid that it could result in shops and businesses closing during the afternoon and reopening later in the day and then remaining open into the early evening, resulting in a fundamental change in the British character.
That could of course be both good and bad.
I arrived in Milan just as the Italian Parliament had decided that Berlusconi should not have to answer to the court in Milan, something about communist judges and a fair trial apparently.
On the Malpensa Express, in the washroom, I read an amazing piece of angry graffiti. I had enough Italian to recognise that it was a comment about the Berlusconi 'trial' and that it contained some words best not repeated in a Blog aimed at a family audience!
I guess that all nationalities have their individual characteristics, modified by the personal temperament of the individual. When we arrived at Milan Centrale station last time we made this journey, we arrived with less than twenty minutes before the last train of the evening left for Genoa.
We presented ourselves at Sala Bleu the office that provides assistance for disabled passengers, the official behind the desk saw this as a challenge he got us onto the train and arranged for us to be met in Genoa, Perfecto! indeed he was on the same train as his shift had ended and he was on his way home, as he left the train he wished us Buona Sera.
This time, as soon as I saw the chap behind the desk, I knew that he wasn't going to co-operate.
Even though it was just after 7 30 and the 8 10 train for Genova was on the platform and the person who helped us off the Malpensa Express said he could get us on the train, we were made to wait for the 9 10.
I protested and pointed out that the train was there, we were here, Manchester United - Chelsea was on TV and we were missing the match, it was all to no avail .............. he was a big man in his version of the big society ..... there just are times when you have to admit defeat as they (might) say in Italy ..... Ther c'è luce senza oscurità .....
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