3 Countries in one day

We left Slovenia and decided to high tail it straight to Nice, which means going right across the top of Italy. The roads were ok, but expensive. I think the Northern Italian roads are second only to all of France when it comes to tolls. It was over $100 for the 600 odd km journey. As we set off from Slovenia, the closer we got to the Italian border, the more the weather set in. Not too far from the border, it started to snow. While I found it enjoyable to drive in the snow, being a bit of a novelty, apparantly that is the signal for all Italians to stop. So stop we did. On a three lane toll-freeway, we didnt move for at least half an hour. We moved 1.6km in one hour. I assumed that it was an accident that we would see eventually. No, just Italians stopping, for coffee, or something. The traffic starting moving again as suddenly as it stopped.
I kept expecting to see some form of damaged vehicle(s), but nothing. The snow continued for a while then stopped. On the Western side of Northern Italy, if you follow me, the roads became fun. Lots of fun. Driving in this great little car, the roads became very windy, and the weather cleared up just in time, becoming fine and the sun even came out. For a good two hours the roads were windy and I had a great time. I can see why Top Gear come to this region a lot. We arrived in Nice after dark, found the hotel and spent a quiet night there. From our last time in Nice, we didnt think there was too much more to see, so it was a case of, food, movie, bed. In that order. The next day we had to catch a train to Milan, which meant one train to Monaco, then change to a train for the Italian border then a connecting one to Milan. When we got to the station there was a train at the platform. After looking at the board, I realised that was the train we needed, just as it was pulling away. That would have been the train with good connections, only 10 minutes or so at each stop. Sinc we missed that one, it was 45 minutes in Monaco and 3 hours at the Italian border. The trials of travelling. It gave us a good opportunity to observe the Italian train station. Just like the French, train stations in Italy are a great place for good, cheap food.
People go there to eat and not even get on a train. To watch them make a pizza was interesting. From dough to serving in 15 minutes. The rest of the train ride was pleasant, if uneventful. We arrived in Milan in the evening, found our way to the hotel by subway, took a picture of Adam Lutley's twin at the tram stop, and the rest is the subject of the next episode...