Italy*

Italy: April 9 – April 15
Milan:
Our train arrived at a dreary 17:30 and Eric and I proceeded to hop onto the metro to get to our hostel, Postellos. This place was the definition of a dump. While searching for a place to stay, I could not find any thing for fewer than 40 Euros, but one day it came up on my search. The feedback from other guests was very mixed: fleas and criminals sleeping in the next bed, things being taken off of people in their sleep, to a nice party atmosphere with great guests. For 10 Euros a night, I was willing to sleep in anything (I saved 150 Euros by staying here). We find the place and it is not too bad, definitely the worst place I have stayed in with very questionable security, but you get what you pay for. We checked in, dropped off our luggage, and headed out for dinner. We stopped at a Gelateria immediately after leaving our hostel and had amazing gelato (my first time). We then had incredible pizza (mine was shrimp with kiwi) the dough and sauce was delicious. We continued our walk (it was nice to have another person to walk and talk with) and made it to the Duomo, one of the largest churches in the world. We had some more gelato and made it back to our hostel after a nice long walk. We sat on the rooftop terrace in the cold night and had a good long chat.

We woke up and had a delicious breakfast at a local bakery; I had some Italian pastry full of ham and cheese. We did loads of walking today: all the way to the center, through the center, and to the castle. This week is the week of Easter so we saw quite a few side celebrations including the Swiss Guard at the castle. For the afternoon we walked for three hours in Northwest Milan and could not find a place to eat for the life of us. Everything seemed to be closed or did not have what we wanted. To be blunt, we really did not see much, probably one of the least exciting walks I have taken in Europe. Finally returning to some familiar ground, we had gelato (of course) and stopped at another bakery/deli for a fill in of our empty stomachs. We had planned where dinner was going to take place, but it did not open until like 1900 and Eric had to leave at 2000. He took the risk and we had a brilliant dinner…the best Spaghetti Carbonara I have ever had. We stopped for gelato again (x3 or 4 for the day) and he headed off to the train station. I returned to the hostel, read, and hit the bed early.

The next morning I woke up and headed off on my own again (it sure had been nice having company) and stopped at the same bakery for breakfast. To my surprise, a huge market was taking place outside my hostel so I browsed for about an hour. I headed north and walked around for some time. I used the internet and stopped off for another bakery lunch, this time eating onion pizza, a pastry, and glorious Fanta. I took my internet research and visited some other sites in Milan*. For dinner I had some amazing spaghetti with seafood (fresh and still in its shells). For dessert I had none other than gelato! I walked the center for a good long while and returned to my hostel.

I again slept in and upon showering (in horrible bathrooms with a long wait) I walked to the nearby park and devoured a tomato and mozzarella panini. I then went to the Padiglione D’Arte Contemporanea Museum and viewed a very interesting exhibit on future housing alternatives. I followed this with a tour of the Duomo, the massive cathedral in the center of Milan. I walked south to Basilica di Sant Eustorgio, Sant Lorenzo, Museo Nazionale della Scienzedella Tecnica “Da Vinci” (this museum had thousands of Da Vinci’s works and booklets on display). I went to the Basilica di Sant Ambrogio where the Last Supper is housed, but unfortunately you need to make advanced reservations and since I did not know this, I was unable to see it. I returned to the Castle for a late afternoon in the sun and had another kebab for dinner. I again had gelato three times today and went window-shopping through the fashion district for two hours (22:00 to 00:00). This area houses shirts for $15000 and is the center of Milan’s shopping heart. I was in awe at the designs and the price tags.

The next morning I caught a train to Venice (12:55 to 15:40). I followed my crude directions, checked into my hostel, and met a wonderful Aussie girl named Jane. We both were traveling solo and decided to spend the day/evening together; it was one of the better decisions I made. We had gelato and walked around the sunny canals of Venice, along the coast, through St. Marcos, into a park, and through the back canals not in the busy areas. We stumbled upon a church where we went in and just sat, admiring all of the Easter displays and the sun shining through the stained glass windows. Here I was sitting thousands of miles from home with another girl from thousands of miles further from my home in complete silence, and I was happy. We returned to the thoroughfare and sat down for an exquisite four-course dinner. We continued on to St. Marcos and then to Campo Smarcherita for a couple of drinks. After meeting a couple of crazy Aussies, we decided to return to St. Marcos for the full moon and the rare flooding of the city’s main plaza. The site was phenomenal!! The journey to St. Marcos was great as we did not know how to get back and Venice is known for its maze like streets. The return to our hostel was even more eventful ending with a native woman pulling out a flashlight and showing us on our map how to get back (it was well late into the night and she was the only one out in any of the streets). A splendid night!

The next morning I awoke, purchased a train ticket, and took a “water bus” to St. Marcos. I walked around the plaza, had lunch, and then toured the Basilica de San Marco. I took the 18:02 –20:02 train to Bologna and had a peaceful journey. The windows were open and we cruised through the heart of Northern Italy’s agricultural sector. Vineyards and the lot, all I could do was smile with the warm sun in my lap and the cool breeze blowing through my hair. Upon arrival I caught the bus to my hotel and of course got off at the wrong stop (the only time I have asked a bus driver where to get off he tells me wrong, and I had even attempted to get off at the right stop before he stopped me and told me wrong stop). I finally reached my hotel, checked-in and took a nice long shower. This was to be my last night of this trip and I wanted to lie there and relish this amazing journey.

Knowing it was my last day; I took a bus into the center and stored my bag at the bus station. I explored the clothing market and had some pizza and fresh candy for lunch. I walked through the Medieval District and people watched in the main square. I went on a church tour including St. Cecilia, St. Colombano, St. Francesco, St. Salvatore, Basilica di St. Paolo, Basilica di St. Dominica, and St. Procolo. Being the day before Easter, the churches were well groomed and there were a good number of people milling in and out (normal people, not tourists). The experience was tranquil and very moving. For dinner, I of course had Spaghetti Bolognese, which was invented in this very city. Then the 22:30 flight back to London!