Milan

This past weekend marked my first solo excursion while abroad. While some of the other AIFS students paid the extra program fee to travel to Florence for the weekend my fellow fashionista, Steph, and I made our way to Milan.

Our trip began Friday morning thanks to the generosity of the college director, giving all AIFS students the day off for travel. Given that it was raining (and I had an oversized backpack) we opted out of walking to the train station and took the local bus for the very first time while in Cannes, which was much cleaner than any bus I have taken in the US. Once at the train station we hopped on our first train, which would take us to Ventimille (Ventimiglia the Italian way of writing it) on the Italian boarder. Again the train was much cleaner and nicer than any train I have taken in the US and the trip to the boarder was quite enjoyable. Upon our arrival on the boarder we ran into a little bit of trouble. Our first train was delayed pulling into the station, which gave us less than 10 minutes to get to our next train throwing us into a bit of a panic. On top of that the train we were supposed to be on was not at its designated platform making us think we missed it. Thankfully, after we got ourselves all panicked we discovered our train to Milan was delayed and was sitting at another platform. Luckily this was the last of our issues and we made it to Milan after traveling for 6 hours.

Once in Milan I used 3 of the 5 Italian words I know to ask for help finding the road that would take us to our hotel. From that moment on I knew Italy was going to be tough given neither Steph nor I knew any Italian and it didn’t take long before we both wined about missing France. However, we both stayed strong and made an executive decision to purchase an Italian phrase book before our Spring Break trip to Rome and Florence. From the train station I was successful at navigating us to our hotel (that is once I realized the street signs were in small print on the sides of buildings). The Hotel San Tomaso was very simple, only one floor, and reminded me of my dorm room in France (which was a good thing). Steph and I being the divas that we are paid a little extra to stay in a private double room, which came equipped with a sink and shower (and no the sink and shower were not in a bathroom attached to our room but in the middle of the room, c’est bizarre). The hotel/hostel had its downfalls, but was safe and served its purpose, which was cheap travel.

Following a good nights rest, Steph and I woke up early to begin our jam-packed day of sightseeing. We began our morning by visiting Milan’s Duomo (Cathedral). The Duomo in Milan is the third largest Cathedral in the world, taking around 500 years to construct beginning in 1386. It was absolutely magnificent with its many spires and intricate statutes. As with every tourist attraction in Europe we climbed to the top, giving us an amazing view of the city and the Alps. Following our climb to the top, we made our way to the ground level and walked around the inside. The inside was even more stunning than the exterior. The detail was amazing and it was no surprise that it took 500 years to construct. It also made me sad to think that the craftsmanship and attention to detail put into this cathedral scarcely exists in modern times.

Duomo

Top of the Duomo

Alter inside the Duomo

Given that the Duomo is adjacent to Galleria Vittorio Emanele II, a fantastic outdoor mall, shopping was soon to follow. Unfortunately, given that I am a poor college student, shops like Luis Vuitton and Gucci were unrealistic, but I still had fun spending my money in a huge H&M and a 4 story Zara. It was also exciting because Saturday was the first day French designer Sonia Rykiel’ s line for H&M was available, which is amazing and super European. I was in shopping heaven! (Note to Mom: I can assure you I need clothes and all purchases were practical) After giving too much of my money to Milan, Steph and I stopped for lunch at a close by outdoor café where we dined on real Italian pizza and pasta, while sipping Mimosa’s made with fresh squeezed orange juice. No longer was I in shopper’s heaven but in a diner’s paradise.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Interesting side note, in the Galleria there is a tile picture of a bull on the ground and it is supposed to be good luck if you spin your heel around the bull’s balls. I tried it and so far I don’t feel lucky but I will keep everyone posted if some luck comes my way.

Trying to get lucky

To walk off such a heavy meal we wandered over to Castello Sforzesco a huge 14^th century castle. This castle was built in 1368 as a defense against Venice and now serves as an art museum. Given time restraints and our developing exhaustion we quickly toured the castle and it’s grounds and made our way to the church, Santa Maria Della Grazie. At the Vinciano Refectory adjacent to the church one can find da Vinci’s Last Supper. Unfortunately we did not realize you needed a reservation to see this masterpiece and later discovered they were booked through the rest of February. This was a little disappointing but definitely did not ruin our trip, just something to remember if I ever return to Milan. The rest of our weekend was then spent admiring gorgeous fashions we could not afford and stuffing ourselves with Italian dishes and gelato. Over all I think or first solo excursion was a real success and I’m excited to book Spring Break Italy.....but first I must learn some Italian. More Pictures

Castello Sforzesco