SOLO EURO II: DAY 1, 2, & THE PRELUDING UNFORTUNATE EVENT

it's been a long time, but there is actually something exciting and new to write about. a month ago i returned from my second 3 week international solo backpacking trip (what a mouthful). this time i went to italy & amsterdam. this post is up a little later than i would have liked, but i have been busy finding a new car. more on that...

things started off a bit rocky. 2 days before leaving, i returned to my car at the metro parking lot burnt to a crisp. turned out the car behind me caught on fire which caught my car on fire. this resulted in a total loss and i had to navigate the whole insurance process during my trip. it's funny how the universe works. i don't believe that things happen for a reason, but i do believe that to make the most from life you need to create learning lessons from unfortunate circumstances. if you read my last post, you would know i developed a debilitating fear about earthquakes. yes i am still scared, but from this whole car experience i learned that i don't hold onto my belongings as closely as i thought. i did not cry or panic from this experience (only cursed and laughed). i really did handle it well and did not find the experience emotionally difficult, which surprised myself & those around me. really the worst thing from this experience was relying on others to give me rides (and feeling guilty about it) and figuring out what car to buy. anyhoo, enough with that.

things continued to be rocky. i scored on a good price on a direct flight to milan (yay), but the flight ended up leaving an hour & half late (boo). it ended up not being that bad, but being unsure if the plane would leave at all was stressful. because it was an italian airline, spoke italian & little english so it was a bit difficult to find out what was going on. in english they did let us know they were waiting for an engineer. that was a bad sign and the fact that this flight was only a few times a week was unsettling. i almost cried. luckily we did leave and everything turned out fine.

from malpensa airport, i waited an hour for the first hotel shuttle to arrive. it was only 2 miles away and i would have walked it, but it was along the highway with industrial buildings/fences and no pedestrian walkway. i was able to take the shuttle to my hotel, which was very nice for the price. surprisingly it was difficult to find affordable options, unlike berlin. everything in malpensa was so expensive! i recommend this hotel, but it is a little strange. more on that later.

i checked into my room, which had a very nice view of the little town and church that would ring its bell every half hour. it was lovely. i went downstairs and ordered my first meal, prosciutto & mozzarella. ordering was confusing. this is when i learned that many restaurants don't serve dinner until after 7. that meant only a cold plate for me as the kitchen was closed. i went back to my room & spoiled myself with a face mask.

i did not sleep much the first night due to stress. the day before leaving, i discovered there was a local transportation strike (sciopero) that included the train from the airport to milan. this made me super nervous and i spent quite a bit of the night trying to learn more. turns out not much info was released. i also tried to learn more about ordering food in general. i thought ordering food was going to be similar germany, but no. the culture & systems in place were so different from the countries i visited during my last trip. it's not just about actually ordering, but the time food is served, if you pay before you enjoy, if you have to take your receipt to the bar, or if you can take food to go. 

i also learned more about coffee, which i am so glad i did! i did not expect it to be so different. first of all, everything is espresso based (which is my preference). if you order a caffe, it is an expresso shot. this is what most people order. if you want an american style coffee, you order an americano. if you like lattes, you can really only get a cappuccino (if you order a latte you will get hot milk). if you want an iced drink, you're screwed. also, everything is in smaller portions. at most quickie coffee places (called a bar), you order and then bring your receipt to the bar so a worker can prepare your drink. if you order & wait, you will never get your drink. i had no clue before this night. here is a link if you want to learn more.

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i woke up super early in the morning (4:30 am) as i was nervous about getting to milan. i went to the shuttle and got kicked off as i was told i did not make a reservation (but i did the night before). it was not a big deal, as i was not catching a flight so i did not argue. the driver was rude, but the worker at the front desk was nice. i did not know that breakfast was free, so i was able to take advantage of that. breakfast in italy is different. generally you will have an espresso drink & a sweet pastry with maybe fruit on the side (and likely canned fruit). here, i had my first italian espresso, it was exciting.

getting kicked off the first shuttle ride worked out for the best. not only did i get a free breakfast, but i met a nice older woman from australia. she was aware of the public transportation strike and i asked if i could tag along with her at the station since she found a bus to milan. we ended up taking different buses, but it was nice having someone to navigate with. she even gave me a hug & wished me luck when we went our separate ways. in the end it was not that bad, but i think the mix of little sleep & just arriving to a new country made me more anxious.

i took the hour long bus ride to milan, dropped my backpack off at a stow-a-bag locker, & headed to piazza del duomo (the historic town square).

galleria vittorio emanuele II

the first stop was duomo di milano. this was the real reason why i decided to spend the day in milan instead of heading straight to venice. the first cathedral on this site was completed in 366. the first stone of the current gothic building was laid in 1386 & technically completed in 1965. fun fact: napolean was crowned king of italy in the duomo. this is the gaudiest church i have ever seen, and therefore aesthetically pleasing to my eyeballs.

  

the epic duomo di milano

a couple of hunchbacks. even though quasimido is the most famous, many churches show the symbolism of the hunchback, an individual who carries some part of the church (more to come in future posts).

st. bartholomew carrying his own hide.

part of the duomo combo ticket is rooftop access. you can walk up a spiral staircase or take elevator. as it was cheaper, i took the stairs. the spires of the duomo are very intricate and include statues. you can literally walk on the marble rooftop tiles.

the marble rooftop tiles.

the piazza del duomo down below.

after, i made my way to the castle. along the way, i had a strange encounter that involved a stroll with a friendly stranger (not so strange) that eventually led to being cradled like a baby and spun around (very strange). i scadaddled away quickly after that.

the entrance of castello sforzesco

the castle was built between 1360 & 1499 and was a residence. during the spanish occupation, it was a citadel. during the austrian occupation, it was a fort. after the unification of italy in the 19th century, it became a park (which it is still today). the castle consists of civic museums, which i ended up skipping due to time constraints. 

the next stop was the bagatti valsecchi house museum. the house is located in the fashion district of milan, so to visit you have to pass fancy stores with intimidating security guards at the entrance wearing fancy suits. the museum is like exploring a house from the past. the house was decorated in the rennaissane style by the family in the late 1800s. even though it was styled as a blast from the past, it had futuristic amenities like heating, running water, & electric lights (oh my!). the family lived in the house until 1974.

this museum turned out to be one of my favorite sites i visited during my entire trip, and definitely the highlight of the day. there were such beautiful intricate designs on the walls, decor, & furniture. i really enjoyed all the colors. they even had a few full body armor suits which made me feel like i was in an episode of scooby-doo where are you. also the workers & security were extremely friendly & helpful.

one of the parlors

the lunchroom

to me, this light fixture seems more art deco.

keeping with the scooby-doo where are you aesthetic.

they had a special exhibit with glass animals throughout the museum.

a neptune statue in the courtyard.

i then took the metro to pick up my luggage & grabbed a bite near the train station. i was brave enough to order my first hot meal. i had a red rice dish with shrimp, buffalo mozzarella, capers, & pesto tomatos (accompanied with an americano). it was very good.

i then went on my first train ride. while at the station, i helped a german english-speaking woman with a baby buy a train ticket. i reek english speaker & multiple times during my trip was approached by tourists. it's nice to know that what i learned from my trip (and before my trip) could be helpful to others. the train travel was very easy, but ended up being a little delayed. as italian regional train travel is pretty much monopolized, it pretty much works the same nationally. even though i arrived when it was dark, the hostel was only a few blocks from the train station. 

i stayed at the wombat hostel.

the wombat hostel worked out well & not intimidating or bleak like the building. the workers were friendly, but not so much the people i roomed with which was fine. having a nice conversation with someone is great, but never a guarantee. the beds were comfy & spaced out as the room was big.  i stayed in a female dorm. it's also a plus to have a bathroom & shower located in the room. 

even though the view looked out at the train station, it was not very loud as it seemed train service ended at 11 pm and therefore the noise was minimized. i honestly don't mind train noise (as long as the room does not shake) and quite enjoy the noise. as someone who has grown up next to multiple freeways in socal, i'm use to the ambient noise.

i forgot to take pictures of the room, but i have a picture of the door (why? i don't know). this was the first time at a hostel where the hotel key also opened/locked your locker.

now for a song. i probably played 'woman' by mumford & sons the most during my trip, so therefore is an obvious choice.