Where: Milan, Italy
When: March 23 - 25, 2012
With who: Dad, but mostly on my own!
Dad on a business trip in Milan = me taking advantage of my location and going over to visit him.
The flight itself to Milan was so fast (2 hours!), but my trip from the airport to the city was an adventure that ended up taking almost as long. After a shuttle from my airline terminal to the train station and a train to the city center, I'd had enough time to officially conclude that my phone was not getting internet and the email I'd saved with the name and address of my hotel was unreachable. So there I was, at midnight, in the Milan train station with no map, no phone, no hotel name, no hotel address and 20 euros in my pocket.
The best thing I could think to do was to get in a cab and see what I could muster up. After a confusing Engli-talian conversation, I was taken to what my cab driver and my best guess of what my hotel may be, based on my incredibly helpful description that it was "a hotel by the Duomo". I was just hoping the fare did not exceed my 20 EUR, or we would have had a whole other issue.
We ended up at the Park Hyatt Milan. I was luckily able to pay my fare, enter the hotel and begin searching for my dad at the hotel bar. No sign of him. Thank god for the incredibly helpful concierge. They took pity on me and let me use their internet to check my email and confirm if this is where I was supposed to be. When I realised it was NOT the right place, they gave me a helpful map and pointed me in the right direction for my (luckily) five minute walk to the right hotel.
Now, when you start walking alone to an unknown location in a city you've never been in the late hours of the evening, no matter how many times the friendly hotel concierge tells you that it's safe to do, it's a bit terrifying. So I donned my best "I totally live here" look (forgetting that the backpack on my back may have given me away) and set out for my hotel. After a 1-minute, gruff, New York-paced walk, I nearly stumbled upon a sight that assured me I was totally fine, even at 12:30am:
The stores here were about as fancy as can be, and the cafes matched in poshness. We grabbed breakfast at the cafe pictured on the left. With the cushy chairs, my brioche con crema and jasmine green tea, I felt super fancy sitting in here eating. However, I will admit I may have given a longing glance at the cafe across the way....McDonald's...seriously!?! How did you get in here??
After our breakfast of fancy champions, we continued walking around. We headed down a pedestrian walkway towards the Sforza Castle.
Construction on the castle began in the 14th century. The fortified walls stretch 3km in length and made the structure one of the biggest citadels in Europe .
Now the inside of the castle is a series of courtyards and buildings, holding most of Milan's art galleries.
At this point we turned around to head back to the hotel for our daytrip to Lake Como. (Click here for pictures and story).
That night, I returned to Milan on my own as Dad and coworkers needed to carry on in their business trip. Therefore, my first order of business upon returning to the city - a proper night-time photo shoot of the Duomo.
This time, since I wasn't searching for my hotel, I was really able to enjoy this square. There was a guy playing electric guitar, and the sound echoed off the marble throughout the whole square. Locals walked by chattering and tourists wandered aimlessly. It was magical.
I went back into the Galleria in search of dinner and night time photos. After agonising over which cafe to eat at (the one that felt the least snooty about a lone girl eating there late at night), I picked a restaurant. After sitting down for 5 minutes, they informed me (but no one else around me) that they had a "problem" in their kitchen and that they didn't know when food would be served again. I think they were trying to scare me off! Come on, jerks, sometimes you have no choice but to eat alone!
From a distance, it's hard to make out what the heck is going on with the exterior of this building. That's because it took nearly six centuries to complete between the 1300s and 1800s. As a result, several styles and techniques had been applied. The final part, the facade, was completed as Napoleon was about to be crowned the king of Italy - hence why it may come off as a bit garish.
On the inside, the cathedral is almost the exact opposite of the ridiculous, ornate outside. It was incredibly dark and foreboding (those are flood lights lighting the interior, not daylight). The stained glass gives so little light, the candles are some of the brightest lighting in here.
There was a massive refurbishing of the cathedral a few years back. After years of exposure to pollution and smog, the outside had become black and dirty. So it was decided to brighten it up a bit. Now, the front of the church is all white and clean; however up on the roof, you can see how black the whole thing must have been just a few years ago.
The top of the roof is flat, allowing you to sit, relax, and spend as much time up there as you'd like...which I did.
After walking for awhile, I knew I was starting to hit some ritzy areas in the city when I found the following: the entrance lobby of an apartment building that looks like it should be part of a museum and an estate in the middle of the city with flamingos.
And then I knew I was in the fancy part of town - I reached the Quadrilatero della Moda. I know that I am not the most fashion forward person, so I did my best to capture what I saw.
If you look closely at the reflection in this picture, these Miu Miu's were being photographed by a girl who was about to have a conniption over these shoes. It was about as cliche as I could expect. As she was walking by, she stopped mid-conversation: "So like, then he said......wait, hold up, oh my god, I neeed these shoes, let me take a picturrreee."
I enjoyed seeing the section of Milan that gives the city its reputation of being the fashion capital of the world, but a quick stroll through it was sufficient enough for me. On to the rest of the city.
I kept hearing these drum beats while I was wandering the park, and decided to investigate. I did not expect what I found. It looked like a group of 20 people just happened to show up in the park with bongos in tow for an impromptu jam session. I sat here for awhile, watching all these different people having the time of their life making music.
Back at the train station, I boarded the Milanese Express to the airport, and said goodbye to the city...and the random needle and thread sculptures.
When: March 23 - 25, 2012
With who: Dad, but mostly on my own!
Dad on a business trip in Milan = me taking advantage of my location and going over to visit him.
The flight itself to Milan was so fast (2 hours!), but my trip from the airport to the city was an adventure that ended up taking almost as long. After a shuttle from my airline terminal to the train station and a train to the city center, I'd had enough time to officially conclude that my phone was not getting internet and the email I'd saved with the name and address of my hotel was unreachable. So there I was, at midnight, in the Milan train station with no map, no phone, no hotel name, no hotel address and 20 euros in my pocket.
The best thing I could think to do was to get in a cab and see what I could muster up. After a confusing Engli-talian conversation, I was taken to what my cab driver and my best guess of what my hotel may be, based on my incredibly helpful description that it was "a hotel by the Duomo". I was just hoping the fare did not exceed my 20 EUR, or we would have had a whole other issue.
We ended up at the Park Hyatt Milan. I was luckily able to pay my fare, enter the hotel and begin searching for my dad at the hotel bar. No sign of him. Thank god for the incredibly helpful concierge. They took pity on me and let me use their internet to check my email and confirm if this is where I was supposed to be. When I realised it was NOT the right place, they gave me a helpful map and pointed me in the right direction for my (luckily) five minute walk to the right hotel.
Now, when you start walking alone to an unknown location in a city you've never been in the late hours of the evening, no matter how many times the friendly hotel concierge tells you that it's safe to do, it's a bit terrifying. So I donned my best "I totally live here" look (forgetting that the backpack on my back may have given me away) and set out for my hotel. After a 1-minute, gruff, New York-paced walk, I nearly stumbled upon a sight that assured me I was totally fine, even at 12:30am:
The Piazza del Duomo is like the Times Square of Milan. Shops and outdoor cafes, street performers playing music, college students heading out for the night. Immediately, my hurried walk to the hotel turned into a leisurely nighttime stroll through the piazza. I would have stopped to take pictures, but I knew that I would have a worried father to tend too, and decided it best to move along.
Two minutes later, I reached the right hotel. My dad was, to say the least, relieved for me to walk in...as were his coworkers, who had spent the last hour and a half attempting to distract him from staring at the lobby entrance and checking his blackberry for my call. While he was impressed by my ability to make it to the hotel given my unexpected lack of internet, he was...let's say, less than thrilled. At the end of the day though, he was happy to see me.
The next day, we got up super early to see The Last Supper (click here for pictures and story). Afterwards, we were able to stroll around Milan a little bit in search of breakfast. Milan is really not a big city. I was surprised that I couldn't equate it to any of the other Italian cities I have seen - it felt more like Paris than Rome, Florence or Venice. The architecture is clearly very old and beautiful, though there's a smattering of modern elements that can be found throughout...
The Duomo, looking just as friendly in the daylight as it did the night before.
Just off the north side of the Duomo's piazza is the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II. Completed in 1877, it was the world's first enclosed pedestrian shopping mall.
The stores here were about as fancy as can be, and the cafes matched in poshness. We grabbed breakfast at the cafe pictured on the left. With the cushy chairs, my brioche con crema and jasmine green tea, I felt super fancy sitting in here eating. However, I will admit I may have given a longing glance at the cafe across the way....McDonald's...seriously!?! How did you get in here??
After our breakfast of fancy champions, we continued walking around. We headed down a pedestrian walkway towards the Sforza Castle.
Construction on the castle began in the 14th century. The fortified walls stretch 3km in length and made the structure one of the biggest citadels in Europe .
Now the inside of the castle is a series of courtyards and buildings, holding most of Milan's art galleries.
On the other side of the castle is a giant park, Parco Sempione. I explored this a little later in the trip.
At this point we turned around to head back to the hotel for our daytrip to Lake Como. (Click here for pictures and story).
That night, I returned to Milan on my own as Dad and coworkers needed to carry on in their business trip. Therefore, my first order of business upon returning to the city - a proper night-time photo shoot of the Duomo.
This time, since I wasn't searching for my hotel, I was really able to enjoy this square. There was a guy playing electric guitar, and the sound echoed off the marble throughout the whole square. Locals walked by chattering and tourists wandered aimlessly. It was magical.
I went back into the Galleria in search of dinner and night time photos. After agonising over which cafe to eat at (the one that felt the least snooty about a lone girl eating there late at night), I picked a restaurant. After sitting down for 5 minutes, they informed me (but no one else around me) that they had a "problem" in their kitchen and that they didn't know when food would be served again. I think they were trying to scare me off! Come on, jerks, sometimes you have no choice but to eat alone!
So I ended up leaving and partaking in the delicious food at my own hotel. Not incredibly adventurous, but it was judgement-free of my solo dining and the food was amazing, so I'm not complaining.
The next day was the day to attack the sites of Milan. After enjoying a much more authentic (and delicious) breakfast of brioche con crema and a fresh-squeezed blood orange juice on the Piazza, I set out for a familiar site - the Duomo!
From a distance, it's hard to make out what the heck is going on with the exterior of this building. That's because it took nearly six centuries to complete between the 1300s and 1800s. As a result, several styles and techniques had been applied. The final part, the facade, was completed as Napoleon was about to be crowned the king of Italy - hence why it may come off as a bit garish.
Up close, you can see that there are all kinds of intricate statues covering the front. I loved these because they reminded me of Pillars of the Earth (thank you all who recommended that I read this book - it was amazing and I totally look at all these cathedrals in a different way!)
On the inside, the cathedral is almost the exact opposite of the ridiculous, ornate outside. It was incredibly dark and foreboding (those are flood lights lighting the interior, not daylight). The stained glass gives so little light, the candles are some of the brightest lighting in here.
Since it was Sunday, I could only get into the main nave of the church if I was attending mass. So instead, I wandered along the sides, and listened as mass echoed throughout the cavernous interior in a language I didn't understand.
Mass attendees and one giant organ.
Statue of St. Bartholomew holding his skin around him post-flaying. Blech.
Back out into the bright sunlight, I went searching for a way to get up to the roof. After a long climb up a narrow, twisty flight of stairs, I reached the top. From this vantage point, not only do you get a good view on the whole of Milan below you, but you also get to see the gargoyles and carvings of the facade up close..
There was a massive refurbishing of the cathedral a few years back. After years of exposure to pollution and smog, the outside had become black and dirty. So it was decided to brighten it up a bit. Now, the front of the church is all white and clean; however up on the roof, you can see how black the whole thing must have been just a few years ago.
The top of the roof is flat, allowing you to sit, relax, and spend as much time up there as you'd like...which I did.
While my iPhone had no service, it knew that I was sitting on top of the church.
After my rest atop the Duomo, it was time to start wandering away from the Duomo's shadow to see the rest of Milan. First stop, Piazza della Scala, home of the Teatro della Scala and an homage to Leonardo da Vinci.
As I continued to aimlessly wander around the city, I found it to be surprisingly empty. This was apparently due to a combination of the Milan marathon shutting down street access and the Milanese culture of weekend travel. Either way, it was lovely and relaxing.
After walking for awhile, I knew I was starting to hit some ritzy areas in the city when I found the following: the entrance lobby of an apartment building that looks like it should be part of a museum and an estate in the middle of the city with flamingos.
And then I knew I was in the fancy part of town - I reached the Quadrilatero della Moda. I know that I am not the most fashion forward person, so I did my best to capture what I saw.
If you look closely at the reflection in this picture, these Miu Miu's were being photographed by a girl who was about to have a conniption over these shoes. It was about as cliche as I could expect. As she was walking by, she stopped mid-conversation: "So like, then he said......wait, hold up, oh my god, I neeed these shoes, let me take a picturrreee."
Some stores are so fancy, they don't even have a street-level storefront - you have to buzz to get into them.
I enjoyed seeing the section of Milan that gives the city its reputation of being the fashion capital of the world, but a quick stroll through it was sufficient enough for me. On to the rest of the city.
After eating a delicious pizza and grabbing my luggage from the hotel, I headed back towards the train station, passing through the Sfarzo Castle again. There was this guy playing this weird instrument - it looks like a wok but sounds like a softened version of a steel drum. Definitely added a weird, but pleasant, ambience as I walked through the castle.
Time to explore the park behind the castle.
If you think it looks like the Arc de Triomphe, it was also built to commemorate Napoleon, so you'd be right.
I sat around the park for the rest of the day, observing the locals and waiting to head to the station.
I kept hearing these drum beats while I was wandering the park, and decided to investigate. I did not expect what I found. It looked like a group of 20 people just happened to show up in the park with bongos in tow for an impromptu jam session. I sat here for awhile, watching all these different people having the time of their life making music.
Continuing back out of the park, I walked along the edge of the castle and enjoyed a little more people watching as I headed back to the train station.
Back at the train station, I boarded the Milanese Express to the airport, and said goodbye to the city...and the random needle and thread sculptures.
It definitely may not be a city for everybody, but I really enjoyed Milan. It may not have had the same beauty as the other Italian cities, but what it lacked in looks, it made up for in random middle finger sculptures that created a fun vibe that was really enjoyable.
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