Milan, Italy

We had a tour this morning with a local Milan tour guide.  She took us around the city and showed us a few important staples to the community.  The first was an old castle. It was pretty neat because Davinci worked here every day for the family that once lived there.  Also in the castle was Michelangelo’s last Pieta sculpture.  Unfortunately I did not get to see it because the museum was not open.  We then walked to the cathedral known as the Duomo, the 5^th largest cathedral in the world.  It was very large and neat because its Renaissance style has a French influence that sets it apart from all other cathedrals.

Milan is the fashion capital of Italy, as well as the economic capital.  There are not too many main attractions in the city.  From what I have gathered the one thing Milan is good at is shopping.  After our moring tour, I walked around with a group the entire afternoon and window shopped.  There were some affordable stores, but most everything was way out of my price range.  It was a good thing too because I loved everything I saw, including the endless shoe stores.  I thought of my sister the whole time because she would have loved it! J  Also, while exploring we discovered the very first Prada store in the world.  I am not much into the fashion thing, but it was pretty neat to experience. Milan is where a lot of famous fashion names originated.

I did purchase one thing that probably seems a little silly to those who don’t know me, but it’s the little things that make me so happy!  For some time now I have been thinking about getting a hedgehog for my apartment next year, but after a couple months research I have found that they can be expensive and high maintenance.  Today I found the perfect compromise.  We were in a home designer shop when I came across a magnetic paperclip/ thumbtack holder in the shape of a hedgehog.  When you stick thumbtacks on its back it looks like the hedgehog’s spikes (or whatever they are called).  See I told you it was a little ridiculous, but it is so adorable!  I am proud of myself because this is the only thing I bought in Milan.  Believe me I would have loved about ten pairs of shoes, but that just wouldn’t be practical to carry around for the next three months.  Anyways, we spent the whole day walking around Milan and returned back to the hotel for a bit to collect ourselves before dinner. 

The room we stayed in was definitely the coolest I have ever stayed in.  The room was more like a loft because two beds were up on a second floor.  When you walked in the door there were stairs to the left that led up to the beds.  The ground floor had a queen bed, a desk, and the bathroom.  Add a kitchen sink and table and I could have definitely lived there.

Here are some interesting bits of culture that I picked up on in a little less than 24 hours in Italy. 

Eating is a very important social event to Italians.  When it is time to eat, the world stops, which I am pretty much ok with.  Eating anywhere in Milan requires a cover charge just to sit down and be served.  It is a little like a required fee for a tip.  The places we went to range from a 2-5 euro fee.  As if my 10 euro meal and 3 euro water isn’t enough, just tack on 3 more!  Bottom line, Italy is expensive, but always delicious!  I mean, pasta, pizza, and bread all a specialty in the same country!  What more could I ask for?  Oh yeah, Gelato for dessert!!!

Another thing, Americans here stick out like a sore thumb.  People stare and expect you to act like an idiot tourist.  At least most everyone is nice though! 

If you order a coffee in Milan it will always be an expresso.  Cappuccinos are pretty tasty, but Italians never drink one unless it is in the morning.  Also they never sit down to drink it, at least in cafes it is more popular to stand at the bar.  This is so they will not be charged a cover fee.
We leave tomorrow morning for Venice! It should be pretty fantastic!