Blossoming Seoul: 24 Hours in Milano

You know me, if I'm in Europe I seem to find a way to get to Italy. So, when my nine day tour of Switzerland finished I planned to spend the rest of my two week European holiday in bell'Italia. Sunday morning we got up very early for one final breakfast in Luzern and then we boarded the bus and where whisked back to Zurich where everyone went their separate ways. Since the airport and train station are pretty much one in the same, I was glad to have Lucy's company for several more hours. Once again I learned a hard lesson with train tickets as the one I'd booked through the Italian system was no good (not a nice thing to find out when you're talking about a $170 ticket!). So, I shed a few tears, whipped out the credit card, and booked a new ticket. God was on my side, as the first ticket was fully refundable! Thankfully I was able to get an Internet connection at Starbucks and cancel the reservation--whew! I also picked up another mug for mom's collection:).
The Zurich train station was a familiar sight and I passed the remaining time in Switzerland catching up on my postcard writing. I finished just in the nick of time and dropped a huge stack in the mailbox just before heading out to look for my train. I was smart this trip and booked first class tickets. Never again will I travel second class--just saying! There was room for my luggage, I didn't have to share my row with anyone, and it was a pretty peaceful 3 hours and 40 minutes of downtime on the train. When I got to Milano, the fun really began and I had a heck of a time finding my hotel. I didn't do as much forward planning as I should have so with no map in hand I set out and wandered around...and then I remembered that I had a trusty i-Phone and if I just turned on data roaming I could be there in no time. Who knows how much that map cost me, but sure enough I found the hotel in a few minutes with that map in hand! The Hotel Berna was wonderful and I could hardly pry myself away from my comfortable room but Milan was waiting to be seen.

The blue angel in the Zurich train station.
Unlike Venice and Florence, I didn't feel quite as safe in Milan. The area around the train station was busy and there were a load of shady people hanging around. The city reminded me of Rome as it was busy and quite dirty. I decided to go to the Duomo. I was lucky enough to get in before it closed and I wandered through the absolutely massive church. The outside is decorated so ornately, that I could hardly believe it! I took the advice of my travel guide and bought a ticket for the elevator to the rooftop and spent nearly an hour wandering about through the spires. The view was nothing short of incredible and I wish I were a better photographer because I imagine I could have captured so many more amazing shots from up there! I took the stairs down from the roof and immediately walked a few hundred meters down the block to see the beautiful covered shopping arcade called The Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele. Stopping for a gelato beneath the antique glass ceiling and walking along admiring the mosaics adorning the floors was an excellent way to pass another hour or so. It was unlike anything I had seen before! Since I was on my own, I decided to head back to the hotel before the sun went down.

A statue in Duomo square in Milano.

Milano's incredible Duomo.

A glimpse of the interior.

A base of one of the massive columns.

Where the holy water was housed.

Lovely floor tiling.

Like I said, massive.

Now, on to the really good views!

Crowds below!

Gargoyles!

A little decoration up there!

Cherubs!

Lots of spires!

The rooftops of Milano.

I went there after descending from the rooftop.

The spire.

A massive rooftop on a massive church and what a treat to get to wander around up there!

The Victorio Emmanuele arcade...truly fabulous!

Wonderful mosaics on the floors.

I was supposed to take a bike tour of the city the next morning, but sadly it was cancelled. Instead, I slept in a bit and enjoyed the immense breakfast at the hotel. I then ventured out to see one more sight in the city before taking the train to my beloved Venice. I had read that Sforza Castle was worth a visit, although my book said it was closed on Mondays. None-the-less, I could photograph the exterior so I hopped on the subway and walked on over. To my surprise the castle was open, and free to enter the courtyard, so in I went. The interior was huge and I enjoyed just wandering about taking photos. The heat was getting to me so I headed back and grabbed my suitcase, deciding to pay for a second train ticket and take an earlier train to Venice. Two and a half hours later, I saw the familiar lagoon come into view and it felt a bit like arriving home. A short vaporetto ride later I arrived at Domus Orsoni and was off getting myself lost in the backstreets of the Canaregio. Life is sweet.