Italian adventures...

Disclaimer: I can't get ready access to a computer while travelling, hence the lack of blog posts. However I'm now writing them on my phone so please excuse any words that don't make sense in sentences, they're probably auto corrects haha. I will try and keep more up to date with posts from now on (once I manage to catch up haha).

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Day 10

The plan was to get up at 7:30am to get the 9am train. Yeah, didn't happen. Ended up snoozing and finally ended up catching an 11am train. Highlight of my morning: having an entire conversation with a shopkeeper in German. Granted it was really simple German but nonetheless no English required.

Got to Lugano and the supposedly beautiful lake was looking pretty ordinary. The lack of sunshine probably had something to do with its lacklustre appearance. Nevertheless it was a nice lake and was a good stop to break up the monotony of sitting on a train. Even though this town in still in Switzerland, it's pretty much Italian. It's so close to the border that everyone hear speaks Italian and all the signs are also in Italian. After that quick stop in Lugano, I continued into the border station Chiasso. Apparently you're meant to go through "customs" in the station which I was not aware of. I got stopped by a guard as I ran for my connecting train but since I clearly posed no threat to their national security, they let me board the train into Italy without much scrutiny.

Eventually got into Milan around 7pm and headed to Scrivs' place. Turned out that he wouldn't be back til 9pm, so it was off to Maccas for a quick unhealthy dinner and to abuse their Wi-Fi. As I returned to Scrivs' place, I met Duncan, one of Scrivs' friends and a chef travelling for inspiration who was also staying there. Once Scrivs got back, it was pretty much just settling in and getting ready for the next day.

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Day 11

Sleeping on the floor wasn't actually that bad. I'm so used to sleeping on hard surfaces. It was just cold. Nothing more layers can't solve.

Today was dedicated to exploring Milan with Duncan. First stop was the Duomo, Milan's famous cathedral. My first impression: it's so white. Found out that they constantly clean and restore it which explains why it's so white. Explored the inside, as well as one section that was roped off. We promptly got escorted back past the type, but not before we had a good few minutes to admire the beautiful stained glass windows. After that, we climbed the 250 steps to the top of the Duomo. Gotta admit, the view wasn't that spectacular. I guess it's because I've been up much higher buildings. Nevertheless, it provided a better view of the stonework and sculptures perched up there which were very impressively carved with such detail. It's a wonder the elements haven't eroded the detail away.

For lunch we bought some bread, prosciutto and cheese from a supermarket and fashioned our own gourmet sandwiches. I felt particularly European eating like that. Too bad our "table" was a skateboard haha. And it was so cheap too!! Less than 5 euros for that satisfying lunch. I would eat that all the time if I could in Australia but alas, cheese is so overpriced.

Our next stop was Santa Maria delle Grazie which houses the famous painting of the Last Supper. However you need to reserve way in advance in order to see it, given that only 30 people are allowed to be in there every 15 minutes. There was a copy outside so I guess we technically got to see the Last Supper haha. Following in that vein of seeing buildings from the outside, we went to San Diego football stadium, home to AC Milan. It wasn't open, but ironically its gift shop was.

Dinner that night was braised octopus with grilled veggies that MasterChef Duncan cooked. So good. I was in such a food coma afterwards that I pretty much just conked out. Satisfying end to Day 11.

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Day 12

Late start. Food coma meant that the sleep was just too good to disturb. Today was the day trip to Lake Como. Sleep in combined with confusion with platforms and tickets meant that by the time we finally got to Como, it was about 2:30pm. So much for a day trip haha. 

We hiked up the mountain and stopped at this really cool quirky cafe run by the sweetest girl. Had a nice little lunch and coffee there before we continued our hike. We had no idea where we were going, we just knew to walk up. Eventually, after going through small streets, we find ourselves almost at the top (couldn't really find a path to go up higher). It was odd. It wasn't a typical tourist destination as we were pretty much meandering through residential streets and the place that we stopped to enjoy the view was actually on the back wall of someone's backyard. And that was where we found some delicious grapes. Right under that wall, Duncan picked off some nearby grapes and we sampled the local Como grapes. So sweet!! I really wanted to eat more but decided against decimating someone's personal fruit stores haha.

We began our descent, once again having no idea where we were going. We just knew to walk down. However the worry was that we would end up on the wrong side of the mountain. Luckily, as we started to pass recognisable landmarks, we knew we were on the right track (we never passed that cafe again though). We stopped by the lake, as of course, the place was famous for the lake. Once again, I felt underwhelmed, just as I did at Lake Lugano, but I guess once again, it might have been due to the dreary weather. We happened to catch some sort of air show going on which made it pretty interesting.

Como done, we got back on the train to head back to Milan. However we forgot to validate our ticket so we jumped off at a random stop to rectify our mistake. It's an annoying system. Even with a ticket, you will be fined if it's not stamped with the tone you got on the train. It was the most derelict station I had ever seen but it had the most interesting graffiti adorning almost every surface. And after all that, the validating machine there didn't work. We jumped on the next train back to Milan and just hoped we wouldn't be checked. Success. We got back to Milan unvalidated and unfined. Another successful day trip.

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Day 13

Another day, another trip, this time to Verona, famous for its representation in Shakespeare's plays. Once again, it was a mistake day, even worse than the previous since it was actually raining today. Lucky for us, Verona had great castles and museums which was great for rainy days. Castelvecchio was an old castle used to defend Verona from invaders and still stood formidably after all these years. The museum inside was really interesting, filled primarily with crucifixion art. Coincidentally, we happened to be there on the first Sunday of the month, where entry to most cultural attractions was only one euro entry. Win.

Next stop was the amphitheatre, which was quite impressive. Would definitely have loved to have seen a performance there. Not exactly sure what they do when it rains though. It was raining while we there and they were still doing sound check. Looking around, cables were everywhere and clearly not protected from the rain. Didn't want to hang around to find out though. We then climbed up Lamberti's Tower and had the "pleasure" of being up there when the bell rang. We were warned about it going off every 15 minutes but when it was three minutes late, I assumed it wasn't gonna ring. Sneaky bell. Caught everyone up there off guard with its deafening ring. Oh well, it was a novel experience even if it did shock the hell out of me.

Verona done, we headed back to Milan for dinner at this Japanese and Italian restaurant run by Chinese people. Fusion food indeed. Had the most delicious mushroom risotto followed by two desserts just for the sake of it. Had a semifreddo with toffeed nuts and coffee affogatto style, followed by fried gelato (yep, not fried ice cream but fried gelato). It was ok but the batter coating wasn't as crispy as I would have liked it. Tasty nonetheless. And with that satisfying meal, so ends Day 13.

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Day 14

Honestly nothing much happened today. It was pretty much a rest day, especially given how sick I was of exploring in the rain. Spent most of the day planning my next city which was Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Dinner was the highlight of the day. MasterChef Duncan had prepared an outstanding three course gourmet dinner for Scrivs and I (even after a mishap with him getting locked out and ruining everything that was left on the stove). Entree was gnocchi with scampi, smoked salmon and zucchini. The main was rustic beef tongue with pan roasted tomatoes and mushrooms. And to end, a delicious chocolate panna cotta with toffeed figs and fresh raspberries. You definitely don't usually get to eat this well while backpacking.

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Day 15

Check out. Spent the morning packing and then heading out to see Sforza Castle and the multiple museums/exhibits inside it. One room in particular captivated me and I spent a good half hour in there. This room had 12 giant wall tapestries representing each month and star sign, accompanied with a written plaque describing each piece of work. This room was also used for performances since it was set up with chairs and a grand piano sat at the front. My favourite room in that castle for sure.

What I found odd thought was that the museum closed for lunch. All the staff left for lunch at 1pm meaning that everyone inside had to leave and come back at 2pm when it reopened. I guess the concept of staggered lunches is foreign to them. Oh well, if they were having lunch, guess I should as well. Ended up doing what I did on my first day here and buying bread, prosciutto and brie and making my own sandwich (satisfying lunch for only 4.60 euros).

That night, had dinner with Scrivs at a nice little pizza joint. Was good to catch up with him given that he had been away for the entire weekend travelling, and we talked about our plans for future travels at length. It ed a shame I had to cut the dinner short since it was getting dangerously close to my departure time and I still needed to catch the metro to the main station. Saying my goodbye with Scrivs (and thanks for the accommodation!), I raced off down into the metro station and just managed to jump onto a train (my bag got caught in the closing doors). Once at the Milano Centrale, it was more racing since I still needed to print and validate my ticket. Managed to jump on the train with five minutes to spare. So much pain. Never running like that again on such a full stomach.

So that's that. At this point of the journey, I'm on a night train to Ljubljana. Will end the recount here since this post is long enough.


HBL signing out from Milan, Italy.

Up next: Slovenia: an unexpected delight...
Previously: The real Oktoberfest...