Our Shopping Adventure

Lena and I went on an adventure today! (Cue: It will be an adventureee, we’re going on an adventure Charliee!)

Goals for the Day:

1. Get a Bus/Tram/Metro Pass
2. Go to Esselunga- this may be hard to imagine, but it's bigger than a Super Walmart!
   
3. Don't get lost!!!
   

With that in mind, we researched all the tram routes that we would need to take in order to get from the Duomo to Esselunga and then back to our apartment, which is a lot easier said than done. In between Google Maps and the Tram map on the ATM site, we found our way. Something to note: while the newer trams have signs inside that tell you what the next stop is, older trams leave you guessing-- just to keep things interesting. The map inside the Moleskine Milano book has been a lifesaver!

First, we headed back over to the Duomo to get our bus passes. Fortunately, there were a couple of people there who spoke English, otherwise we would still be pass-less. For future reference, to get a student bus pass you need the following items:

• Your Bocconi Acceptance Letter
• Passport
• 27 Euros (10 Euro Activation fee+ 17 Euros for the rest of Jan. and the beginning of Feb.)
  
• Passport photo
  

And as it turns out, you can actually get cheaper passport pictures here than in the US. For 4 pictures, it was 5 Euros whereas in the US, it costs $15 for 4 pictures

Then, we hopped on the tram until we got to Esselunga- NEVER, and I mean NEVER, go on the weekend for your first time. It was very overwhelming. While the picture below does showcase the monstrous size of Esselunga, keep in mind that the picture is only 3/4 of the store. That's right! It's even bigger.



Here are a couple of pictures of the inside, which only cover about 1/8 or less of the store:




So crowded!



Considering tomorrow is Sunday, it may just be a day of rest. I believe that many Italians are religious, and a lot of stores will probably be closed. So until then, buonasera!

Driving, Walking and the Duomo

As I said in my last post- I just had to cover the different driving rules here. Imagine when you first step into Milan, you take a taxi, and as you are sitting in the taxi- the scene is something like this:



Basically, oncoming traffic drives much closer to you than traffic that is going in the same direction as you. In fact, traffic going in the same direction is separated by a median. And if you need to take a left or right turn, and you happen to be in the wrong lane; it doesn't matter! Feel free to take that right while in the left lane and traffic is driving straight in the right lane or vice versa. Even better, do it at the same time! Not only does this make for a crazy riding experience, it makes me appreciate the fact that I do NOT have to drive here.

Moreover, you can't forget about parking! While I can't find an image that describes what I am saying- let me just say that sidewalks are free range for parking.

Similarly, walking is its own art form here. Between the cobblestone streets and many grated sidewalks, I'm surprised more people don't break their ankles.

Last, but not least- a gorgeous picture of the Duomo taken by Lena, my roommate. It looks photoshopped, but it isn't. More pictures of it to come tomorrow when we go back during the day. There should also be a picture of the piano key steps that lead down to the metro.



P.S.- Yes, I know I keep saying that an itinerary will go up, but we are very dependent on our budget. So let me just say, I will put it up as soon as possible. Ciao!

Coming Over to Milan

A few things that will be covered in this post: the Flight over to Milan, the Apartment, and the Jet Lag.

One of the many, many benefits of traveling during the low season, besides cheap plane tickets ($590 round trip), is the amount of space on the plane! I got to lie over three seats on the way over, and it was very comfortable. The entertainment offered was also pretty good. I ended up listening to Muse's new album (amazing!) and watching:

• A Simpsons episode
• A House episode
• 500 Days of Summer (a great movie)
• Part of GI Joe (the Cobra one that just came out) that left much to be desired, so I watched about 10 minutes of it and stopped the movie
• Part of Time Traveler's Wife, the book was so much better and the movie was so sloppily chopped together that if you didn't read the book you would have been lost, so I stopped watching after about 15 minutes
  
• Erin Brockovich- yes it came out 10 years ago (has it already been that long?), but it was a good movie

The other main highlight of the flight was definitely the view of the Swiss Alps! It was breathtaking. Obviously, these images don't do it justice,but I still think they're a pretty good representation.

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A few other flying facts:

• There is free wine on international flights from the US to the UK. I had my first legal drink on the flight over, and it was pretty exciting for me.
• New carry-on rules are irritating, or it could have just been the guy who was checking us in- he was kind of a jerk and kind of helpful, which was quite a strange mix

The Apartment is amazing and is a much better deal than the apartment I had to stay at this past summer in Chicago. We rent from a gentleman named Roberto, and he has been very helpful and kind. These images are actually the ones of our room pre-move-in, but just imagine it looking lived in (yet neat... which it will be after tomorrow-- currently it looks like 4 large suitcases exploded)

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Last, but certainly not least, the Jet Lag. It is currently 5:30AM over here in Milan, and I have spent the past 2 hours updating this blog and updating photo albums on Facebook. However, I do know some steps that can be taken to fight the Jet Lag (if only I listened to my own advice):

• As soon as you get on the plane, go immediately to the sleeping time zone of the place you're going to be at regardless of where you are
• Sleep
• If you can't sleep at the designated time zone- take some sleeping pills
• You will be almost as right as rain when you arrive and not be awake writing blogs and uploading images

Next post: driving in Milan, itinerary, and a few other topics

Change of Plans

The trip hasn't even started, and there has already been a change of plans:

• The flight got pushed back a week because of the bad weather, but it just gave me more time to spend with everyone here =)
• While Massive Attack tickets were within price range- plane tickets to London for 3 days were not.... which leads me to my next point
• Cheap plane tickets may be '8.99 Euros' but when you add on taxes and surcharges- the cheapest flight is still going to be around 60 Euros for a round trip
• Similarly, tickets to Morocco are much cheaper and more convenient than tickets to Egypt, so I will most likely be going to Morocco... Tangier? We'll see.
• Not so much a change, but is related to our travels- I will attach a brief itinerary that was made on a glorious spreadsheet soon =)
  

In packing land there are also a couple of interesting things:

• Reduce, reduce, reduce! It seems like common sense, but even my attempts at reducing have resulted in 2 check-in pieces and 1 carry-on piece
• *Wants to pull hair out*

Tomorrow I will be going to Houston and staying with a couple of my awesome friends- Tian and Duke! Thanks again for letting Lena and I crash before we head off to Italy. It also makes leaving Baton Rouge a little bit easier knowing that I will be going somewhere with friends.