Hello my dear friends!! So myself and the family made it safely to Milan. We spent about a day and a half seeing as much of London as we possibly could. London is so beautiful and hectic! It reminds me very much of a bizzare version of San Francisco. Compared to Milan, London does not even feel anything like Europe since with no language barrier, it is very easy to navigate. Our hotel was very central, walking distance from Westminister Abbey. We toured the Abbey (which was incredible and I will never forget it), Parliment\Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Trafalger Square (where they had a big screen showing of the Olympics in China), and we did the London Eye! We walked and walked and walked and very unfortunately, I was still getting over my sickness (mild pneumonia, yes I have pneumonia yet again) so at times it was painful jsut sitting on a conjested Underground train. I could not sleep at all on the flight over and we arrived in London and started our day at 7 in the morning. London is an awesome place and I would definitely consider living there one day is I could ever afford it!
We arrived in Milan late last night and took a crazy taxi ride to our hotel which is also central, very close to the Duomo. I have not formulated my opinion on the city yet--it is different than I expected. I feel very disoriented here and the language barrier is much more difficult that I had anticipated but it has made me very excited to take my Italian language course so that I can communicate effectivly. The Duomo is the most incredible structure I have ever seen. We toured it today and walked up onto the rooftop overlooking the central Palazzo of Milan. Milan is shaped like one giant circle. Old structures and architecture are mixed in with modern urban and industrial architecture which is quite strange. Milan is a city of industry and productivity--it is Italys financial power house and as Rick Steves says, "for every church in Rome, there is a bank in Milan." Milan was heavily bomed during WWII and when Musolinnis facist regime ruled, some of the architecture reflected that. In some parts of the city you sit out in a cafe and it feels as authentically Italian as one can imagine, but in other parts, it is gray and blocky, desolate, feeling as if bombs are going to drop on you at any moment. It is a strangely beautiful place. We ate gelatto three times today and it puts Americanized gelatto to shame! I also tasted Italian pizza, wine, and espresso, today! People here dress impecably though I must admit that I prefer the fashions in London more. A man in front of the Duomo tried to scam my brother and I by grabbing our hands and putting seeds in them, allowing the hundreds of piedgons to bombard us. The man kept telling us to take a photo so after we took the picture he said we had to pay up. We kept telling him no and he followed us for quite some time with persistence. Eventually we shook him off but we have learned to avoid tourist tricks! My mother is really terrible at talking with forigners! Joe, my brother, has an excellent sense of direction and I am impressed at his ability to navigate the metro. As for me, I am a slow learner but I know I will get the hang of it.
We also went to where my appartment is located today. Unfortunately, I have to transfer on two cable buses (which is very similar to the MUNI system in San Francisco) and take the metro, so it will take about 40 minutes just to get to campus every day which is pretty lame. But the campus is incredible and the streets surrounding it are fabulous. The campus is right at St. Abrose Basilica.
Right now I am feeling good but I am disoriented, sleep deprived, and somewhat apprehensive about the upcoming semester. I am worried about the commute and getting lost when I am here alone in the city, but most of all I am nervous about connecting with a community of students. I hope that my roommates are international exchange students like me and that they are friendly, adventurous with a desire to travel around Europe like me! I have no idea where to buy grocheries, or even what shampoo is in Italian. oh god. This is going to be a lot harder than I thought. I am humbled being a foriegner.
Tomororw we take the train to Venice and the vacation continues. I wonder what cultural mistakes and blunders we will make and what interesting and exciting things we will encounter!
I already miss you all very much! To my future hosuemates at Whitworth--I hope the move-in goes well! Please keep me updated with Whitworth happenings! To my friends abroad--good luck with everything and I hope to visit some of you (except you guys in Uganda, I hope all is well!)To my camp friends--I miss you all and I miss the quiet wilderness in the midst of this bustling city. And to the rest of you, I hope you are all well and expect postcards (eventually).
Ciao!
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2 comments:
I know everything seems scary now but once you get going, it won't be so bad. It becomes exciting and sometimes getting lost isn't so bad, we discovered many new things by getting lost :) Enjoy and travel as much as you can!
Dani! Even without the language barrier, it's a little intense. You are so brave to go. Just that tells me that you are going to have a kickass time. Plus European men are hot. And I have stories for you!
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