Arrival in Itlay, Udine, Milan

Posting this exactly 19 since my feet first stepped onto Italian soil. With unreliable internet access and jet lag I am just getting around to posting my wonderful experiences of the first few days of my trip.

The Airport Experience 

I departed from America at 5:48 eastern time and landed in Venice at 8:45 local time.

The airport was a whirlwind of stress for me. Taking extreme pride in punctuality, I was extremely nervous about the 46 minute layover from my first flight to Atlanta and my departing flight from Atlanta. After a bumpy, nauseating, but short first flight to Atlanta I had no trouble finding the next terminal and gate for my next flight.

The flight to Venice was EXTREMELY comfortable. I had the whole row to myself. This means I had TWO seats to stretch out across, TWO blankets to wrap up in (which were most definitely needed with -64 degree outside the aircraft temperatures), TWO pillows to support my back against the arm rest while laying, and TWO pull out tables to set my many diet coke orders on. I was unable to successfully sleep on the flight, but overall I could not have asked for a better situation to be in for 9 hours.

The Arrival

When we arrived we went through a short, quick, customs and passport stamping then headed to retrieve our luggage. We immediately found Silvia and her mother and were greeted with kisses on the cheeks, lots of hugs, and cappuccinos (which I have been craving ever since).

After about an hour ride back to Silvia's house we rested and waited on lunch. We were greeted with a plethora of amazing food all cooked by Silvia's mom. We had traditional bread from Sicily, traditional food from her northern region, and even traditional food from Rome. The food was amazing and I probably gained 4 pounds in just that sitting.

After lunch we rested some more and unpacked. Around 8pm local time we began to get ready for dinner. After numerous outfit changes and suggestions (lets be real what do Italians actually wear that I would own?) we were finally ready to go to a pizza parlor. The pizza and service was amazing. I was shocked though that at nine we were close to the only people in the restaurant because it was so "early".

After supper we toured Udine and met up with some of Silvia's friends before going home to prepare for our train to Milan the next day.

MILANO

Lets just get this out of the way first. I LOVED MILAN. I loved the architecture, I loved the atmosphere, I loved the food, I loved the wine, and I even loved the subways.

Okay now back to the story, Our train departed from Udine at 8:07am and was expected to arrive in Milan at 1:45 pm. This was the first time (that I can remember) to ever be on a train. Lets just say packing a suitcase bigger than myself was not the first mistake I made. I did have trouble opening the doors to the train car, which resulted in being insulted in Italian, but don't worry Silvia had my back. I was very impressed with the train overall though, and I was partially jealous that we do not have this type of efficient transportation systems back home.

Through the hustle and bustle of the train station when arriving in Milan, we met up with Simon, who had flown in from Germany, and grabbed a bite at none other than a bugger king. We took a cab to our hotel, which was a little outside of Milan. We stayed at Cosmo Hotel Palace. I Highly recommend this hotel for anyone willing to take a subway, who likes affordability, and for who likes nice, clean rooms with nice views. If you're not up for this, then this is not the Hotel for you.

After unloading at the hotel and taking a short resting period, we all went out to explore more of the wonderful, beautiful city of Milan.

From the hotel to the city center, we took a street car and a subway. Like the train, it was my first subway experience and I am 100% sure I looked like a classic tourist as I tightly clutched my purse to my body in fear of any pickpockets. When we exited the subway the most amazing view was upon us. The Duomo. When I think of the Duomo I think of thousands of statutes on the exterior if the building. To be exact there are 3159 statues on the Duomo, but the truly amazing part is that it was built in 1386!!!!!! The United States of America was not thought about and there was a building being made with 3159 life-sized statues on it. The whole thing is truly remarkable. 

After touring the city center, we got back on a subway to go a little on the outskirts to a very nice restaurant. I had the most amazing pasta, and the place was even air-conditioned! I could've easily spent hours there eating, drinking, and chatting. When our wonderful meal was over we went back to the city center to see more of Milan at night before returning to the hotel and preparing for the next day. 

The next day we went to EXPO. EXPO 2015 will be very detailed in the next post. 

Italy, both Udine and Milan are HIGHLY recommended to visit if you're ever in the mood to see some of the most amazing, unthinkably beautiful sights. 

Ciao until next time!