September 20th, 2012 - Milan, Week Three!

Oh, and I almost forgot the most important story of today!

Last week I said the weirdest thing that happened to me in Italy was accidentally walking into a Hare Krishna parade. Today topped that for sure! I was getting on the Metro with Lauren when we noticed a man playing a cute little tune on his accordion. It's pretty standard to see musicians playing on subway cars for money, but what was unexpected was his wife, who was walking up and down the aisles asking for money, all whilst openly and unabashedly breast-feeding her 18 month old. 

I feel like this game of trying to figure what's the weirdest thing that could happen while I'm here could get out of hand pretty quickly. I'm kind of excited about it.

September 20th, 2012: Milan, Week Three!

Little bit of food envy for you today! I got a hankering to cook, and since I finally finally FINALLY (with the help of my beautiful roommates) learned how to turn the oven on and get it to stay on, I thought I'd take a whirl at it. Just a side note - grocery shopping in Italy is not nearly as easy as it is in the United States. It took me twenty minutes to find vanilla extract, and even then it comes in packages of two tiny 2mL vials. Between that, the bottle of honey I hunted for and the tiny bag of crushed almonds, I was reminded that perhaps I need to do my research before I launch into recipes from the US and UK!

So, anyway. For dinner I made meatballs with an apple chutney and balsamic vinegar sauce topped with gorgonzola, and found some fresh crusty bread at the little bakery across from school to slice up. Such a heavy dish, but so good - it helped quash my craving for fall a little bit, at any rate!

Fresh bread!

After all that cooking, I took a break and had a yummy glass of Maschio Pinot Rose and fresh strawberries while Elyssa and I studied for our Italian final tomorrow. We're prepared, and we're going to do great! Obviously to celebrate, we had to eat dessert.

So I whipped up some of The Londoner's Honey Roasted Peaches (though I accidentally reached in the fridge and came out with nectarines...whoops! Still tasty though) with mascarpone cream and toasted almonds. Those went over VERY well - I'm lucky to have such trusting roommates who will taste test just about anything I put in front of them. 

It was a pretty tasty evening if I do say so myself. <3

A little fruit and wine after dinner

Honey roasted nectarines with mascarpone cream and toasted almonds. 

September 17th, 2012: Milan, Week Three!

Hello!

Just wanted to report on some things that have been happening the last couple days. It has been a pretty great weekend and what I hope will be the start to a wonderful week! 

Some things I'm grateful for today: 

1. Awesome roommates. There's just something about living with people who make you happy - it makes everything easier. Today my roommates and I went shopping and then stopped by the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner. We ended up all sharing a big pot of pasta drizzled in pesto and tossed with some chicken, as well as some fresh fruit and bruschetta. Cooking together is so much fun! We also polished off a nice bottle of 'vino frizzante rosato' which was a fruity and delicious way to end the night.

2. Cheap school trips!! This last weekend, a giant group of people from school gathered at Lake Como to unexpectedly hike up a mountain, eat a giant plate of polenta, and watch a Renaissance parade go by. It was beautiful scenery and while we didn't get to see George Clooney (who spends time vacationing there), we did get to pet an adorable golden retriever, so I was basically just as excited. Pics to come soon!

3. Actually, just cheap trips in general. This coming weekend, four of us are going to Switzerland for the day. We plan to pack paninis for lunch and spend all of our saved euros on chocolate. That's effective budgeting, right? I also have a trip to Scotland coming up at the end of the month, and my roommate and I booked a trip to Barcelona for October! 

4. Public transport. Yes, it is weird to be gawked at on the Metro for having blue eyes and it is irritating that I have to constantly check my purse to make sure I have my wallet, my passport, my phone, my spare cash, my etc. etc., but overall it is so efficient, and, considering gas prices here are over $5/gallon, so much cheaper than having a car. I'm loving it!

5. As usual, great friends and family back home. I am so thankful for everyone's continued support, and their patience as I write home often and demand updates perhaps a little too frequently. I love you guys to pieces for putting up with me! 

Have a great week!

Roommates! Here I am with three of my five roomies, Rachael, Marissa, and Lauren.

Lunch ended with biscotti and mascarpone cream. 

New friends! Rachael and me with Nicole and Celynna.

The beautiful Lake Como

September 15th, 2012: Milan, Week Two!

I have approximately a billion pictures to share with you of all the stuff I've done in the last few days!

Day one of the pictures in this blog post was the Duomo: Lauren and I went and acted touristy and took a lot of pictures but when we tried to go inside, we realized it wasn't allowed because we weren't wearing pants. So, that was out. Instead, we wandered around and I ate gelato! Successful day.

Day two of these photos was my next roommate's arrival. We celebrated by eating cannolis and having a little wine. 

Day three was today! We went to a flea market and did a bunch of shopping and ate a lot of food. It was a fantastic day. I managed to find a leather jacket that didn't break the bank in the slightest, as well as a few other purchases that I'm pretty pleased with! Then, this afternoon Rachael and I went exploring to the Castello Sforzesco, and in the meantime, we got caught in the midst of a Hare Krishna parade as they carried a newborn calf down the streets of Milan. It was definitely the weirdest thing that happened to me so far.

All in all, it has been a whirlwind of days filled with great food, nice new friends, and a few delicious new wardrobe pieces. 

I miss you all terribly and hope everyone is doing well! 

Ritzy shopping in the Duomo plaza

The Duomo

Cannoli: Day 1 (Vanilla Cream)

Cannoli: Day 2 (chocolate cream)

Fruit stand at the flea market!

This man tried to sell me some food whilst wearing a bag on his head. We're friends.

Hare Krishna parade

A monk throwing fruit at the crowd.

Castello Sforzesco

September 12th, 2012: Milan, Week Two!

Hello!

Just a quick update! Nothing too big has really happened here, it's mainly just little excitements that happen every day. I'm having a great week so far! It is SO much better now that more of my roommates have moved in, which is kind of unexpected but very much appreciated! 

This weekend I'm taking a trip to Lake Como with a bunch of girls from school, and I think that should be beautiful! And we'll be sitting down at a nice restaurant for dinner - I'm excited to go out with a group and figure out exactly how ordering food works at a sit-down restaurant. 

Some things I'm excited about this week: 

1. SHOPPING! I am doing a TON of shopping this week - Thursday I'll be going to the Navigli canal area where they apparently have great shopping, wonderful food and a beautiful view. Can't beat that, right? And then Saturday is the weekly flea market on St. Ambrogio, where they apparently have fresh food, vintage clothes, and all sorts of cute knick-knacks!

2. Today it rained. It has been so hot here the entire time I've been here that it was such a relief to get a little moisture! Our apartment has sufficiently cooled off, and we're all beaming over the fact that we get to break out the sweatpants.

3. I found a cannoli! I've been wanting to try one ever since I got here, and I found a little bakery right down the street that sells some really pretty ones - I haven't tried it yet because I'm trying not to spoil my dinner like a responsible adult, but we'll see if I make it that long. It's acceptable to eat dinner at 5 p.m., right? 

4. Today one of the girls in my class told me about a website where I can stream my TV shows for free! AKA I can watch How I Met Your Mother! I have two different half-seasons on my computer, so I've been watching those over and over again, but now I'm fortunate enough that I get to pick and choose! Hurrah for the Internet. What a wonderful thing. 

5. Going into the Duomo! I took a trip there earlier this week and got to see the outside, but I forgot about the no-wearing-shorts rule, so I wasn't allowed in. However, this weekend just might be the weekend that I put the proper clothes on and take a look inside!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

September 9th, 2012: Cinque Terre

This weekend was my very first away trip! My roommate Lauren and I decided spur of the moment last week that we were going to take a day trip to Cinque Terre, about a two hour train ride from Milan. So, at approximately 6 o'clock yesterday (Saturday) morning, I hauled myself out of bed and we hustled down to the train station to catch our train which would bring us right to the first town along the coast, Monterosso. Now, some people choose to hike between the five villages, which takes somewhere between five and seven hours - Lauren and I bought a train pass so that we could hike the short trips and take the train the rest of the time.

In Monterosso, we decided that it simply wouldn't do to start our monstrous journey without some sustenance, so we ordered some food at the local foccaria and ate our weight in Italian food. Lauren had a tasty slice of margherita pizza, and I chose a thick slice of foccacia bread smothered in green pesto and drizzled with light olive oil. It was probably the best thing I've eaten so far. I was still beaming about it when I woke up this morning. 

We walked along the shoreline for a while before deciding that it was time to move on, so we hopped on a train to the next town - Vernaza! Vernaza was equally beautiful, and had the added bonus of a long strip of cute boutiques and locally-owned shops. 

From there we took the train from Vernaza to Corniglia and then Corniglia to Manarola, both of which were equally stunning in views. We then decided we could probably pluck up the energy to hike from Manarola to Riomaggiore, the final town on the Cinque Terre coastline, and I was so glad we did! The walls of one of the pathways were lined with graffiti and I later learned that this was what the locals called "The Lover's Path" - couples had been scrawling their names and anniversaries along those walls for years. 

Once in Riomaggiore, we decided it was time to do some swimming, because you can't just walk around the Mediterranean for an entire afternoon and not think that's the best idea you've ever had. We climbed onto some rocks along the shoreline at the edge of the town and met two 12 or 13 year old girls named Marina and Antoinella, who encouraged us to come jump off some of the lower cliffs with them because "Don't worry, be happy!" Neither of the girls spoke any English, apart from that tiny phrase. With a little encouragement from them, Lauren popped right on into the water but I still wasn't sold on the idea. While all of this was going on, however, two French boys not much older than me had been watching the scene unfold and decided there was no way any of us were leaving without jumping in. So, with much poking and prodding (alright, let's be honest, it didn't take that much coaxing. They were two beautiful french guys, and had they been holding a baguette, I would've been in the water before they'd even said a word), I jumped in and was so glad I did. 

We had the best day in Cinque Terre and I was so exhausted by the time I got back that I took a shower, vegged out on the computer, and then dragged myself to bed where I had the most delicious nine hours of sleep I've had since I've been here. It was a beautiful day! The only thing that could've made it perfect would to have had my best friends there with me. I guess we'll just all have to come back someday soon!

Foccaceria in Monterosso.

Monterosso Beach

The entrance into Vernaza's main street

Graffiti along the hike from Manarola to Riomaggiore

Riomaggiore from the shoreline

The view of Riomaggiore from the sea.

Here's the little cove where we swam and went cliff diving! Some of the men were jumping from the highest peaks, but we stayed with the younger kids and played it safe.

Dinner was lasagna! The woman at the ristorante prepared it so hot that it practically burned, but every bite was worth it. 

September 6th, 2012: Milan, Week One!

We're onto day 4, kids! 

It is currently 4:16 p.m. and I am having a great day! I finally got a good night's sleep last night and I woke up this morning feeling not cranky or sad, so that was wonderful. I'm also almost done filling out the mountains of paperwork that come with being an international student. My Metro Pass and Residency Permit are both pending, I paid my massive credit card bill, I registered for my classes and I signed up for my school WiFi. Feeling groovy!

Some things that have been super exciting: 

1. MAKING TRAVEL PLANS. I am, so far, in the midst of planning day trips to Cinque Terre, Lake Como, and Verona, as well as a weekend trip to Florence and hopefully Naples and Venice as well. My BIG trip is going to be to Liverpool and maybe Glasgow where I'm thinking I'd like to go to a concert and do some of the Beatles tour stuff they have to offer.  I also have a friend studying in Oxford whom I'm hoping to get a chance to see while we're both here! Traveling is the best thing. 

2. Figuring out the grocery store. Yesterday my roommate and I did some heavy grocery shopping where I got an abundance of fruit and bread and chocolate. I'm still on the lookout for a bath towel, since I didn't know that I was supposed to bring one. Whatever, Italy, I guess I'll figure it out on my own. (Milan should get a Target.)

3. MILAN HAS AN ABUNDANCE OF COCKER SPANIEL PUPPIES. I don't know what it is about cocker spaniels, but they're everywhere and they are ADORABLE. I also found a small park a few blocks away from my apartment that doubles as a dog run. First thing tomorrow I'm asking my professor how to say, "May I please pet your dog?" in Italian. 

4. The weather here. It is beautiful 100% of the time here. If it's not 70 degrees and sunny with a light breeze, it's drizzling rain with the perfect amount of gloomy sky and crisp wind. It makes it so much easier to get around when you know that no matter what, the weather is going to behave itself.

5. Figuring out that the excessive number of bug bites that all of my roommates and I have discovered on our hands and feet are not, in fact, bed bug bites but are actually mosquito bites! At first we were worried it was from the linens. Now we're just annoyed that no matter how careful we are about keeping the doors closed, we still have to sleep completely under the covers in order to avoid more bites. 

Milan is a lot of things, including exhausting, dirty, and loud, but I'm in love with it. I am so lucky to be in such a great city.

(Thank god for globalization though. Sometimes you just want to Facebook chat your friends from home while eating a giant plate of Burger King fries, you know?)