If there was ever a day when I felt 100% ready for a trip, today was the day. This was the most organized that I had ever been for any trip that I’d taken, mostly because I knew that I was travelling alone and felt that I had to be well-prepared. Not only had I packed the day before, but I also had plenty of information about the places where I would be staying, the things to do in each city that I would be visiting how I was going to travel throughout Italy.
I woke up on Wednesday morning excited and energized (despite the 3.5 hours of sleep that I got that night). I wanted to wake up early enough so that I would have plenty of time to get ready, eat a balanced breakfast, check my emails and do other last minute things that I needed to do. I also managed to fix myself a small lunch with a sandwich and some mandarins to take with me on the trip to Valencia. I left my piso at around 9:40am to catch the bus to Valencia at 9:50. As I quickly walked to the bus stop I couldn’t help but notice that the day was so beautiful and sunny. This cheered me up even more.
I caught the bus just in time and hoped that I would arrive in Valencia in time to catch my flight. As I was on the bus I kept drinking from the 2-liter water bottle that I had brought with me. This was a very big mistake. About an hour-and-a-half into the bus ride I had to go to the restroom really bad. I finally arrived to the bus station in Valencia after a 2.5 hour trip. The bus had arrived 10-15 minutes after it was supposed to which almost never happens. At this point I was very frustrated, not only because I was literally about to wet my pants but also because I didn’t want to miss my flight. After going to the bathroom, I quickly made my way over to the metro station to catch the metro to the airport. I finally arrived at the airport after about 15 minutes on the metro. Fortunately, Valencia’s airport is pretty small and tranquil. After checking in it didn’t take me long at all to go through security and find my gate. Once I arrived at my gate I had plenty of time left so I waited and waited with much excitement.
The flight was almost an hour late boarding, which normally isn’t the case with Ryanair. I waited in line for a long time. When it was finally time to board I found a seat by the window, closed my eyes and prepared for the flight. You probably wouldn’t know this about me because I don’t express it that often but I really hate flying. I don’t usually complain nor have panic attacks but the whole time that I am in the air I’m praying and thinking “when will this be over?” The first 15-20 minutes on the plane is always the worst for me. Once the seatbelt signs are turned off I usually feel much better. Luckily, I am pretty good at being able to sleep while travelling (on the bus, train, car, plane, etc.). I went to sleep as soon as I got on the plane and woke up about 30 minutes before landing into Milan’s Bergamo Airport.
I used to always dream of going to Milan, Italy, the fashion capital of the world. As I got older, however, I learned of more amazing places to visit in Italy and Milan faded into the background. As I was looking for tickets online I found a really cheap ticket to fly into Milan, so I figured that I wouldn’t mind spending a night there.
During the plane’s descent into Milan Bergamo, I began to look outside of the window at the vast green landscape. There were green hills and mountains surrounded by water and holding houses with clay-colored roofs. At one point, I also saw a huge mass of green land in the middle of the sea. This was definitely the most beautiful sight that I’ve ever seen while on the airplane and possibly one of the most beautiful views that I’ve seen in my life. It was so amazing. I couldn’t wait to get off of the plane and start exploring Italy.
The plane finally landed (about an hour late) and I immediately went to the ticket booth in the airport to buy a bus ticket to travel to the center of Milan. Fortunately, when you are travelling between countries in the European Union you hardly ever have to through customs in the destination country, which saves a lot of time. Once I stepped outside the airport I got on the bus and we headed to the center of Milan. The trip took about an hour. Once I finally arrived to the central station I took the metro to the part of the city in which I would be staying. Using the directions that I had, I quickly and easily found my hostel after a 15 minute walk from the metro station.
Once I walked into the hostel, I was greeted by the receptionist there. She checked me in, showed me around and offered me a complementary “welcome drink” at the bar. I sat down with my glass of wine and emailed my family to tell them that I had made it. After relaxing for a while, the staff had informed me that they were having aperitivos that evening. Aperitivos are a big part of the Italian food and social scene. Every day at around 6-9pm (happy hour) many businesses have the aperitivo. This is when customers (who usually come from work) order a drink from a bar and are free to enjoy a variety of appetizer-like foods that are set out on a big table.I decided that since I had arrived a little late it would probably have been better for me to enjoy the aperitivos at the hostel rather than trying to find another place to eat at, so I ordered another drink and had the free appetizers for my dinner. There were a variety of pastas on the table as well as some other things. After eating, I wasn’t exactly full but I was content. Since most of the major attractions in Milan were closed at this point, I decided to spend the rest of my evening taking a stroll through the city.
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| Milan's Shopping District |
The thing that surprised me the most while walking around Milan was that the businesses closed so early. As I walked passed some of the major clothing stores, I was so shocked to see that most of the closing times were at 7:00pm. Although it was only about 7:30pm when I began walking, most of the city was empty. My stroll through Milan was very peaceful. I checked out some of the more popular neighborhoods, like the Quadrilatero D'Oro (the Golden quarter) of Milan, which is where the majority of the high-fashion stores are located. I also stopped at a gelato shop and ate some gelato. I returned back to my hostel later that night, went over my plans for the next day and went to bed.
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