Mar 29, 2010: Milano

I'm SO tired! We got up at 4:30 so we could go to the train/metro/bus station. From there, we took an early train to the Rome Fiumicini Airport. We met Kat there, which was exciting! We had to stand in line FOREVER to check in, and then again to board. That part was not exciting--Italians are really pushy. They don't stand in organized lines, and it drives me (and Melisa) crazy!

The flight was a short one, and I slept right through it. We helped Lauren and Kat find their hostel, and stored our stuff there during the day. The receptionist there was incredibly helpful. She drew us a map of nearby restaurants, and showed us how to get on a bus to Il Duomo, the giant cathedral here. It turns out that our all day metro tickets also worked for buses--not that anyone cared enough to check them.

We took the bus to a stop near the Duomo, and walked through a shopping area. It was a nice walk, and the Duomo was gorgeous. The outside was amazing--so much marble. And the inside was beautiful as well. I loved the tall columns and arched ceilings--it was quite impressive.

After exploring the Duomo, we went to the castle of Milan. It was more of a palace, but it was pretty great. It was massive, and there was a giant grassy courtyard with ruins, an arch of peace, and a bridge. From there, we just wandered more to waste time.

For dinner, we took a metro back to the area near Kat and Lauren's hostel. At their receptionist's suggestion, we had dinner at the "Blender Bar." It was an American bar, serving American cocktails. Happy hour is from 6-8, and if you buy one drink (about 7 euro) then you get all the food you want. It was a buffet of assorted pasta, bread, and fruit. It was really good, and I'm SO full. But our drinks were all really strong, which was a little overwhelming.

Finally, Melisa and I got our stuff and headed to the airport. We had to take the metro and then a bus to the airport, but we got there at about 9:15 pm. We're so curling up and going to sleep. I can barely write this--my eyes do not want to stay open. I can't wait until we're in Madrid. 8 days of relaxation--some museums, some plans, but mostly rest.

To be honest, I'm ready to go back to Bangor (and the US). I miss my daily routine, even if it was kind of pathetic. I'm so sick of travelling. It's overrated, and super exhausting. I'll miss all of this, and I'm so glad I did it, but I think I'm ready to be done!