Milano, where all of Laura's dreams came true!

The day after Fussen, we were in for a LONG long train ride to Milan, Italy (2 hours from Fussen to Munich, 8 hours from Munich to Milan). So we got a few good books, and charged up our camera batteries. The good part about this day is that we would be riding through the Austrian Alps almost the entire way. We would get a huge sightseeing trip for the low low price of 2 train tickets, which we wanted anyway. We took some pictures from the train windows of both all the small towns, mountains, and hilltop castles in Germany and Austria. Surprisingly, once we got into Italy, there were vineyards everywhere, as well as small hilltop towns, with old city walls surrounding them.

Laura at the BK Lounge (Burger King), getting ready for the long train trip. Can anyone say, "Free Wifi?"
Eric relaxing on the train trip with a good book and final bottle of german beer.

Picture of a mountain from the train.

Picture of a mountain and barn from the train.
Picture of a mountain and lake from the train.

Picture of a mountain castle from the train.

Italian vineyard....and a mountain...from the train.

Once in Milan, we had some trouble getting bus tickets, as sales are rather limited at night. But we finally made it to our "Medusa Hotel." I believe it had the smallest shower so far of the trip, and no hot water in the evenings, (so budget!) Before crashing for the night, we watched a rather interesting Italian TV show called "Cupid," where they setup a girl with a guy, on a date. Unbeknownst to her, they had rigged up a series of events, so the guy could look like superman. These included putting out a fake fire, finding a lost earing at the bottom of a lake, and picking up a car to save a trapped mechanic. What a great reality show! Couldn't understand a lick of Italian, but we were well entertained.

The view from our hotel window.

The next morning, we hit the town with a bang. First up, an Italian breakfast of caffé and a croissant. Next, we went shopping for a bit. Because of the limited space in our backpacks, we did more window shopping than actual shopping, but still had a great time, and cemented in our mind some interesting new styles. We stopped along the way for a hot fried chicken panini sandwich, and a way too expensive coke. Ending up with a new skirt, a pair of shorts, and a few new tops, Laura was decked out and ready for prime time!

Accessorizing is a MUST.

Laura's 10th store of the day.

Being the fashion capital of the world, Milan happens to be so stylish that they built their entire cathedral out of white marble. It is not only the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world, but it is beautiful. After lookig around the surrounding Piazza (town square), we exporled the inside of the Duomo (church), then paid the 3 euros to climb up to the roof for a view. Once we got up there, we found the views of the city to be amazing. Also, the white marble roof of the cathedral was amazing. The hundreds of gargoyles, spires, flying buttresses, and roof tiles all glimmered in the afternoon sun, as we peered down on the ant-like pedestrians below us. It was VERY romantic.




Eric and Laura in front of the Arc in the Piazza, outside of the cathedral.

Eric in front of the Cathedral, the Duomo di Milano, before treking inside.

Snuck a picture of the inside. (whoah!)


View from the top. It gets lonely up here...ha-ha!


The heights take a bit of getting used to...As you can tell, Laura has her back up against the wall.
Getting used to the altitudes and enjoying the view up here with the spires.
Absolutly amazing. Yes, that is ALL white marble. I hear it is farmed locally.

Laura and the spires and flying buttresses.

For dinner, we had a big plate of pasta and a panini, and a few more Cokes. It is interesting that we never drank soda at home, but now, so far away, we crave it like a moth to a nightlight. Is it that it is a symbol of america, or do we just need the caffine and carbs to keep going?

Eric with a panini and a coke.

That night, we boarded our train to Florence, to continue our Italian adventure. We cant wait to tell you all about it next blog!


Us at the Milan train station..which also seemed to be made of white marble...coincidence? or decadence?

Anyways, we loved Milan, and from there we will journey to Florence, the city of the Renaissance. Until then Arrivederci and Chow!

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