This is our third night in Milan. It has been a great opportunity to use some of the Italian that I've picked up over the last decade or so. I'm still nowhere near fluent, although I think I'm just starting to get into the swing of things.Milan is a bit of a stressful place to be. First up, the guy at hotel reception was generally rude. He had a problem with Dan's Accor card - the card that gives us cheap accommodation at our hotels. Dan has had to arrange letters confirming his employment to validate our discount. Lucky Dan managed to sort it all out - but what a pain!
Secondly, it has been near impossible to wash our clothes, which has had us traipsing across the city in search of a laundromat. We haven't found one yet, but it has forced me to practice slightly more advanced Italian during the hunt, and we did find some awesome focaccia on the way. But, it means that our t-shirts are stinky and we're continuing to wash our undies in bathroom sinks.
Thirdly, everyone here is in a rush. It's difficult to have enough time to work out what I want for lunch without being accosted by the waiter!
It's not a pretty city either, with excrement lining every other street. But, having said that, a handful of buildings are gorgeous, such as the Duomo pictured above. It was initially built between 1387-1805 although there are later additions to the structure. Dan and I spent some time studying the multitude of stories from the bible depicted in its colourful stained-glass windows.
The Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle II, pictured left, is another beauty. It houses some of the most fashionable labels in Milan. There was a huge bookstore where I managed to grab an Italian kids' novel to try to battle through. But, what we were really after was a slab of pizza. It turned out to be the equivalent of AU$12... we decided to go elsewhere.The supermarket at Zara has been fantastic. We've discovered a world of smoked bocconcini, salami, salads, yoghurts and brioche with chocolatey centres. So many tasty things to try.
Tomorrow it looks like we're off to the science museum, and we might even check out some local design.
