Milan

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.

From Munich to Milan

We're off to Milan this afternoon, but I realise that we have not said much about our time in Munich. I suppose it's because we haven't done much here except relax!

One highlight - which was most awesome - was the Deutsches Museum. It was so good, that we ended up being kicked out at the end of the day.

We spent most of our time in the astronomy section, where there were an amazing array of instruments on display, including some from the time of Galileo!

I also loved the section on clocks. They were just beautiful. They had pocket watches back to 1500! I had no idea they dated back so far.

We also had a moment to check out telecommunications, weights and measures, agriculture and food technology (i.e. beer and Jagermeister), and maths (with engrossing hands on puzzles). Unfortunately we ran out of time for musical instruments, pharmacy and scientific instruments. Next trip, I guess!