Milano March 09 Travel Diary

Wednesday March 4^th 2009

Train Brno – Břeclav

4:15 am

Here we are, back on European roads with Marmotte, heading to Italy: Bergamo and Milano. We are on the first train: Brno – Břeclav, then we'll head to Bratislava to fly to pastas and pizzas country. I'll mostly be in youth hostels, Milano 1 night, Bergamo 3 nights and Milano again at a Greek's for 2 days. In between, I'll try to go to Como lake and to Brescia. And tonight, CS meeting, aperitive in Italian style... at 8pm.

I've also been suggested to go & eat an ossobucco (milanese speciality) tomorrow night, but I don't like it and plus I'll be in Bergamo. Luckily, train's cheap in Italy, and I will spend lots of time in it, but I'm not that sure to go too Brescia, we'll see...

Wednesday, March 4^th 2009

Milano's hostel

4:07pm

This morning, on the plane, it was great, under  us there was a white clouds' sea and a big sun (well the sun was above) and when we landed: bang! Rain! It doesn't stop, it's horrible, so Marmotte didn't go out from her bag, I hoped that it'd calm dowwn but it seems that no.

I arrived at the hostel around noon, then I went to see the famous Duomo, the cathedrale, wow, then walk in the Emanuelle Vittorio Galery with a stop in a restaurant: pizza of course!

Then, back to the hostel, surfing on the net and now it's gonna be lil nap before the CS meeting tonight.

Thursday, March 5^th 2009

Restaurant in Milano

2:26pm

Oh my god! What a horrible morning! I'll tell this later, as yesterday I was so tired that I skipped a lot.

So, yesterday, calm lil day, 1^st impression of Milano: nothing special, the central is cute, the hostel's neighboorhood is residential. And really, at the hostel, minimal welcoming,  they don't explain anything. At least in Metz, the welcoming was exceptionnal! :D

So then got out of metro at Duomo, a real beauty, the good thing with rain is that it's make the tourists run away, the problem is that when you hold up your head to admire so many wonderful things, then you got your hair getting stuck in the umbrella...ouch!

And then as in (interrupted by a pasta plate), so as in my country there was snow less than one week ago and when I left it was 0-2°C, well so when it's raining but it's all the same 10-12°C you don't put your warm coat on and so everybody was looking at me in strange way, even a cute cop looked at me from top to bottom twice, with a look that said: « Am I dreaming or she doesn't have any coat! » By the way, what we say about Italian guys is not wrong, there are quite a lot of hot dudes over here. Well, I'll go on later I need to go & see when I got a train.

Thursday, March 5^th 2009

Train Milano – Bergamo

3:10pm

So yes, quiite a few hot males aroundhere. And so, after my wet walk, I got back to the hostel, surfed on the net and had a nap. Then, I had to meet at 8pm for the « aperitivo » but well now I'm used to Czech time so I need to eat around 7pm the latest, so I took the metro, heading to the area of the bar, and as I didn't have lots of time I went to Macdonald's, then I went to the bar, it was way crowded, I could not spot the few ones who said they were coming and whose profiles I had a look at, neither the organisor, so I texted him but no answer, so another text to a girl I had ask couch to but she was waiting for the confirmation of someone else to answer me, but in the end the other person didn't come and she didn't have time to answer me before I had booked the hostel. Anyway, no answer, I try to call but apparently I can not call.

I tried a few time to look agin into the bar and after the 3^rd time elena grabs me by the arm and take me to the others who were hiding downstairs. Very nice evening, I got myself a lil pleasure: a cosmopolitan, but considering its price (7€) I savoured it! And in the end, Jakob (one Italy Amb) can host me, so I'm gonna save 1 or 2 nights at the hostel (I gotta see how they're managing the cancellations), which is just great as I already spent 2/3 of my budget :s And as the public transportations are not very good after midnight (after 8pm it's already a mess) Elena drove me back. It's something that is always surprising me in such big cities. Oh and the « aperitivo » in the Milano style is more like a big buffet, so I could have skipped Macdonald's.

And so this morning, I spotted on the net at the hostel a few wifi spots but well at the 1^st it opens a page where you have to register with your phone number and they send you a sms (I'm stilling waiting for it) but doesn't work with foreign phones (racists lol) and then you got the unfindable ones, and so around 12:30pm, completely wet, desperate and angry I gave up and headed to the rail station to go to Bergamo. I had 30 min before my train so I go & seek somewhere to buy a sandwich, and then, what do I see?! An internet café! With a cute guy at the reception and the possibility to connect my laptop, well it's 12:40 so I got 1h20 to write my 4 articles, that sucks! Tomorrow, I'll prepare them before leaving the hostel, at least if I can not find any wifi outside maybe there'll be an internet café, if they're ready I can post them without my laptop. After that, I went to a restaurant with a cute guy at the reception (ah Italy...), milanese speciality: gnocchis with sausage yummi. And then, back to the station, and then we see the sense of humor of the Italians: they're writing the plateform number like 5 min before the departure with 2 stairs to go up (with escalators all the same). So, that's cool so far. Oh and yes, considering the weather, every 3m you got umbrella sellers (especially in the metro), they see you with your umbrella but no, they insist and if you have to come by them another time, here we go again. By the way, in the metro, I was angry because of the net story (I had to work!) I yelled at one asking him what I would do with 2 umbrellas?! But at the rail station, a cute Southamerican asked me if I wanted a bigger one (less stupid), he had such a beautiful smile, I didn't yell at him.

So now, when I arrive in Bergamo I go directly to the hostel and I rest. I went over 20km this morning, including 15,000 on foot (no I'm not from Marseille, I'm just exaggerating) , if it's not raining I might go out tonight, we'll see. As 1h30 on the net = 10€ this morning, and with the extra metro tickets, that internet at the hostel wasn't freeand so on...well I don't have a lot left.

Thursday, March 5^th 2009

Train Bergamo – Milano

06:49pm

Great holidays! Not even 1h and I got robbed! While I was pestering against the bus system, sitting on a bench, I wanted to lokk at the time, and then I see that the big pocket of my backpack is open and my wallet has disappeared! My money, my bank cards (well on the Czech one I had only 6Kč left), my ID...flown away! I craked!!! I'm asking a girl that speak Spanish where is the nearest police station, she gives me directions but can not find anything, ask someone else...not better! So I was turning around, a guy asks me if I'm looking for a hotel, I explain my problem to him, he speaks a few words of French and takes me under his wing. He takes me to the police station, I contact Jakob to ask him if he can already host me, hoping to be able to change my few Czech Crowns left, he's ok and will even advance me some money while waiting for the bank transfer I'm gonna make arrives. So then, as all banks are closed, the policeman advices us to go to Western Union, my guardian angel takes me there, no, no change, we end up in an ivoirian shop, the tender speaks French, and they offer me 10€ so that I can take a train to Milano, actually my protector knows him and will give them back to him tomorrow (he also got his wallet stolen lately and is waiting for his new card), I took the adresses and they'll get a 'lil gift when I'll be back home. As soon as the Czech card will be blocked I'll transfer money to withdrew it at the cash desk, misery, misery. And I'll also have to go to the ambassy. Tomorrow, I'll send  a bunch of emails, for the student card, the health insurance cards, and the more important: Ryanair! As at the airport you have to show your ID, i think  have a scan of it on my laptop, we'll see. It's crazy, in Milano I got no problem and in the small Bergamo city, bam! And I didn't feel anythhing, especially that i never let my backpack on my 2 shoulders when I'm in the crowd. In the future, I'll be even more precautionnous, I'll slpit everything into 2, so i might be doing a passeport soon. But, let's think positive, it's better to be the victime of a pickpocket that some lad with weapon, a rappist or a killer. And at least, I got my laptop, my camera and my mobile.

Saturday, March 7^th 2009

At Jakob's, Milano

1pm

So on Thursay, I met my Milanese saviour (Jakob) and the CS crew at the restaurant, the meeting was to eat ossobucco, but as I don't do like everybody, I took a beef steack, very rare, tender, yummi, delicious! Oh and at least here they have real bread! And we got an enormous starter, antipastis I think, mamma mia, Italian cuisine...e delicioso! So, very good evening! On Friday morning, I went to the consulate, the girl at the reception was not that nice, but at the identity papers service, all the contrary! She was telling me that thieves here it's a flee, they are very well organized,  some of their tricks: they are several to operate, they send someone good looking, clean, well dressed and so on... who comes to talk to you in order to distract you while the others are robbing you, they make your tires flat, propose their help and take advantage of it to robb you all. She also told me an anecdote, at Milano's rail station some French cops got their wallet stollen...with their police cards inside! Well, so with the police report, the paper of the consulate and the copy of my ID I should have no problem at the airport. In the worst case, Jakob can keep me and at the consulate they can make an emergency passseport.

On Friday night, « aperitivo », this time I didn't eat before! :) So actually, every beverage costs 7 or 8€ (depends on th bar) and you got a free buffet, it's really cool! So, considering the price, the best is to take a cocktail, by the way I took a margarita, it was a little bit too salted but it was ok. We ended up at Jakob's, with limoncello, beer, rhum and wildboar pasta. Lil evening which eended up quite early: 4am! Well, that's early in the morning! Today, walk in Milano and fiesta at Jakob's.

Tuesday, March  10^th 2009

At Jakob's

00:30

Here it is, my stay is about to end, tomorrow (well, tonight) I'm flying away, well normally, if Ryanair doesn't make me any problem for that ID issue.

Otherwise, I thik that I got a problem! I don't know if it's the weather when I arrived, the fact that I'm travelling more & more, the language or what... but I didn't feel lost, I right away felt at ease in Milano, and here also I told myself that I could live here. I think that Cs helps, it's true, you're warmly welcome, you got the meetings, and so on... And despite my misadventure in Bergamo, it's been a wonderful trip!

So on Saturday, walk under Milano's sun, it's been a long time I haven't seen it, the city is really nice, I love it! Then, fiesta at Jakob's, I was a little bit drunk, just happy (I try to slow down), foccaccio, saucisson, cheese, wildboar pasta, rhum, limoncello, chocolate fondue and the cef's speciality: MOJITO!!! Marmotte also had fun, she dansed with Massimo and frenchkissed Jakob, lucky her! At least, she could taste a local product.

On Sunday, I was supposed to go to Bergamo, well in the end I slept untill noon and in the afternoon we visited the Monumental Cimetery, it is, how to say...monumental! Followed by a calm evening at the chef's, and actually I was all wrong, I believed I knew how to cook carbonara pasta, well no! But now, i got the secret of real carbonara pasta...but I keep it for myself...with exceptions on request.

Monday, lazzy day and pizza evening...yummy. Tommorrow, working, giving back keys and mobile and farwel to Jakob. No, not farwel, good bye, I'll come back for sure! With a visit of Bergamo in better conditions like with a big chain and a big lock on my backpack, and no way I'll go to the hostel, if I can not find a host on CS, I'll go to Milano's or Como's one, but never ever I'll try to go there.

To conclude: Viva l'Italia!

Wednesday, March 11^th 2009

A square in Milano

9am

I have enough! We could think that Bergamo hates me! So yesterday, I arrive at the airport, 1^st security control, the girl tells me, wait, I'll go & ask: it would have been ok if I was going to France...but hey where is Europe when an Irish airline doesn't let a French citizen to fly from Italy to Slovakia in oerder to go back home in Czech Republic? And then she tells me  to buy a flight to Paris! 1)How do I pay it with only 30€ in cash?! 2) And then what do I do in Paris?!

So, back to Milano, at Elena's this time, I had abused enough of Jakob's kindness (so I'm gonna abuse someone else's) she's really top aand taking good care of me. I wonder  how I would do without CS solidarity.

There's a bus from Milano to Brno on Saturday, I'm trying to figure out how to book it. I'm always planning a larger budget in case of a problem...but almost everything got in the bank transfer's fees and the unexcepted restaurant of  Thursday night. Enough is enough!

Wednesday, March 11^th 2009

1pm

Milano's castle

I will end up hating Italy if it goes on this way! This morning it's been once again a mess to get internet. I've been told about a library in a parc, well I arrive at 8:30 it opens at 9:30...I sit on a bench to see if I can get wifi, yes...but it seems to be like at the hostel, you have to buy a card. Well, I've been told about a café, I go, it's closed, back to the parc, I need to go somewhere else to buy the card, but they need a ID, let's try, 1^st spot: hum no, they don't sell them, 2^nd: sold out! I'm cracking! Go back to the café: closed! Well, I go back to the internet café ffrom the other day, 4,50€/h so I'll stay only 1h, can't afford more. Normally, they ask for ID, but the guy has been very nice and let me stay, in the mean time I cried like a child. Gotta see the good side, it makes an experience and a lesson, now I'll be 10x more precautionnous...and luckily there's CS, frankly without the warmhearted people I met there I don't know how I would have done. And of course, at the top, very n°1, the best: my golden parents on whom I can count and that I love (not only when they halp me by the way, all the times).

Thursday, March 12^th 2009

At Elena's

6:20pm

Well, everything's getting better! I could make an emergency passeport (thanks mum) and so I got a French passseport with a Czech adress done in Italy, isn't it cool? So, today I got up at 5:45am as Elena started at 7, then we headed to the pharmacy where she's working, then I went to  my fave bench: where I get free wifi! So I was working on the street, with the sun slowly rising and slowly coming to me, I love it! Then I headed to the French Consulate, well actually I was wrong the other day, the girl at the reception is nice too. But then, it became complicated, as I'm not going back to France and as I'm not yet registered at the French Consulate in Prague (I have everything ready since January, I was thinking I got time, I'll go some day to Prague), so for French authorities I'm still living in France. And moreover, I have nothing stating that I'm living in Brno with me. The woman of the identity papers could all the same make me an emergency passeport, but despite all her afforts she couldn't make it for free, so I had to bother my mother, calling her at work so that she sends money through Western Union to the woman working at the social departement...who happens to come from...Talange!!! For those who don't know, it's a small town like 20km away from Metz, my home town. But this morning, I had done photos, I had thought not to smile and to have clear face, but it wasn't good dimensions. So I had to make new ones, close to the Consulate there's a photographer that knows the French standards so I go tthere. And on my way, a cute Italian guy starts talking to me but I don't understand a word, so  I answer my ritual phrase: « Non parlo l'italiano. », so he answers in English, asks me where I am from, bla bla bla and asks me what I'm looking for, and he takes me to the photographer, and I realized I had already walked by it! I sometimes find it hard to think my pickpocket was Italian, I don't like the cliché immigree = thief but with all great Italian persons I met... By the way, Elena washed my clothes and I arrived on time to prevent her ironing them! Ironing my clothes?! Never! I'm not friendd with ironing, I don't have the material and don't think I'll ever have it, and lots of my clothes can't be ironed! Anyway, it's getting better, just need to print my ticket!

Sunday, March 15^th 2009

At MY place, in Brno!!!!!!!!!!

4pm

Here it is! At least at home! :) So on Thursday night, we went to Elena's parents to print my ticket, her brother was glad to meet me, he did Erasmus in Poland, speaks Polish and Russian, lloved Prague and would like to visit Brno someday. And he's a real gentleman, he takes my coat when I arrive and put it back on me when I leave... and quite cute too, but his name's Mario, only one person knows who/what I'm talking about...sorry for the others! Friday, so I work, I spend almost all afternoon laying in the grass at the castle, listening to my mp3. In the evening, i join Kostadis, a Greek guy, and Yanis, an English-Greek guy, who are living in London. We'll meet there another Italian girl, an US girl who's living in Slovakia and might come to the Million Member March Brno Meeting and Elena. The Greek guys are really cool, the English-Greek is quite cute (yes radar is on at the moment) and we are warmly welcome in London.

On Saturday morning, I said goodbye to Elena, then I worked and after my 1^st FREE HUGS with Cs Dream Team, at first I thought I'd just watch them but in the end, I tried as well, on March 21^st there are some in Vienna I'll try to go and to try more, and who knows someday I'll have charism enough to organize some in Brno (or somewhere elsse, as there's a big ? about my localisation in September). Then, I said goodbye to everybody. I arrived at the bus station, there's a nice board with all buses...except mine! I admit that I paniqued a bit untill I saw a nice yellow Student Agency bus. Departure 6pm, arrival 7am and back and ass hurting. This Italian adventure is really over, but I'll go there for sure, Milano is wonderful and the country is full of places I'm dreaming to wisit (well, in the mean time, I wanna go everywhere) . Conclusion: an unforgettable stay! And I'll never have enough words to thank Jakob, Elena, my parents and those who helped me in Bergamo for their very precious help. Viva Milano!

THE END