Milan, Italy

So this past weekend I went on my first trip outside of Spain to Milan, Italy. I had the most amazing time in Italy. Everything was beautiful, the architecture, the food, the men ;) We got into Milan around 3 in the afternoon but then had to take an hour bus ride from the airport to the city center. As soon as I stepped off the bus I fell in love with the the city and the language! I found myself listening to random stranger's conversations because I loved the way it sounded!! Needless to say, my next language that i'm going to learn is Italian.

Our first day in Italy was pretty much spent walking through the city slowly making our way to our hostel at the opposite end of the bus station ha. I didn't mind though because I loved being able to walk through the city and take lots of pictures =D Once arriving to our hostel which was actually really nice from my point of view. They had 24 hour security, a computer lab, a kitchen, and a laundry room. The only bad thing I could say about our hostel was the british girl that threw up in the bathroom from 2-9am and when I went in to take a shower in the morning the entire bathroom reeked of vomit so I did not take a shower that morning, just put on some extra deodorant. Before going out that night to find an awesome Italian restaraunt, we met the most awesome guy in the computer lab. He was born in Germany, raised in Brazil and speaks German, Portuguese, Spanish, and English and he has spent the past 5 or so months backpacking through Europe! He has the most amazing stories and I absolutely loved talking to him. He was such an inspiration for me to follow my dreams and become a world traveler.
We ended up eating at a restuarant that the Brazilian guy had eaten at before and said it was delicious. He was very right! I ordered spaghetti and it was the best damn spaghetti I have ever had! Now, before Europe I was not much of a wine drinker, 1. cause i'm not 21 and 2. it just didn't appeal to me but after Italy I am infatuated with wine for dinner. It makes everything taste so much better and gives it an extra flavor. Of course we ordered dessert, tiramisu which is an amazing chocolate mousse (sp) deliciousness that I could not get enough of, and of course what is Italy with out eating gelato! This was my no carb left behind weekend! I figured i'm only going to be in Italy once might as well take advantage of their amazing dishes!

Our next day in Milan consisted of jam packed sight seeing. Our first stop was the Duomo which is the 2nd oldest church in Italy. It was absolutely gorgeous inside and out! I could not stop taking pictures of it and just staring at it's beauty! Going inside it was free and SO beautiful. I was so moved once in the church, it was breath taking. They had candles just like my church at home that you could light and say a prayer for a small donation of .80 cents. I little a candle and said a special prayer for all my family and friends and especially for my parents who have supported me in everything I do including this amazing trip of a life time!

After the Duomo the plan was to see The Last Supper but when we arrived we were shocked to see that tickets were sold out for the next 2 weeks!! I was really disapointed because I really wanted to be able to see that, but I guess that just means I need to come back:) For the rest of the day we were lucky to have 2 native Italians show us around (Valentina and Giorgio). They were amazing and showed us all the awesome quirks in the town and the best places to eat. I really enjoyed their company and knowledge of the city.
My favorite purchase from Milan was my "leather" boots! I am so excited to look more and more like a European instead of an guiri ( Foreigner).
And we FINALLY got our stipend today so I will be going shopping tomorrow with my roommate Paige. We desperately need some new clothes and shoes because it is actually getting really chilly here, 18 degrees (64F). I know that doesn't sound cold at all to you Nebraskaners but my body is officially used to Spanish weather which will be a rude awakening when I come home for Christmas to lots of snow...
It is kind of weird feeling, I am accustomed to my life here in Spain and I miss everyone but for some reason if I didn't have the chance to get home it wouldn't bother me too much. I guess I am having too much for living my life over here, meeting new people, traveling to amazing places, and just soaking up the culture. However the one part of Spain's culture that I will never get accustomed to is their school system. It sucks so bad!!! I absolutely hate their I don't give a rats a** attitude about due dates. But I guess there is nothing I can do about it.

I am really excited for Halloween in about 2 weeks. I decided that I am going to be Cruella Devil! Although Halloween won't be the same here it will still be fun. Also, my next trip is going to be to Madrid on Nov 18th! I have been bitten by the travel bug and I am so antsy to book flights to places! It truly is an amazing feeling to be able to the what the world has to offer and I am truly blessed to have this experience.

Besos,
Hilary