Date: December 29th, 2008
The Plan: See Milan City Center, Drive to Venice
We woke up in the morning and nervously looked out of the window and we were greeted by a blanket of snow. We both were little bummed as we have no history driving in snow (we live in Sunny California you see). So we had breakfast at the hotel and we headed out to Milan. Much to our surprise, the streets were clear of snow. The drive to Milan was almost 30 minutes and very uneventful. Driving in the Milan city center is not for the weak at heart. There are actually no drawn lanes, main streets are wide enough to accommodate 2 cars (3 cars if one pushes it) going one way. We were staying in the right most area (or we thought we were) to make a right turn and within seconds 1 car pulled on our right side to make a right, then another car pulled to its right. Sherry goes, I guess we were not in the right most lane. We found a parking garage and decided to see the city on foot.
Street in Milan
Street in Milan
In city center the streets are not asphalt but it is bricks laid out in some layout. Our first stop was Castle Sforzesco. We spend time walking around the castle. It was not open for visitors as were there early.
Castle Sforzesco
On our walk to the next stop we both were so cold and decided to take a Cappuccino break. That is the one thing I’m gonna miss the most, the coffee in Italy. The Cappuccino we drank anywhere, be it in the heart of a touristy place or in a rest area by the freeway all were so good. There we not as hot as we would have liked (as we were very very cold), but still so great that I don’t think I’m ever gonna enjoy Cappuccino here in America.
Cappuccino in Milan
After we were all warmed up from inside we walked toward the Duomo. It was a Cathedral built in 1300s with white marble.
The Duomo
We went inside the cathedral and it is as pretty as it is outside, the stained glass windows were big and pretty. The artwork on the stained glass were so detailed. After spending a good 1 hour inside we decided to take the stairs and get to the roof top. The view of the city from the top is just amazing. We could also examine the structure from up close.
Rooftop of The Duomo
After the roof top we decided to head back to our car and go to Venice. Milan was the south most part in our trip so far and it was getting warmer.
Temperature in Milan
The drive to Venice was mainly through urban cities and went smoothly.
Signs going to Venice
The freeways in Italy are called Autostrada (if you look closely to the sign in green, you will see it say Autostrada). Driving in Autostrada is awesome. We did not see a single pot hole or tar snakes through our drives. We got to Venice around 2.00PM, we were staying close to the Airport and that meant away from Venice. So we checked into the hotel, and took public bus from there to Venice.
When I was in 8th grade I remember studying about Venice. I was so fascinated by that town and have been wanting to visit Venice since then. So when I got off the bus and I saw Venice, it was like a fantasy coming true (I know cheesy, but true). Through out the whole trip it started getting dark by 5.00PM so by time we got to Venice, it was all lit up.
Venice at Night - I
Venice at Night - II
We walked around Venice, we walked through small alleys and big squares. We saw the Rialto Bridge that has been featured in so many movies. Then we walked to St. Marks Square which has been featured in Khuda Jaane song. We checked at our hotel for the best place to have dinner and the staff us to stay off the major touristic spots and you will be fine. So we had dinner at this small place that we found aimlessly walking around. We had Pasta and Pizza and they were so good (again I don’t think I would ever enjoy pasta here in America).
There is so much places for shopping in Venice, we didn’t do much shopping though
Shops in Venice
We walked around a little after dinner and took the bus back to the hotel. I went to bed so excited that I could not sleep. I was just thiking about ‘how venice is going to look during the day’. I think I even dremt about Venice that night (and every night after that).
