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Momma I made it to Italy!

Still can’t believe I went to Italy. I landed in the morning. Perfect timing to regulate the jet lag. Big up to Milan’s Malpensa airport for having free wi-fi. The wi-fi struggle is REAL! Ain’t nobody trying to pay them international data rates. Andddd, I have to give up to myself, I didn’t check any luggage this trip. I carried on a back pack and a small rolley bag. This may still seem like a lot to some but for me it’s definitely an improvement. I use to be the “just in case” packer. You know “I need an outfit just in case I get invited to dinner with the Prime Minister….just in case I go deep sea fishing…. just in case I frolick on the beach…. just in case I’m not feeling the blue I need to bring the green one too.”

After I exchanged my cash for Euros, I was ready to see what was poppin in Milan. (No lie, I definitely made the boo boo face when I got my money back. Like, that’s it. Come on America! We need to put some strength back into the dollar!)  I caught the train from the airport to the center of Milan. It was €11 one-way, which is about $15USD. (Kind of steep in my book, but hey it is Europe.) It was about a 25-30 minute ride to the Cardona train stop.

I walked around for a bit and within an hour I made a friend. Hence, why I was able to get pictures and not selfie’s. When I got to Sforzesco Castle (a famous castle in Milan), I was approached by a Sudanese man who was giving/selling yarn-like bracelets. He tried to put a bracelet in my hand and I shooed it away and told him “I didn’t have any cash.” (Trying to be nice here) He shook his head and said, “No, I give it to you.” It was a nice gesture, so we ended up making conversation and he started to tell me about Milan, where to go, and his experience living there. After giving me a tour of the castle, he introduced me to his homeboys, who also do the same thing (sell bracelets at tourist attractions). Real cool people. I told them I don’t really do the Facebook thing but I’ll shout them out on my site. (Excuse my fit. I wanted to be extra comfy on the plane.)

 

 

After leaving the castle and my new friends, I made my way to the famous Cathedral that Milan is known for, Duomo di Milano. The church was dedicated to Santa Maria Nascente. The gothic cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete. The first stone was layed in 1386. Over 70 architects and engineers have worked on the church since 1386. It is absolutely beautiful. The intricate detail is mind-blowing.

This is a close up of the church door. Pretty amazing.

As you can imagine, there are tons of people out there selling photos and touristy things. I came across one guy who jammed seeds into my hand and whole flock of pigeons came over. Luckily I’m not afraid of birds, but I could have done without the experience.

While I was totally being a tourist, I met Mahmoud who agreed to snap a few pictures for me. I found out he was from Eygpt and was really interested to hear about him and his experience in Milan. Here is a clip from our converstation.

So happy!

I defintitely thought I was cute. lol