479. Day 2 - Milan

I realized there's no possible way for me to fully post about my day with photos, as I take over 100 photos per day! So I will keep doing these daily diaries with more text than photos, then after my trip I will slowly post the rest of the photos. I don't know how interesting this is for you to read but I like writing lengthy detailed posts so I can read back on it in the future.

Today was a good day. It was my 2nd (& final) day in Milan. I woke up with an extremely sore throat again but luckily my headache/nausea was gone. I was able to explore the city more today. First I went in search of some Vionnet shoes I've been wanting. I found them at Excelsior (which is a really cool department store btw) but when I tried them on I didn't like them :( Then I went in search of medication. The language barrier here is pretty difficult sometimes. I went to the pharmacy and the pharmacist gave me a box of pills but it was all in Italian so I had no idea if it was even the right kind. I just bought it anyway. When I got back to the hotel, I took one then searched online to find it is for colds. So I went again to another pharmacy to get a box of cough medication. I ended up just getting some cough drops of an unknown brand..they taste kind of spicy. Hopefully they work well. I think I may have overdosed a bit on medications today. Oh & in between..I walked around exploring a lot. I wish I had another day here. Or maybe even half a day. For my future trips, I should always devote the first day to recovering from the journey over.

The weather was so good today. Perfect dress weather! In the mornings and evenings it is kind of chilly but during the afternoon it was really warm. After walking around the streets to all the boutiques and trying to shop (ended up not finding anything), I came back to my hotel. I picked up lunch along the way from a place called Luini Panzerotti. I was recommended this place..and found out they're located right next to where I was staying so it was quite convenient. It's one of those places with a super loooong line up. Right across is a gelato shop also with a super looooong line up. (Ugh - if I didn't have a sore throat right now I would be bingeing on gelato!!) So I got a panzerotti and brought it back to my hotel to eat, did some work, took my pills, changed into the outfit above, then headed out to the Duomo.

At the Duomo you need to buy a ticket first at the ticket booths before going in. I went to line up (another super looong line) then suddenly realized I may not be dressed appropriately for it. I didn't want to wait in line for so long just to be told I couldn't go in, so I quickly searched what their dress code was. I guess I violated two of the rules (not to show shoulders and dress has to be below the knees). So I went to the entrance where the guards were to ask if I was dressed ok. They were like "ummm..hmmm..ahh..let's see.." like wanting to say no but in a nice way. But then they said they'd still let me in...and then let me bypass the long line up!! I was pretty happy about that hahah.

The interiors were really beautiful. It was so nice and peaceful walking around in there. I took so many photos here, which I will post in my future posts.


I also went to the top of the Duomo. Here is my Antigona posing for a photo on the way up. I was kind of paranoid taking this photo (half expecting someone to run up and throw it over the edge...? lol) so I took it in lightning speed. The time of day when I went was the warmest and sunniest. It was so nice at the top. A lot of people were just sitting around on the roof, tanning and relaxing. I sat for a while too then went in search of food. I'll post photos from the top in my upcoming posts. I realize now maybe it is better for you to have visuals when you read about it...so in my next diary posts I'll try to include more photos.

As I was feeling a lot better than yesterday and a lot more comfortable, I went to eat at this restaurant facing the Duomo. I travelled alone several times before and am always still a bit nervous asking for a "table for one" lol. That's the biggest challenge travelling by myself. Some days and some places I am ok with it but generally..I feel super awkward. Especially if it is a formal restaurant. I still do it though as I don't want to miss out on the experience while travelling. For the quality of meal here, the food was overpriced as expected, but I had a good time people-watching.

Finally, heading back to the hotel for the last time :( My time in Milan was very short. I stayed at The Gray hotel. The one on the very left. As you can see, it's super close the Duomo. La Rinascente is also beside it on the corner. So I was in the PERFECT location! I will do a full review of the hotel in a future post.

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