Summer is (almost) here

With classes finishing and the weather beginning to do some crazy stuff, things are starting to get busier around town. Although we all have exams and assessments to complete, when it is beautiful outside no-one really wants to be stuck indoors studying, and the park is always open for some fun.

The other weekend we had an AMAZING 31 degree Saturday, so it was off to Parco Sempione (the really big public park near the centre of town) for a picnic. So many other people were also enjoying the beautiful weather, and many spontaneous games of football were begun all over the grass. As nice as the park is to spend time relaxing in the sun, I do miss my beach and sea, or even a pool! Cannot wait for my summer travels so I can once again lie-down by the ocean.

Parks are the perfect place to try out new cameras!

Last week there was also a big free concert in the Piazza del Duomo, celebrating Radio Italia's 30th birthday (one of the biggest and most popular radio stations across all of Italy). There were thousands of people there, and even though from where we were standing we could not really see much, it was still fun to be able to listen to the music that is popular here, especially since they had artists from all different genres playing. I don't think I have ever seen so many people squashed into one area for so long!

Just a short post this time, some pictures of our picnic, hanging out and celebrating Donald's birthday- tanti auguri Don!

Unfortunately after exams end we are going to have to start saying farewell to each-other, but I think most people are trying to not think about that- I know I'm not!

EDIT: Just a quick add, forgot to mention. For anyone who heard about the earthquake, all is well in Milan. We felt the shakes but there was no damage (well none that I know of). Unfortunately, there was quite a bit of damage and some lives lost in other areas of Italy, particularly in the northern regions.

Pazza Inter Amala!

On Sunday we headed back to Stadio San Siro for the AC Milan v Inter Milan derby match. Meant to be the biggest game of the Italian league in Milan, the game against each-other is always crazy! It was surprisingly easy to get tickets, buying them only on Friday, and we found ourselves sitting right in the middle of the Inter fans, dressed up in our blue and blacks, well as least some of us. There was such an amazing atmosphere throughout the entire stadium, and us sitting in the Inter fan section when they won added even more the to experience.

Last time I went to a game it was a Championship League match between AC Milan and Arsenal, and I thought that was going to be huge. That was nothing compared to this! Almost every seat was taken and we arrived about an hour before the game and the stadium was already packed when we got there. After managing to squeeze ourselves into some front-row of our section seats the chanting already began. Inter has this really catchy theme song, Pazza Inter Amala (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hF0U4HS2AA&feature=related). Even though we couldn't see anything when the teams were announced and ran out onto the stadium, we quickly got into the spirit as a GIANT banner was spread up and over all our heads.

Every time a goal was scored, for either team, there were flares and explosions throughout the stadium- and they also coincided with the many injuries and bad calls the ref made, at least from what we could work out. I am so glad I got to go see the game, definitely can be added as a highlight to my months so far here in Italy. Check out some photos below- apologies my camera decided to die (like actually doesn't work any more, not the battery) about halfway into the game.

So we tried watching through the smoke at times...

Let the tourists take over!

After more trains (public transport seems to be the theme of this trip!) we arrived in Florence. While quite a bit smaller than the other major cities in Italy, it was much larger than the other places we has visited so far. I love how old everything is here in Italy, and while I don't think Florence has as much upkeep as some of the other major cities it is still amazingly beautiful. While Dad had his conference to head to, Mum and I spent some time exploring and gearing up for the shopping to come. Having never been to Florence compared to my parents visits a couple of times, there was so much I wanted to see and therefore I was in control of the map when sightseeing with Mum. While browsing we headed into a jewellery store and just happend to get caught in amongst a bunch of other Aussies- including the manager. Pictures were taken, including the one below which the manager asked me to send to her. Definitely a memorable moment!

Eight unknown Aussies meet in Italy- hilarities ensue!

Besides doing the usual touristy things in Florence (Duomo, statue of David, leather markets and Ponte Vecchio etc), we did the ultimate tourist run, renting Segways for an hour, resulting in a few bumps and bruises for both Mum and I. I think I ran over my ankle but I am not too sure how that happened, nevertheless it still hurts about a week later! It was pretty cool to be able to move around the city, but I know we caused quite a bit of trouble trying to sneak through tiny alleyways or getting caught being chased by a taxi (that one was Mum)! Just trying to maintain my balance was a challenge, but I managed to stay on-board the entire time.

Segways in-front of the Shul, aren't we cool!

With the weather heating up it was a nice change when we got to Lago di Garda to have some sun and a pool to relax in. I think I am now looking pasty, not translucent due to the minimal tan I got up there! Taking advantage of what we thought would be a beautiful day turned out to be a trek in the rain to visit one of the near-by towns on the lake, as well as exploring the town we were staying in- Desenzano del Garda. Being up by the lake on a holiday weekend meant a lot of things were closed, but there was a large amount of tourists, both foreign and Italian, visiting the area. We even managed to spend some time on bicycles, and this time none of us fell over (although I will admit I had a few close calls myself)!

With my parents trip coming to an end we began to head back into Milan so I could show them around my town. Being Primo di Maggio, the Worker's Day holiday, everything was closed and so I managed to show them my Milan on foot- favourite cafes and restaraunts, shops and my university. At Mum's insistence we had to take the typical family-shot in-front of the Duomo, and I do believe Dad said he would photoshop Liron in (hi Liron). On the first of May there is a big parade in Milan for the workers. What we thought was a parade was actually more of a demonstration, and we spent over an hour waiting in the rain for it. To be honest I could have given it a miss- advice for anyone who is coming here next year!

One of the last early morning wake-ups planned for a while took us to see Da Vinci's The Last Supper. Considering the way it had been treated before the restoration took place, it is amazing to see the condition it is in now. Anyone who knows me knows I am not one really for art, but I think that being here in Europe with access to so many amazing paintings and statues might change that. I am already voluntarily going to galleries at 8 o'clock in the morning!

It was good to see the parents and have a bit of love from home, so anyone else who wants to come visit or stay, feel free. Organising my summer travels now so getting ready to see some more friends from home, can't wait!

Coastal adventures (with the parents part 1)

Two weeks ago I set off on a series of metros, trains and walks to meet up with my parents in Monte-Carlo. This trip was going to allow me to make a big dent in my number of cities/countries visited list, so seeing my parents wasn't the only thing I was excited about! After about 5 hours of trains running on time, then running late, then arriving early, then leaving late, I eventually arrived in Monte Carlo- about an hour ahead of my parents whose train was, as was to be expected by now, also running late!

Not too sure what there is to do in Monte-Carlo other than head to the casino and gamble (or in my case lose a carefully rationed 5 euros), we set out to explore the hills and walk alongside the many many boats, each one bigger than the next! With the Formula 1 race happening later this month, there was much construction going on, setting up the big screens and grand stands for spectators, as well as painting and re-tarring the roads for the speedsters. We soon found out that the hotel we were staying in was actually one of the best placed for when the race occurs, with a view of the start/finish lines, the main grandstand, quite a bit of the track and the giant screen all seen from the roof-top restaurant.

Our room overlooked the harbour, and Dad and I had great fun watching the boats as they were set up for the day, being meticulously cleaned, only for no-one to arrive and use them. All I can say is I am glad I do not have to clean my room as well as those cleaning crews worked, otherwise I would have time for nothing else! One boat even had the crew using an electronic buffer to shine the sides- madness! Definitely would have to say that our favourite was the boat that had a helicopter, speedboat, jet-skis and other rather large paraphernalia on board- anyone want to chip in for a birthday present next year?

After an unsuccessful night at the casino we woke up early the next morning to begin our road-trip back into Italy, and to head down the coast to stay near-by to the Cinque Terre in Sestri Levante. While Dad (being the anti-GPS person that he is- now you all know where I get it from) had printed out instructions from Google before leaving home, the rental company had thrown in a GPS for us to use, the only problem being that we could not switch the language from French. The porter at the hotel programmed our route into the machine and off we went, expecting the journey to last about 3 hours. What we did not know is that he had programmed us to by-pass all the tolling booths, and therefore our coastal adventure lasted closer to 7hours, a lot longer than expected! Being in no rush this did not matter, but by the end of our trip I think we could all recite our lefts and rights in fluent French.

The next morning we set off to find our way to Portofino, where we had been told was a great place to spend Sundays. What we did not know before was that not only was there a train strike, but there was no direct buses we could use. Four buses and 2 hours later we managed to arrive, and mixing it up on our way home we threw a ferry into the mix! I thought I take a lot of public transport here in Milan, but nothing compared to this day! Who knew changing buses so often was so exhausting.

Even though the weather was a bit up and down, we still managed to get through all the Cinque Terre towns. Two of them had been badly damaged by the flooding last year and some of the paths between the towns were still closed from the landslides, but it is still such a beautiful place! So colourful and quaint, they really are quite special towns that you wouldn't see anywhere else. Each town is either on a rocky cliff, or right by the sea, and virtually the only way to get to them is by hiking, train or, if the weather is good, then ferry. We did manage to see an exhibit of some outstanding driving though, look for the picture at the end of this blog!

 

More on the trip to come in the next post- Florence, Garda and Milan, however I am off to sleep for now. Looking forward to hearing from you all too!

World-class-driving-skills-needed!