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Published: February 12th 2010
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Saturday we left beautiful France to head to Milan, in time for a Inter game on Sunday afternoon (Inter is the Milan soccer team Instead of taking RyanAir and having to go to Beauvais again, we took EasyJet so we got to the main airport: Charles deGaulle, making the trip way more convenient. Still, it was an airport, so there is only so close it is to the city center. Luckily there was a train that takes you directly to the airport. We were a little later than we had wanted to be (due to problems with the ticket machine) but it didn't really matter since we already had our boarding passes printed and we weren't checking any luggage. It also didn't matter since our plane was super late. Awesome. Our plane was supposed to leave at 1:40 in the afternoon, but when we started lining up at like 1:20 to get on the plane, a flight attendant informed us that we should sit down. It would be awhile, considering our plane was currently still in Milan. Problematic. We didn't actually get on the plane until 4:00, which is the time we should have already been in Milan. The main airport
to Milan is Malpensa, which is a good 45 minutes to an hour ride outside of Milan. Luckily there was a convenient bus that took us straight to the train station for 7.50 euro.
After having some problems with our hostel, one of the guys on the trip announced that his dad worked for hotels and could get us a sick deal at the mariot in Milan (our response: why was this not mentioned earlier...such as when we were planning this trip?). So, after living in a hostel for 3 nights, the entire thought of a ridiculously comfortable bed, and--more importantly--a ridiculously nice shower was super exciting. The first thing I didd upon arrival into the room (after spending far too long trying to figure out how the lights work--you need to put a keycard into the slot by the door for the lights to stay on) was take a shower. It was great. (yes, i realize how sad it is how much time i just dedicated to talking aobut a shower...but hostel, remember that).
by the time everyone was ready is was 9 (remember the super dealyed flight plus the 45 minutes to Milan center plus about 30 minutes of metro traveling time)...which is pretty much perfect dinner eating time in Italy. We find a restaurant with relatively reasonable prices that is close to the hotel. The food was good (i got a pizza) but i was so full from apparently my airport mcdonalds that i needed some of the boys to finish it for me.
After dinner we go across the city to go to a club--Club Hollywood. While some of the music was strange to play at a club, the VAST majority of it was not techno...and we know how i feel about techno, so the club automatically got points.
The next day was the Inter game (Milan's soccer team) that we had bought tickets for. Essentially this game is the reason we came to Milan after Paris (well...that and the fact that going to Barcelona was next to impossible...but not the point). Given the comfort of the beds, and the hectic and crazy last few days, with definitely overslept--so instead of seeing the duomo we headed straight to the inter stadium.
To start with, the thing is GIGANTIC. it seats 90,000 people. Holy shit. the atmosphere was crazy excited, even though it wasn't a big game--inter v. cagliari. the comparison, it was explained to me, was basically the yankees v. the diamondbacks (who are the diamondbacks? i asked, exactly, was the response). everywhere you looked there were men, women, and children decked out in black and blue (inter's colors). we had some kind of crazy good food--i had a pork sandwich i think with peppers and onions--and then went into the stadium. To get to our seats took a good ten minutes because of how freaking huge the place was.
I was sitting next to this older man who was a hardcore Inter fan--he had the jersey, the scarf, the gloves, the hat, and even the seat cushion (although, after about a half hour, the freezing seat definitely got to me and i was jealous of the crazy seat cushion). But he was super nice and talked to me during breaks. I responded well enough (aka: i nodded and smiled and said si at all the correct times) that he thought i was legitimately italian---wooo). I actually really enjoyed the game--soccer is so easy to understand i love it. i really do actually like soccer (future reference: my kid is playingh soccer, screw football). the game was awesome, Inter won 3-0. Definitely try to see an Italian soccer game when you're here (we get reimbursed for it because it is a "cultural activity" but still, go to one. especially if you're a girl, because the tickets are legitimately 10 euros cheaper).
After the game, we grabbed our bags from the hotel and headed back towards bologna on the 7:15 train. of course, delays were the way of the weekend, and in the middle of nowhere, not at any station, the train kind of just stops for 30 minutes. and then, for some other reaosn that no one explained to us (not even in italian) we had to switch trains at modena to get to bologna. not cool. needless to say, i didnt get back to my studentato (dorm building) until after 11. I pretty much crawled into bed. i was so tired.
However, epically awesome weekend 😊
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Mom
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Milan
Lauren -- I won't recognize you when you come home -- eating pork/peppers/onions, liking soccer -- who are you? I am glad you got to experience the game in the stadium -- last time, you watched it all on TV -- Love you, Mom