Blogs from Milan, Lombardy, Italy, Europe - page 15

I woke up at 7:00am because I had gone to bed early the night before and I was pleased because now I get to go see the Castello Sforzesco. I had meant to do it yesterday but never got to because I woke up late and felt that if I had gone I wouldn’t have been able to see as much as I did today. I ordered a simple cereal today because the Castello Sforzesco had already opened and I didn’t want to miss out on anything. I got dressed and was ready to leave at 7:24am; I took a taxi and reached my destination at 8:00am. I took all morning exploring the castle and the castle museum I found out so many interesting facts about the history of Milan and the architecture was brilliant. I ... read more

I woke up today at 8:45am and felt refreshed aftermy relaxed day yesterday, I had been meaning to go to the Navigli District because I had heard good reviews about it but I thought that I should go duringthe later hours because the nightlife is supposed to be better. I orderedbreakfast at 9:10am and ate it at the table in my room while starting a newbook, I ate toast and jam with fluffy scrambled eggs and orange juice. I had quite enjoyed the pool yesterday so I decided to go again today, at 5:14pm I went and had a little swim and when I came back it was nearly dark. I started to get ready to go and see the Navigli District; I took some money with me and headed out. The nightlife was amazing; there ... read more

There are some interesting things that I noticed about Milano and I was told that this is very common: There are a lot of street vendors, performers, and beggars. The street vendors are often indian-looking or African and they are the most annoying people here. A lot of them hound you to buy something that they’re selling and they’ll hang around whining about how they don’t have a job and they really need the money and they won’t leave you alone until you really ignore them. And when I say ignore I mean just literally pretending they’re not there and maybe start talking to the people that you’re with. That’s the technique that works. However, my father is the kind of Italian, that will vent his feelings about whoever or whatever is bothering him so there ... read more

Thursday 24 May The flight from Abu Dhabi to Milan was about 6 ½ hours. The Etihad service was excellent, especially compared to the trip between Australia and Abu Dhabi. Why? I don’t know, but this time I didn’t go hungry or thirsty. The crew were very attentive on this sector, they also appeared friendlier and more willing to assist guest requests. Maybe the ratio of staff to passengers was higher or maybe the crew were fresher. Regardless, apart from the quality and selection of food, I was much happier with the overall service on this leg. After walking up and down many, many steps to train and subway stations, and on and off transport, I arrived at Euro Hotel Milano around 4pm (11pm Australian time). I checked in, had a shower and went straight to ... read more

Friday 25 May (cont’d) I got off to an early start, arriving at Milan State Archives at 8.30. The news was a bit disappointing, I was told I’d have to go to the Milan Municipal Archives as the State did not handle vital records ie, birth, deaths and marriages for the period I was searching. They only handle much earlier records, prior to 18th century and mostly records other than BDMs such as wills, probate, family histories etc. So, after more walking, steps and subways to reach the Municipal archives, the outlook appeared a little more hopeful. After registration, my belongings were placed in a locker and I was led into a reading room. These musty-smelling archive rooms are amazing; every wall is floor to ceiling chocked full of old books and records. I was seated ... read more