Blogs from Milan, Lombardy, Italy, Europe - page 45

Milano.... The world fashion capital and capital of shit food! It is quite ironic that people in $3,000.00 Versace suits queue up in McDonalds because the cuisine here is limited and tasteless if you can even find it! Oh well, it gives some relief to our ever-increasing waist lines! Our accommodation was very central in apartments overlooking the main pedestrian shopping mall. A bit like Hay Street but a great deal nicer! From our balcony, the imposing Gothic Duomo (cathedral), with over 3,000 statues, was only a stone's throw away. It was great in that everything was accessible and within walking distance. The highlight of our stay in Milan was going to see Da Vinci's "The Last Supper", made even more famous by Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. You have to book months in advance ... read more

Going into the city in Milan was a very errie experience, there was a huge train station with almost no one in it. i thought the previous night maybe it was just because it was so late, but it was the same for every trip any time. Maybe the locals just use cars now or the population concentration has changed but it was just wierd. The city centre of Milan is like no other, very beautiful in its own way but i didnt really like it. its just stone, concrete and tinted glass, it felt like a ghost town to me but still with lots of people walking around, it felt dead. There are no street vendors, nowhere to sit and absolutely no greenery anywhere to be found and lots of graffiti. You cant get out ... read more

Well I finally made it to Venice, or Venezia, as the locals call it. Was really upset with myself that I didn't get to visit this famous city last time I was in Italy. But now I have made it and I think I can forgive myself. Venice just happens to be one of the most expensive places in Europe. COOL. I didn't want my money anyway. Actually though, it wasn't that bad. Found a campsite outside of the city that was pretty cheap. Very nice too. The only down side was catching two buses into Venice or a water taxi. Did both on different days. And let me tell you, Venice is crazy. Not because it is a group of over 117 connected islands. Sure, that's interesting. And Im sure it has been invaded many ... read more

Ok, so i just arrived at Milan and what a journey but what a welcome by the families!!! I traveled with my fellow tutors from the camp in Venice but we had to change three trains and get to the underground metro with all our bags... terrible! But when we got to our final destination our families and camp director welcomed us sooo warmly! THe camp director gave us a pot of flowers and we got to our homes right away. I am staying with a family of four in a lovely apartment. I will be staying here for two weeks and then i will be sent off to another mysterious destination hehehe. So far this has been quite the experience, nothing negative has happened so far. I am staying with a family native from Napoli, ... read more

Gail has worked all year for this moment. And I'm happy to just tag along. From the beginning of the school year last August Gail has been setting up this class trip for students at her school. She has advertised, mailed-out all kinds of memos, helped organize fund-raisers, conducted meetings and co-coordinated everything with EF Tours all on her own time. At times I thought she just might lose it and say the hell with the whole thing, but now that it's time to leave she'll actually get some time to relax. She will still have to deal with teenagers whining about roommates or lost Ipods but that stuff will almost be a pleasure compared to all the months of false starts, cancellations and arguments she found herself in the middle of. We will be flying ... read more