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Views from the Air
The Alps made an appearance.I'm not sure I would agree with the top quote. Italy was certainly pretty, and we saw some amazing buildings. It was beautiful weather and I could get used to all the green. But, somehow, I remain biased toward France!
During April we had another break. The school here is on terms, so between the third and fourth we had exams and a multitude of days off. So the K's, Chris, and I decided to take a trip. There was little planning involved; not really my decision but I decided to try and be more relaxed. I don't know if it worked, but I tried! It took a lot of reminding myself to remain calm, but I survived to talk about it :-)
Katie, one of the K's obviously, has a friend that lives in Torino, Italy. We planned our trip around staying with him for a few days. There isn't, however, cheap RyanAir flights that go to Torino. The closest we could get would be Milan. Our plan, which was about the only one we had, consisted of flying into Milan, spending a night there, taking
View from our Milan Hostel
The hostel was really quirky. We were the only ones there, and had a good stay (of a night, haha). the train to Nice, France. We would spend three nights in a hostel there, with a day of sight-seeing in Nice and a day in Monaco. Finally we would leave on Easter to arrive in Torino until Tuesday morning. An exhaustive trip, and the Italy parts will be chronicled in this blog entry.
Before we would have any Italian adventures, we had to
reach Italy. The K's and I booked flights through the cheap flight line RyanAir. Unfortunately, though, we did not get a deal this time. Chris, another USAC student from California, decided two days before the trip that he would want to tag along. He found an awesome deal for a KLM flight, which in the end was cheaper than ours! And much nicer, of course, because it is a
real airline. The thing with RyanAir flights is that they are never at main airports; they are usually at small ones outside the city. So they require train trips and bus rides to reach the airports. In the end, combining all the types of transportation needed, they can cost quite the same as a mainstream flight company. Oh the irony. Traveling can make
Yes, this is the outside of the train station
What did I tell you? Europe loves their train stations. you crazy sometimes!
Eventually, however, we made it on the plane. There was some concern on my part that my bag wouldn't though. The bag I was carrying was one of Mom's old boot bags for skiing. It was from the 70s or 80s, and clearly had seen better days. It was convient, though, because it was a backpack. It also held a lot more than it appeared to. So despite the fact it made me resemble a sherpa, I carried it through the various train and bus rides we took to the airport. All was fine until getting off the bus at the airport: rrrrrrrrip!!! I tried to ignore the sound, but when I got to the check-in counter I had to face the facts. The bag had ripped at the bottom, at a seam. All I could see was my bag being loaded onto the plane, ripping, and my clothes flying all over the tarmac. Perfect.
In the end the bag survived, barely, until Nice. There I was able to pick up a rolling suitcase and lay the ski bag to rest. It was a somber time.
The flight to Milan was fine, simple. The
plane was pretty empty so we had plenty of room to spread out and relax. There was a wonderful surprise of the Alps during the flight; of course I took pictures. We arrived in good time at one of Milan's airports. From the airport we took a bus to Milan's central station. At the station we learned how to get a tram, and finally the tram took us to our hostel. There was a lot of wandering around, looking very lost in the meantime. But arriving at our destination was all that really mattered.
The hostel was more like a hotel; it was empty except for the five of us. The K's and I had a six-person room to ourselves at the top floor, while Chris stayed below in a more hotel-like portion. It was simple, but clean. All you can ask for in a cheap accomidation. There were several wooden beams in our room, just asking for people to run into them. Both Kaitlin and Kat had their encounters. Katie managed to remain unscathed, and I could just walk under it. See, there are some advantages to being short!
That night we were pretty exhausted from traveling
Milan's Trams
I think they've been around since the city began...they certainly ride like they do! so decided to just find dinner and call it a night. Here we encountered the first instance of our Dutch expectations clashing with the rest of Europe. The Dutch, as I have mentioned, close all their shops early. People do everything early: dinner is eaten at 5 or 6 and shopping is done during the day. It was a shock for us in Italy that stores were still open. In fact, most restaurants didn't open until
after 7:30. We all realized how Dutch we had become, which perhaps was not a happy realizaition :-)
Dinner was simple, Italian. Good pizzas and pasta. The pizzas were actually huge, so you definitely got your money's worth. We went back to the hostel and played cards for awhile, but were all pretty happy to hit the sack in preparation for tomorrow.
That Thursday we checked out of the hotel/hostel, and began the journey to Milan's central station. The hostel itself was about a 20 minute tram-ride away. These trams were
something . They looked as if they had been around since Mussolini, and rode about the same way. Lurching around corners, doors slamming open with such a force
Fashion Capital
Milan is known for its fashion. Apparently one of those fashion groups is branching out into hotels! that you could only imagine the pain of getting stuck in them. They made me so happy for the Haagse trams!
We ran into some problems at the station when trying to buy our tickets to Nice. The train we had looked up before, going straight from Milan to Nice, was booked. Kat was devastated, but in the end, after waiting in line and getting deeper into a mood, we got the situation sorted out. We were to take a train to a border town, Ventimiglia, and catch a connecting train to Nice. The train left later, too; around 5pm opposed to the other train, which left at 2. Later we would realize this was a much better train for us. It gave us more time to sightsee, which was good since we had underestimated the size of Milan in terms of walking. Another consequence of living in the Hague. You can't get everywhere in Milan by walking for 15 minutes!
So after the train ticket fiasco we set out into the city. We were all starving, having not eaten breakfast. We stopped at an Italian cafe, which was also an experience. The Dutch all know English pretty
Da Vinci
One of many historic Italians well. Not the same for the Italians. Perhaps not a question of good or bad; that's just how it is. At this cafe, there was a lot of pointing and nodding. But the food was amazing and it was all worth it.
Milan itself is...okay. I suppose I can't really judge it since after all we didn't see much. We went through a gigantic passageway full of deluxe shops and restaurants we couldn't afford. It was lined with mosaic floors and a glass ceiling. It ended up on a square, and suddenly Il Duomo was upon us. Il Duomo is a cathedral, and one whose builders didn't know when to stop working on. It is overwhelming, all the detail and carving involved with it. It certainly is beautiful though. We went inside, where it was about 5 degrees cooler and so different. The outside is full of embellishments while the inside is simple. There are the requisite statues and stained glass, but the two sides don't appear to match. Both parts, in their own right, were pretty.
After Il Duomo (and a stop to get gelato, of course; can't pass up any opportunity for that!) we wandered around
Shopping in Milan
No malls for them. High-class shopping at its best! the city. We had a goal of finding an art museum (which we did end up finding; it was okay, sort of a let-down) but it was nice to see part of Milan. It is such a clash of old and new, glitzy and simple.
The museum was the last stop on our sightseeing tour of Milan. We had to head back to the train station to catch our ride to Nice. Again, it was really nice to wander around the city and get a feel for it. A lot of this trip was spent on seeing the cities; we went to hardly any museums or sites. I'm not really used to trips like that; I love museums and learning about the city. I like have checklists of things to see. But, for this trip, I enjoyed discovering little alleyways and cute restaurants. My pictures consist not just of important sites but pretty buildings and gardens we discovered. It was a different type of trip, but certainly one I enjoyed.
We arrived at the train station with some time, so we walked around the market that had been set up in front of it. Everything was being sold
Il Duomo
Impressive; look at the embellishment! They sure knew how to do churches back then. there: chocolate, purses, jewelry, spices. We don't know why it was there, but it was really cool.
The train station itself is amazing. From what I could tell it was built in the 1800s after the unification of Italy. It is
elaborate . There are statues and fountains and the ceilings are huge. It seems so much more than a train station! I've found many European train stations are just as fancy. I don't know why; maybe a symbol of their transportation power, or just a symbol of wealth. But some of the prettiest buildings you will come across are the train stations.
The train trip to Nice was
long . However it was made better due the the fact it was cheap
and we got our own compartment. The K's and Chris are all far more outgoing and loud than me, and could be as abnoxious as they wanted without annoying the rest of the car, haha.
The train finally made it to Ventimiglia. Then we had a little adventure. We were supposed to buy tickets for our connector train to Nice. Problem was no tickets were being sold. The machine was
Another Plaza
This is in front of Il Duomo broken and the ticket counter closed. We
had to get to Nice, though, and were reaching the point of panic as to how we were supposed to get there. Someone at the train station told us to just get on the train. We stole a train ride! No one checked for tickets; we certainly weren't the only ones that didn't have any. I was so worried the entire time; pink and on the verge of confessing to the next person that glanced at me. At one point police got on the train and then immediately arrested some guy and got off. I was sure I was going to be next!
I was not.
We arrived safe and sound (and not in handcuffs) in Nice, in France, and I began to breathe easier.
We spent a few days in France, with a trip to Monaco (see other blog entry!). On Easter we were off traveling again, this time back to Italy to Turin, known as Torino in Italian and the former site of the Olympic games.
We had several connections and visited several tiny train stations. It was another long trip, and there was little
Milan and its animals
Several aspects of Milan...in one shot! food to be had. For once the train stations weren't selling any food. Maybe because of Easter? Luckily Kat had given us Easter gifts: packages full of chocolate that turned out to be our lunch. That's the thing with Italian trains. They are cheap, but they also lack the food options found on the Dutch trains. You give and take I guess!
We finally arrived in Torino, after an hour-long "layover" in a train station. We were very excited to meet up with Trevor. Trevor is Katie's friend from home; he is studying in Torino for the year and offered his house to us. He had also mentioned an Easter meal, and after a steady diet all day of chocolate we were ready for real food.
What a meal it was! It turned out to be at a fellow student's house, and she could cook. She made appetizers of ham and cheese, fruit, brushetta, and more. Then there was the meal! Another girl made glazed ham, there were cooked vegetables and cheesy potatoes. We all ate so much, and I for one was completely happy. The company was great too; it was fun to hang out
Goodbye Milan
Its train signs look like our highway signs! Hm. with other students and hear about their experiences. It was overall just a wonderful Easter dinner.
After that they wanted to show us the Torino scene. We went to two bars, which ironically were both Irish! So much for real Italian nightlife, haha.
The next morning we all woke up late in our various sleeping arrangements. Being the smallest, I was given a two-seater couch as my bed. I was perfectly happy with that though; otherwise it would have been the floor. Still, we couldn't complain. We were staying for free!
We managed to all get up for lunch, and Trevor took us to a main square. Again, because we were basically wandering the towns, I'm not exactly sure what this square was. It appeared important; there was a museum and something that looked like a palace. It was beautiful, whatever it was.
The day was beautiful as well. The forecasts before the trip had predicted rain. Tons of rain the whole trip. When we actually arrived in our destinations we experienced nothing but sun however. It was
amazing weather! In the 70's the entire time, and we all got sunned. Such a great
Our Easter Meal
Okay not really. But this candy kept us alive on the train. change from the Dutch weather (although that was improving toward the time we were leaving).
We got pizzas for lunch and it was amazing. We sat on the edge of the square, eating and people-watching. Some of my best moments of the trip revolved around food, which sounds bad. But sitting down for a nice meal, enjoying where you are, in the moment, and enjoying the atmosphere around you, is
never bad in my opinion.
After lunch we headed for our big adventure of the day: going up a large mountain in Torino to a basilica at the top. This was no hiking adventure though (thank goodness; this girl doesn't hike). There was a venicular to take us to the top. Tyler would be so jealous, so I managed to take lots of pictures for him. You could tell though that this was a major tourist destination though; it was packed with people from everywhere. The ride was slow and jerky up the mountain. Outside the window were wonderful views of the city below and the Alps above. So strange to see mountains! When we reached the top we were rewarded: a beautiful, orangish basilica awaited.
Snow...on Easter.
Welcome to the Alps! Our train ride to Torino took us through some interesting areas. Half the time I had no idea what country I was in! Trevor told us this was built as a monument to Italian unification. There are monuments and buildings for this event everywhere in Italy. It obviously means a lot to the Italian people, or at least those with the money to build the monuments. The building itself it overwhelming, but not in the sense of Il Duomo. It is understated when compared to that cathedral. But the combination of its crowning of the mountain and its message leaves its effect. Behind the basilica itself is another memorial, this one to an Italian soccer team that crashed into the mountain in the 70s. Each year on that date people
walk up the mountain to the memorial in their memory. Overall, it is a very peaceful place, very parklike. In fact, one can see in the train station, it is officially a national park. If I lived in Torino it would be one I would visit often.
We went back down the mountain in search of Olympic stuff. Kaitlin has a friend that is obsessed with the Olympics, and wanted to photograph
something . It proved a harder journey than one would have thought. It did allow us
First glimpse of Torino
Another random, yet pretty, building. to see more of the city though. We actually stopped at some street vendors and got some souvenirs. I've realized that all European cities sell essentially the same souvenir stuff at their souvenir shops. The key is to find street vendors, like the ones in Torino, for the unique items.
Torino itself is not a very touristy city. You have to search really hard to find any souvenir shops, and in the end we didn't find one. But, compared to Milan, I enjoyed Torino far more. I don't know if it was the fact it was smaller, or if it seemed more homey. Maybe it was just the understated beauty of the city, which Milan seemed to lack. Something about Torino struck me, and I would definitely enjoy going back there again.
Eventually we ended up at a mall, and the mall overlooked the Olympic village and some welcome thing. By then we were starving, but the day after Easter is a public holiday in many European countries. Restaurants all over the city were closed. In the end, we ate at a grocery store. It sounds sketchy, but it was actually pretty cool. Sure, it was a grocery
A square in Torino
Don't you love my specifics. store. But it also had counter-service. Each area was divided by food: pasta, desert, meat, fish, etc. We, of course, ate at the pasta/pizza counter, and I got tiramisu in a cup afterwards. It was another good meal in Italy :-)
The evening was kind of a wash for sightseeing though. We were all exhausted, and spent it in Trevor's place, watching comedy acts and YouTube while packing. We had to leave at 6 in the morning to catch the first of many modes of transportation.
The morning came far too quickly, and so began our day of traveling. It wasn't so bad, all things considered. But by the time we reached the Hague we had been on three buses, two trains, and a plane. I was happy to be home, and happy with the memories that had been made.
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