i apologize, it's been awhile since I've updated anything, on my existence on this planet. and with good reason. for one, i've been busy globe trotting a little bit, and when that fun was over, i was pretty much, buried with work from university. only till last week have I finally been given a little break so i'm finally going to be doing a long, overdued update on everything so far. 

travels over the summer (and more) - italy, part 1.

a total of 16 cities in 3 months which far exceeded my expectations. travelling through all the cities with just 3 tank tops, 2 shorts, one bag, one jumper and one pair of 2 euro flip flops, didn't expect to see myself living the hobo nomad lifestyle to that extreme but desperate times, calls for desperate measures. though i have to say, my only regrets were not being able to see sicily and naples. 

first stop, milano. 

45.4667°N, 9.1667°E

A wonderful city, though I have to say, it isn't necessarily the prettiest. Filled with graffiti, street art, vintage shops and tons of amazing restaurants and of course, the famous navigli.

It definitely is one of my favourite places in milano, mainly because of the atmosphere. Be warned, the so called "canal" definitely isn't as beautiful as you think it'd be but it does have quite a nice feel to it, particularly in the cool, summer evenings.

Along both sides are a huge variety of bars (as I've probably mentioned before in my previous posts), it's always great (and even normal) to be out a few times a week, even mid week for a nice sit down dinner at the bars, enjoying the apperativos or even just having a drink. There even are some pretty decent sushi restaurants/ all you can eat along the way which are great value for money, and quality. On sundays, there are the street markets selling all sorts of things you can imagine.

Even though the city is filled with graffiti, ripped posters, shedding walls that look like they are about to fall apart, there is a certain charm to it all. I don't know if it's because of the strange juxtaposition of the so called "posh" image of italy and the dirt and grit of the streets but it's just interesting.

Particularly if you've been living there for about 3 months, a period which isn't long enough to say you're a proper resident but at the same time, you can't call yourself a tourist so you're kind of wedged in the middle really. You get to experience both the local and tourist lifestyle - the best of both worlds. 

Getting around the city is easy. Pretty much, if you live in the city centre or close, you're able to walk anywhere. Back when I was there, I was probably about 20 minutes away from Colonne and 30 minutes walking from the duomo but there's always something about milan, maybe it's the nice sunny weather, it's never too long for a walk to anywhere. Especially with all the things you see along the way, snacks you eat, gelatos, coffee, while soaking up the sun. I've mainly used the metro, bus and trams to get to places that are further away like the night outs in moscova or garibaldi. 

Another exciting (and not quite legal) bit is tram and train hopping. If you're quick enough or in my case, tiny, you're able to slip through the train barriers and catch a free ride, especially during the late nights when the staff are no longer operating in the little boxes. Same goes for the trams, all you have to do is look out for the tram staff. Once they get on, you just get off the stop. I've spent my last 2 weeks illegally hopping on and off the tram and I have to say, without jinxing myself in the future, everything was fine.

You can't deny there's something equally cool and excitingly dangerous about "riding black". It's funny because, transportation isn't even expensive. For a student under 25, it's just 22 euros a month and it includes all trains, trams and buses within milano. I guess it's just part of the whole milano, typical italian experience of illegally riding the tram without a ticket. 

In general, I don't think costs were too expensive though it did end up adding up to an amount that blew my budget completely. And that's probably the price you pay for the last minute, no planning, plans.

During the evenings, there were events on if you could locate the clubs. I remember one night we were wondering in the streets for a bit before walking all the way to the town centre and just at the bottom of the slopes, we stumbled upon a club in the basement. Definitely one of the crazier ski trips I've been on in awhile, lots of snow and boarding in the day, lots of drinking and partying at night and of course, a rather late start the next day.

Just where we lived, about a minute's walk away was a little cozy family run restaurant that served up some pretty amazing food. I'd never forget that amazing, beautiful of a creature of a panna cotta that I had. Absolute, perfection. I guess it was really, just the excitement of everything, first arriving in milano and immediately taking off on a spontaneous trip for some unplanned skiing, I pretty much ended up living like a king. Splurging the cash wherever.

It wasn't too cold either, rather about a good 3 - 5 degrees on average, maybe dropping to 0 at night but what was amazing was the weather. We had amazing, sunny weather for all 3 days we were there and for those of you who ski, you'd know what I'm talking about. It can't get any better than sunny weather. It was lots of relaxed skiing on the slopes and then stopping off in the middle to one of the cafes for a coffee break. The best was this little rest stop we discovered on our last day. It was situated just on the top of a middle slope of a hill with bean bags lying outside. We ordered a hot chocolate each and I'm not kidding, we had all stripped down to our spaghetti strap tops and t shirts, just chilling on the beanbags with our hot chocolates like it was summer. It was summer, in the snow. It was beyond perfect. I could even just fall asleep right there, and I really, really was tempted to do so.

One thing to take note of, unless you're one of those who can afford to blow about 800 euros on a set of new gear, make sure you pack your own ski clothes. Shocker when we all got there for the first time, they don't do clothes rental. I don't know if it's just cos the people of italy are just that into fashion they've all got their own stuff, but that's a first for me. A ski resort with no clothes rental. Needless to say, we ended up skiing with whatever we had. In my case, it was some leggings, jogging pants, a t shirt, hoodie and a cheap 20 euro goggle I bought in the store.

It was a day trip with a friend of mine where we (hilariously), made the smart? or not, mistake of catching a 7am train from Milano Centrale to Venezia.  

The morning didn't start off too well. Picture this, pouring rain, freezing temperatures and there we were, dressed in shorts, flip flops, tank tops and one jumper. Trains weren't running so we had to catch some very odd buses and didn't even know where we were going. All I can say is, thank god for the creepy local on the bus who helped us find our way to Centrale. Then, we ended up camping at the station for a bit since we got there too early. Oh yeah, we looked like two homeless, soaked, rats. 

We "rode black" for the second time, by just slipping under the barriers and hopping onto a boat to take us to the city square. Only did we realise after, the price of the tickets for the boat per person was actually 18 euros each. So hey, we saved 36 euros in total, not bad I'd say.

Like in most places of italy, you can pretty much get anywhere on foot. It is probably, maybe, better to take the river boats around Venezia or hey, if you're swimming in the money, why not pay a little extra for one of them gondolas. But if you're on a tight budget like us two broke, nomad students, then walking's the best option. It's not too bad and even though you've been walking for ages, it never feels like so because there's so much to see and explore along the way. And trust me, you'd get lost. But that's good. Where better a place to get lost than Venezia, walking from one alley to the next, to the end thinking there'd be a turn but it's just another dead end or canal. 

No doubt, you can just feel the tourist vibes in the air, everywhere. And maybe because we picked one of the rainiest days to head there, but I can imagine the city being an amazing experience on a bright, warm sunny day. 

Particularly when you're walking along the "ports" and main area where you just get off from the boats, you can hear the light sounds of the waves from the sea along with the sea breeze. Then you get the tourist hawker stalls yelling out and the buzz from the distant city square. 

For most of the whole day, the two of us just wandered around the city without a map, just following the little alleys and streets, going wherever they take us. And I really think that's just the best way to get to know a place. Of course you should visit the main points of interests and what not, but it's also great to see the hidden parts of the place that not many people might necessarily think of venturing into.

I just remember towards the end of the day when we both were trying to find our ways back to the beginning, all we would ever say was "dove sei piazza san marco?" or just following whatever sign that pointed towards san marco. But it isn't all that big, and eventually, you somehow find your way back. 

I'd say it definitely is worth a trip there because it is a beautiful place, however, I wouldn't say venezia is one of my top choices for favourite places in italy. Maybe it's the overwhelming, overrated kinda touristy vibes to the place. Or the chilly weather and awful start to our days that will never leave my mind really.

One thing that you absolutely cannot miss while in Verona is Castel San Pietro. It's a little bit of a trek and hike but once you're up on the top, the view is so, worth the effort. You get to sit on the rock barriers, enjoying the light breeze and sun while looking over the entire city. Even this picture doesn't quite do it justice. But no exaggerations here, the view, is simply stunning. And don't be surprised if you find yourself just sitting there for a good while, taking it all in because it's just such a beautiful, beautiful sight.

Like we did in Venezia, the two of us wondered about the city. I'd say compared to Venezia, the word I'd use to describe Verona is historical, whereas Venezia was beautiful. And as usual, we covered all the main points of interest before taking off and getting lost, as expected.

It's definitely much hillier than Venezia and to really get the great views, it is a little of a trek up those hills. I remember when I was dragged to walk up to the Castel San Pietro and from there, across to another hill, simply because my friend wanted to reach "The Cross". Boy was that a trek. And since it was such a warm afternoon, I've never done this before but I actually unbuttoned the bottom buttons of my shirt and tied it to my waist to get some ventilation and heat cooling system going. 

Don't forget to make a quick trip to Juliet's house just for the fun of it too. And remember to have a photo taken with you touching the left, or was it right, boob of the statue. Either way, just get there and do what everyone's doing. Apparently it's like a typical, tourist tradition. 

Another place that's worth a little go see is the main city square Piazza delle Erbe where there are tons of little tourist stalls selling all sorts of knick knacks. I couldn't resist not brining home a little souvenir, one of which I have on everyday around my ankle - some string braided anklet with colours that reminded me of ice cream for some odd reasons. Oh and good tip, if it's a warm day and you need something refreshing and healthy, go for a fruit cup. They're usually about 2.50 euros to 3 euros. Then, after that, make sure you keep the cup because you can just fill it up with water from the public fountains and you save on buying a bottle of water and you're set for the day. Voila.

Other than the fact that you look kind of like a poor homeless traveller like we both did but if it saves me a euro each time I need to buy a bottle of water, why not. And sides, it's much less lighter than chugging round a bottle of water everywhere. Instead, you can just fill it, drink whatever you need and walk around with the cup stuffed in the side of your bag. Perfect. 

I'm pretty sure that there are some amazing restaurants around (let's be honest, as long as you have the money, really you can dine as much like as a king if you want to in italy) but while on this trip, I was on a temporary money budget crisis so we ended up spending just a good few euros on subs and sandwiches that were sold in the market stalls. And they fill you up good and don't taste too bad either. And one more thing, beware, trips to the toilet will cost you 60 cents each time.