Milan was not intended destination but a convenient stopover for the next leg of our journey. I had not heard anyone ever say how wonderful Milan was but I had not heard anything bad either. We had less than 24 hours in the city and I intended to use it wisely by eating a giant pasta meal and hitting the major sites.
Arriving later in the afternoon on our hour bus ride from the airport Jon and I were conveniently dropped off at the central station. Instead of paying the few dollars for the train we opted to walk the mile to our hotel with our backpacks. It turns out that there were several New Generation hostels in the city, nowhere near each other, and we had just walked to the wrong one. Before trekking to the opposite side of the city we carried our backpacks straight to the nearest restaurant and gorged ourselves with pasta.
The next day we had several hours in the morning to sightsee before catching our train. Jon decided to join me, which was unusual as he typically opted out of the city sightseeing. After we lost an hour waiting in a long line at the train station to store our backpacks we were finally off to the center. Of course, as soon as we got there Jon had to pee and did not want to separate so we both spent a half hour searching for a restroom. I was thrilled to finally be standing in front of the Duomo where I was again disappointed by the crowds and extremely long lines. And forget about seeing the last supper which needs to be booked months in advance.
Gingerbread like Duomo.
Spectacular windows of the Duomo.
We did however get to marvel at the massive Duomo, walk through the impressive Galleria, and take a spin on the floor mosaic of the bull for luck. Should we have spent more time here? No, I think the highlights of Milan can comfortably be seen in one day with a little planning and an early start. Save you time for the Italian lakes, art focused Florence, historical Rome or better yet my favorite Cinque Terre.
Dome on the Galleria.
Spinning on the bull.
Where we stayed, New Generation Hostel Urban Citta Studi, we had a room with bunk beds with a bathroom for $40 a night just outside the city center. The common areas were sparse but fantastically decorated and the staff were friendly and helpful. The rooms were furnished straight out of a college dorm. In fact, I would not be surprised if the hostel was a converted dorm with all the furniture remaining the same. Breakfast of a coffee and croissant was included in the price.
Journey with Christina 