Left my heart in Milano

It has been a year since my semester abroad in Milan and I realized I have not made a decent post about the place I called home for almost six months. The following photos are snippets of my life living there.

The iconic Duomo di Milano

View from the top of the Duomo One of the million photos we took in front of the cathedral

The architecture of the Duomo is absolutely stunning. It is easy to understand why this is one of the top landmarks in Milano. It is located in Piazza del Duomo, the main city square that is always buzzing with tourists and locals alike.

Piazza del Duomo

We spent a lot of time in the city square, mainly because the main events were held in this area, naturally. It’s also the best meeting spot with friends when we wanted to go gallivanting around the city. And most importantly, the best shopping is in the piazza, so if we were not travelling elsewhere in Europe, you’d find me and my friends here. 

Naviglio Grande

This is another famous spot in Milano, known for its many aperitivo spots (apparently). We probably did not explore this area enough because we only know of one really good aperitivo spot, Maya, and that’s where we usually go. But a lot of events happen here as well. Once a month, they hold an Antiques market, and the entire street is lined up with vendors selling all sorts of things. During the FIFA Worldcup, they also had a public viewing here. I’d say that was one of the unique experiences I’ve had. The energy was amazing and everyone was cheering for Italy (of course). 
The tram

The tram would be truly memorable for us exchange students in Milano. Not only were they unreliable in terms of time, but it holds regular strikes that will disrupt the entire system that will cause inconvenience to all the commuters. But despite that, I kinda miss these trams. They were, after all, our main transportation around the city plus the Metro, which I did not get a photo of.

Colonne di San Lorenzo

These columns were Roman ruins located in front of a church. I don’t entirely know the history behind these ruins. But, this area is a popular hang out spot for Milanese people. There’s nothing particularly amazing about this place. It is a lively area though. Everyone just hanging out with friends, going for a smoke (one of the main past times), and having some beers.

Stadio San Siro

I am not particularly a huge fan of soccer (or football, in Europe). But when my friends invited us all to watch, I was down for it. It was such a cool experience watching a live game. We watched AC Milan vs. Atletico Madrid. Even though AC Milan lost, the energy in the whole stadium was amazing. Everyone was having a good time. We were all cheering. There was a whole side in the stadium where the fans literally cheered during the entire game. They even prepared some live effects – a fire showcase. I don’t know how they did it.

More of Milan

A few of our many food shenanigans

Probably what I miss most living in Milan are the friends I’ve gained. And one thing we love doing is to EAT. We usually had dinners together, whether it was staying in or going out. We’d sometimes do a potluck or do hotpot, during nights we crave asian. We would take turns hosting, so we would sometimes be at the dorm, or at one of the apartments. There were also lots of sushi places in Milan and, during lunch time, they have a deal for all you can eat for only 20 euros per person. On days we don’t feel like cooking, or we just haven’t done our groceries yet, we’d eat there. And we were considered regulars because we were pretty sure the servers recognize us. We can’t really be discrete about it because we are usually a large group. We also love gelato (who doesn’t?). So we probably get gelato AT LEAST twice a week. I’m probably going to another post on that.

I was pretty ambitious when I first started writing this post. In my head, I was just gonna summarize everything about Milan in one post. It turns out, I don’t think that’s doable. There were too many great memories in Milan and I can definitely say that I left a piece of my heart in that city and, even though it is not your typical Italian city, I will go back.

Vietnamese cuisine in Berlin

After only eating lots and lots of pasta in Italy, we didn’t feel like stuffing ourselves with any more carbs in our Berlin travel. Don’t worry, we still drank beer and tried pretzels and sausages. But, for our main meals, we mostly hit up Vietnamese places. Oddly enough, Berlin is full of really good Vietnamese restaurants. I was quite surprised by that, but apparently, the Vietnamese people are the largest Asian community residing in Berlin. I’m not entirely sure why (sorry I’m challenged in the History department!).

Anyway, here are the restaurants we visited while in the city!

1. Monsieur Vuong

BEST. PLACE. EVER. I might have been just really deprived of good pho then, but this restaurant is probably better than any other pho places that I have been (not just in Berlin). One of our friends who came to the city before us recommended this place so we decided to check it out. It is also ranked high on TripAdvisor and received a Certificate of Excellence in both 2013 and 2014.

It was packed when we arrived, a good sign that the place is indeed a must try. The place had a modernistic vibe but still maintained its Asian character. There was a great, lively atmosphere in the entire restaurant which livened us up too, despite the tiring day that we had. The servers were really nice (always a plus for me!) and very approachable.

For appies, we ordered crispy rolls, which were veggies & shrimp wrapped in something I’m not exactly sure and then deep fried, and a beef salad (if I remember correctly). For mains, we each ordered the classic pho. For drinks, we ordered cocktails. This isn’t exactly a traditional Vietnamese restaurant as they put a bit of a Western twist in their dishes. But I think they’re equally as good. But if you are looking for something more authentic, you might be disappointed with this place. I really enjoyed the food and if I ever come back to Berlin, I will definitely go back to Monsieur Vuong.

2. Lemon Leaf

We just stumbled upon this place when we were heading home from the TRAP game at Szimpla Kaffeehaus. As it was getting dark and we were getting hungry, and because it was Vietnamese, we decided to give it a try. The food was pretty decent. Not as good as Monsieur Vuong’s but, I was surprisingly satisfied with the food. We ordered salad rolls, chicken skewers with peanut sauce, and dumplings for appetizers. For the main dish, I don’t actually remember what I ordered. But it was a combination of chicken and bean sprouts with cilantro in some soup with a side of rice.

3. Saigon and more

This was the very first restaurant we went to as soon as we arrived in Berlin. Hungry and tired, all we wanted to eat is some good pho. My friend and I were a bit disappointed because we were expecting a more traditional Vietnamese food, and it was not. We ordered some salad rolls for appetizers (you can never go wrong with salad rolls with good peanut sauce). For main, my friend went for the classic pho, and I, for some reason, decided to order a different type of noodle soup dish. It had bell peppers and mushrooms in it, which was kinda weird for me. The food did not taste bad though, it was pretty decent. But if you are looking for a more authentic Vietnamese food, I would say Monsieur Vuong is closer to it than this.

Tranquilo: Perissa find

When we were staying in Perissa during our trip in Santorini, my friends and I had our meals mostly at the restaurants nearby our hotel, which is right by the beach side. TripAdvisor, of course, was our restaurant Bible and found this restaurant named Tranquilo as one of the top rated. We first went there for lunch and we were very satisfied!

We ordered everything our server recommended: a Cuttlefish dish, Hummus plate, Fried tomatoes, and Chicken on wild rice (I don’t remember the dishes’ exact names, so this is as close as I’m gonna get). We also ordered shakes to go with our meals, and we were not disappointed. I am pretty bad at describing food, because I end up repeating myself. But the pictures will hopefully tell more about it!

The place itself looked quirky so you wouldn’t miss it if you just happen to walk along the beach. It had bright orange walls, different coloured wooden tables and chairs, and cool music. You can even just order a drink and lounge there while taking a break from your swim in the beach.

We like the place so much that we decided to go back for breakfast there on our last day. I ordered Banana French toast with yogurt. My friends had a Greek-style omelette. And of course, we ordered shakes again.

I highly recommend a visit to this place because they have great food and amazing staff. The people who worked there are laid-back, chill, and approachable. They make your dining experience in Tranquilo quite pleasant as well.

 

 

Kamikaze driving in Sicilia

And I’m down to my very last trip before I left Europe and bid goodbye to my exchange semester. 

I was literally shaking the entire day after experiencing driving around the city of Palermo. I definitely did not do my research before going ahead with the car rental and deciding to drive myself and my friends around Sicily. The excitement of getting my hands on the wheel again after five months overpowered the anxiety that I might have driving in a foreign country (at least it’s not a left hand traffic). But as our plane landed in Sicily, I decided to read briefly on the driving conditions in the region just so I have a bit of preparation before we pick up our rental. Big mistake. Every single link that showed up in my Google search had either the words “kamikaze”, “suicidal”, “terrible”, and any other synonym you could think of in the preview. I was horrified, laughed nervously, and tried to convince myself that I can do it anyway even if I’m not really a stellar driver.

Driving on the highway from the airport wasn’t too bad, I thought. But as soon as we hit the city, I can see why driving in Sicily isn’t the most fun activity. Cars were everywhere and even though there were lanes, everyone decided to ignore it. Traffic rules did not exist. Traffic was terrible. No one was gonna give way so you really have to advance your way in so you can merge into a lane. It immediately reminded me of Manila, except, worst. I’ve driven in the Philippines before. In fact, that’s where I first learned how to drive so it shouldn’t have been a surprise to me. But it’s been four years since I drove there, so I was pretty terrified. I had to force myself to forget all the traffic rules I’ve learned and just had to be aggressive like an Italian driver.

Thankfully, driving became better every day that passed. By our very last day in Palermo, I didn’t need my friends’ guide to get in and out of the narrowest garage gate of the place we stayed in. It had also the narrowest road so I was extra slow and extra careful driving my way towards the house. Also, my friend is the best living GPS ever (sorry I can’t think of anything better to call you, Jen, but it is a compliment!). In fact she’s so much better than the GPS that the driving was less stressful. The Satellite Navigation we rented (which cost us a bit too) was unreliable and unnecessary as we had our phones too anyway.

Driving was an adventure

Our initial plan was to drive our way across Sicily, starting from Palermo and then all the way to Catania. But we ditched the idea after finding out that flying out from Catania back to Milan was very expensive. So we resorted to staying in the city of Palermo and just doing day trips from there. We stayed at a house we found on airbnb. The owners were really accommodating and very nice, but the location was quite far from the city centre so driving was a necessity.

The streets of Palermo

The seaside

Fontana Pretoria

Fontana Pretoria was previously referred to as Fontana della Vergogna, or the “fountain of shame” because of the nude sculptures surrounding the foot of the fountain. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get a closer look of the fountain because the gate was locked.

One of the main things we (more so me) really wanted to do was just drive up to all the beaches. Sicily has apparently some of the nicest beaches in Italy. So we did just that. Our first stop was Mondello beach, which was only about a 30 minute drive from Palermo. As soon as we saw a hint of the beach, I started freaking out. I was stunned by how pretty it was. I couldn’t stop gushing about how amazing the beach looked. It had different shades of blue, turquoise, and aqua (I’m pretty sure they’re all the same colours). I can’t really describe it properly as I’m not very good with words. But the pictures will describe themselves!

Mondello Beach

The other side of Mondello

We went to Agrigento next, a 2-hour drive from Palermo, but I think it took us possibly 3 hours because I wasn’t driving like an Italian. There, we visited the Valley of the Temples, where the ruins/remains of seven temples lie. We also visited the Scala dei Turchi, a limestone rock formation on Realmonte. It was only a 20 minute drive from Agrigento so we decided to visit anyway. It was pretty cool because the rock was all white due to all the calcium it contained (I think) and the unique formation look like steps, hence the name (translated into English: Stairs of the Turks).

Valley of the Temples

Scala dei Turchi

My friends and I found out that one of the best beaches in Italy is San Vito Lo Capo located in Trapani. It was another 2-hour drive from Palermo. By this time, I was getting the hang of driving in Sicily. The views during the drive was pretty amazing too, so I couldn’t complain. When we arrived in San Vito Lo Capo, we were stunned by the beauty of the sea. I already thought Mondello was beautiful. But San Vito Lo Capo is definitely better. The water is very clear and had the perfect shades of blue. It was definitely more touristy though. But I love the beach so much, even until the time we had to leave, I could not take my eyes off it. Aside from the beach though, there was nothing else to do in the town. I wasn’t complaining.

San Vito Lo Capo

As if we were not satisfied with all the beaches that we’ve been to, we also decided to drive to Cefalù, which is still in the province of Palermo. We walked around the small town visiting the Cathedral (known for its apse painted gold with the picture of Jesus), ate lunch, and ‘hiked’ up the rocky mountain to see the 360 degree view of the town. Towards the end of the day, we just chilled by the beach and watched people dance (we think it was Zumba that they were doing) and have fun in the water.

The town of Cefalù

Back in Palermo, we also visited Teatro Massimo, an opera house where scenes of the film The Godfather III were shot (I need to get on finishing the first movie). The last photo is of another random church that we saw while strolling the streets of the city.

Teatro Massimo

After five days in the island, our trip is over. I was pretty proud of myself surviving the drive around the region. I was the lone driver during the entire trip. And even though I was stressed out the first day, I managed (of course with the help of my awesome friends). I was pretty relieved though that I did not push through with renting a stick (because it was cheaper) and just opted with the automatic rental (even though it was SOOO much expensive and harder to book) because it probably would have been extra stressful, considering I have not driven a manual for years. This trip is also one of my favourites, not just because of the amazing beaches, but because it was truly an adventure going on a road trip with awesome people 🙂

Sott’er cielo di Roma

Rome is absolutely beautiful! Unlike other cities I’ve been in Italy, everywhere you go in Rome is picture worthy. I’m so glad I was able to get a chance to visit this city because a visit in the country is really incomplete without visiting its capital city (did I just use the word ‘visit’ 3 times in this sentence??).

I do understand how some people can be put off after visiting. As soon as I stepped out of the train, I was overwhelmed by the many many many people everywhere. I took the train from Milan alone as I was meeting my friends from Calgary who were doing their grad trip all over Europe. I was a bit paranoid after hearing stories from other friends who’ve been to the city that there were way more pickpocketers in Rome than Milan. Getting on the metro was a challenge, you have to sort of push your way in because it was really packed. And I had a backpack on, so I was just alert the entire time, making sure no one was making a pass at it (not that they were gonna get anything really valuable from it, as I really just had clothes enough for the trip). My friends and I walked most of the time for the rest of the trip, so we really didn’t have to deal much with the craziness in the metro (just everywhere else).

We visited all the main attractions and just took our time walking around and not packing our day with too many activities. It was also really hot when we were there as it was the peak of the summer, so it was already tiring just being outside.

Piazza Navona

Pantheon

Spanish steps

Roman Forum

Colosseum

Villa d’Este

(Please don’t judge me) The whole time my friends and I were in Villa d’Este, all I can think about in my head are the Lizzie Mcguire scenes. If you watched the Lizzie Mcguire movie, some of their scenes were shot in this villa. It’s a massive estate used to be owned by Ippolito d’Este, grandson of the Pope Alexander VI. The villa is more known for its gardens, as you can see from the photos above, their very pretty.

The Vatican City

I am very happy to have had the chance to visit the Vatican City. Unfortunately, I missed the weekly appearance of the Pope. He speaks on Wednesdays and Sundays, I think. I arrived in Rome on a Wednesday, but I missed him by 2 hours. And then I left the city on a Sunday, very early in the morning, and I think he celebrates mass at noon. So close! But I will definitely come back and explore more of the city, maybe in a more slow-paced manner. My friend and I pre-booked out museum tickets. And after waiting in line for a long time, we didn’t realize until after that we were in the wrong place, so we had to make our way back to the real line for the museum. I was quite disappointed as to how crowded the museum was. There too many tour groups. My friend and I decided to just get the audio guide so we can explore the place at our own pace. But it was too hard to concentrate and really appreciate everything when all we can focus on is not to bump to other people when walking or not to hold up a line because other people would want to pass. Other than that, I was in awe the whole time I was in the Vatican. As a Catholic, it’s probably one of the most important places to visit, and I am so glad I was able to go.

We stayed in the city for only 4 full days, and there are definitely a lot more sights to see. But I think it was enough for us to see all the main attractions. BUT, it was pretty disappointing that every single one of them had some sort of scaffolding. Just my luck, Rome is somehow in a renovating spree. The Spanish Steps, the Colosseum, the Vatican City, and the one I’m most disappointed about: the Trevi fountain. The whole fountain is closed off, you can’t even go near it. I was pretty sad about that. I was hoping to toss a coin in (just like how Lizzie Mcguire did HAHA).

 Pretty sad. But then, definitely a reason to come back!

Arbeit macht frei

While we were in Kraków, we didn’t miss the opportunity to visit the Auschwitz I and Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps. I could not describe the feeling while we were touring the camps. It was definitely a lot to take in, that we bear heavy hearts as we walked around. It was terrifying to hear about the extreme torture that had been put upon the prisoners. Everything was taken from these people, even their dignity. It made me reflect on the simple things that I complain about every day.

Auschwitz 1

This is a pond of human remains

The really tiny coach that transported hundreds of prisoners to the concentration camp

Auschwitz-Birkenau

Kraków, Poland

I’d be totally honest, I was least excited about this trip because Kraków was never on my list of places to check out while in Europe. I’m not big into history and I wasn’t sure what to expect checking out this city.

The trip turned out to be way better than I expected though. I was surprisingly delighted about the city. And everything was cheap! Plus, there was so much to learn about the history about the place. And yes, I did say I wasn’t big into history, but it was kinda fascinating to learn about what happened in the past and how the city came to be, especially during the World War II.

The city looked like it came out of a fairytale. It kind of reminded me of Bruges, except Kraków is bigger. The hostel my friends and I stayed at was close in proximity by the Old Town so we were just able to walk to it every day. We didn’t have to worry about taking transit except when we did tours.

Old town was really lively and busy. Everyone pretty much hangs out in Old town because it’s also lined up with a variety of restaurants and shops. The Main Market Square, or Rynek Główny, is located in the centre of Old Town. Inside are numerous stalls selling ever kind of knick knack you can think of. I bought a wooden jewelry box for for 18 Zloty, which is about $6 CAD! St. Mary’s Basilica is located across the Main Market Square. It’s a very tall church with two towers. Every hour, a trumpet signal is played. From outside, you can see the trumpet player as they peek out of the window of the tower.

Main Market Square

Old Town

From Old Town, you can easily walk to the Wawel Royal Castle, residence of the royals of Poland. We didn’t go into any of the state rooms or museums, but just being inside the castle grounds, it was very nice. We went during a nice sunny day, which was perfect for photos. The colours of the building popped out because of the sunshine, so it was a really nice day to just walk around the grounds.

Wawel Royal Castle

My friends and I also decided to check out Wieliczka Salt Mine (don’t ask me how to pronounce that, because I honestly have no idea). It’s a bit outside of the city, so we took a private tour bus to get there. It is one of the oldest salt mines in the world, and I believe it is still running up to this date. It is a massive area, and it’s pretty cool to see what’s in the mine. I would have liked to see more real time action though. We saw mostly stuff that you’d see in a museum, not what was actually happening in the mine, but I guess it was for safety purposes that we really can’t check out the people working in the mines.

This is a Cathedral inside the salt mine!

Salt Mine

 While in Kraków, my friends and I actually did two different walking tours: Old Town and Jewish Quarter. That’s really how we got to explore the city because we wouldn’t know where to go otherwise. They were really informative tours and we got to check out the main attractions. I got excited to see where the late Pope John Paul II used to live. I almost forgot that he was Polish. Just walking along the cobblestone streets and looking at the buildings of the city was already pretty fascinating. The whole city is full of character and very much alive, doesn’t matter if it’s raining or shining.

During the Jewish Quarter tour, we got to see some iconic places that were featured in movies. If you have watched Schindler’s List, you’ll probably be familiar with the next few photos!

Of course, we couldn’t leave Poland without tasting any of their vodka! We went to one of the vodka bars in the city and just sampled a few (more like 12) of the flavours they had. Prior to visiting, I didn’t know Poland was known for its vodka. But as soon as we walked around the city, it is pretty prominent that they are known for their vodka. And who am I to miss this opportunity?? I would have to say my favourite flavour is the hazelnut one! I actually bought a small bottle to bring home! 

Lago di Como

Took me 5 months living in Milan before I got to check out the famous Lake Como. It’s just that I kept waiting for the best time to go in terms of weather, but it was never good timing. And since I only had a few days left before my exchange ends, I just had to go. My friends and I didn’t really do much. It was a chill trip to the lake; just sat around eating gelato.

 

Roadtrippin’ along Côte d’Azur

 

I don’t remember much from this trip because it was such on a whim, and it was the quickest trip ever. My friends and I rented a car and drove (well, my friend did) for about 5 hours from Milan to Nice. It was supposed to be only 3 hours, but traffic was crazy by the border. We stayed there over night and the next day, drove to Antibes and passed by Monaco on our way back. Those two days were definitely jam-packed, we didn’t even have time to go to St. Tropez.

Nice

Antibes

Monaco

Adventures in Greece: Athens

We were not exactly planning to stop by Athens during our trip in Greece. We’ve heard from other people (and also from reading reviews) that Athens is overrated. Apparently is was dirty and there was nothing to do there except visit the Acropolis. I’ve heard terrible stories finding good accommodation in the city too, so my friends and I decided to skip the city when were planning the trip. But, it turned out, we had to catch the ferry from Santorini to Athens, and from there we had to take a train back to Thessaloniki to catch our flight back to Milan. It was the only way we can design our return trip back to Italy.

The boat ride took about 7 hours. It wasn’t too bad. Not a lot of people took the ferry at that time (we had to leave Santorini at 1 am), so we had plenty of room. We arrived in Athens about 7 in the morning. From the port, we took the train to the main city. We had about 3 hours to kill, so after having breakfast, we decided to check out the Acropolis.

Lucky us, we had our European university IDs, so our entrance was free. The hike up to the Acropolis was pretty exhausting, especially if you’re carrying a heavy backpack, and it was scorching hot outside! It was packed during that day, so we also couldn’t get through the crowd easily. When we got to the top, there were lots of renovations going. And the Parthenon was in scaffolding! We didn’t have enough time to go to every structure, but in the end we were not disappointed that we missed it. We were all so tired and we were just happy to have a glimpse  of the ancient city. After all, we didn’t plan on going there in the first place. So having seen a bit of Athens and its main attraction was good enough for me.