Only pictures

I figured I can give you a post only with pics, so here they come!

More days in Italy

It's been almost 3 full days and I have a feeling that if I don't write this post now, I will forget all the little details which are the main ingredients here. Thank you guys for the comments and support; I will try today to add some pics (there will be more coming to facebook; I just need to find the time...). You might be laughing but now I have close to 600 pics from Italy and I've been here for 2 full days and 1 night (which did not include any pics). So I think you see the challenge :).

OK, on Wednesday I ventured in Milano on my own. You'd think that living in the US (and, by t

hat, I mostly mean that I went there completely unprepared) has gotten me ready for foreign lands, adventures and the unknown in general. Well, not really. Starting from getting lost in the metro, which by the way is just like the on

e

in DC -- yellow, green and red lines with signs everywhere -- to looking stupidly at people who talk to me in Italian....I have started saying a few words -- grazie, chao, prego -- the easy and usual stuff. Some

don't even do that so I'm advancing :).

I started with the Duomo which according to Wiki took 5 centuries to complete and is the fourth biggest cathedral in the world (found a website that said the third...). Hold you breath, here comes a pic! Really taking a long time....

details in the marble stones and seems to unbelievably huge that I kept thinking for hours: how is this possible?! As cliché as it might sound, every time I see some monumental work (esp if it was done centuries ago) I can't help but marvel at people's capabilities. Not sure if the pictures give it any justice -- it's best if you can come and check it out in person.Anyway, I discovered very soon that getting into the cathedral with my skirt and tank top is impossible -- have to get more dressed in the heat to be able to look at it from the inside. Was able though to get on the roof -- which might be even more breathtaking! The cathedral is like

nothing I've seen before. It has so many

We will come back later to the Duomo if I have any more words left. I sat at nice cafe and had cappuccino with a croissant -- felt so European! :) The birds here are very daring -- picture of the sparrow that almost took away my croissant. Walking in Milano is great!

The streets are small and covered with coble stones (good luck if you have even the smallest heels..); there are so many cute restaurants and cafes; so many cute buildings with nice façades. You get the picture why my camera died very early that day. In two words - visited some nice historic places, had a great salad for lunch, got very exhausted in the sun and around 7 or so was ready for apperitivo. Apperitivo here is something like a happy hour in US but better. You pay for a drink and then can eat some really good appetizers which are displayed on the bar! The appetizers are included and you can have as many as you want! When is this idea coming to DC?!
I'm wondering at this point if I should stop here and make some more entries as this one is getting very long....Maybe that's what I will do. Ah, some last words. Can't help but mention Italian men... Very bold and daring. No more comments here.

First Days

This blog is inspired by a special person who is blogging from Honduras (go Amy!) and also undertaking a completely new adventure (even though she is not planning to stay and live in Honduras and change her life like me; at least not for now). The idea comes from the fact that, as most of you know, I decided to leave my comfortable life in the US (nine years!) and jump into the unknown in the EU. Even though I am a EU citizen I feel so out of place here that it makes me want to get on the next plane to known DC....

Anyway, I will be spending some time in Spain and hopefully get a job as an English teacher. As of right now I am in Milan, Italy visiting a very dear friend and enjoying the city. My adventure started from the moment I got to Sofia airport. Luggage and weight restrictions are pretty bad but after being stressed for a few hours and wondering what I can throw away (paying the extra pounds/kilos is out of the question), it all turned out great. Our flight was an hour late thus everything from there on became an adventure which I didn't expect.

I arrived at the airport in Milan and after a few moments of confusion asked for "the metro." It is of course on the other terminal and it is not a metro but a plain train. I missed it by 1 min so now I'm 1.5 hrs late for my meeting with Tania in the centre of Milan. My phone does not work so I'm hoping she is there waiting patiently for me (I do not even the address). The train takes almost an hour. From there I have to take the metro (green line :). Buying a ticket is easy -- the machine has English! From there though I need help. People are very helpful and speak English. There is usually only 1 escalator going up so I have to go down a flight of stairs -- you might not realize this but I have a big suitcase which weighs 23 kilos, a carry-on which is at least 15 kilos and a big laptop bag (at least 10 kilos). So the girl who took me to my train was very very helpful and took the carry-on while I started working on my upper body muscles (I have no idea what is coming later).

I finally get to the station where Tania is supposed to be waiting for me but she is nowhere to be found. The roads here are just like in BG even worse -- pavements, big stones, no consideration for handicapped. I only say this because trying to wheel a huge suitcase and a carry on is close to impossible.... I try very unsuccessfully some payphones -- it is all in Italian and when I finally get to English, the phone says something in Italian and I start from the beginning. After 20 mins I ask a guy for help who also tries very unsuccessfully and in the end gives me his phone to send her a text. Not sure if it will work.....After 5 mins I see a familiar face and Tania is here!!!!! I'm saved and will not sleep at the station! :)

From there we go for nice wine then off to leave the baggage and a quick change. The flat is on the 4th floor and there is no elevator in the old building -- more muscles for me! And then it's dinner time! Of course the first course I try is....pizza!!!!!!!!! Was goood! The night was over around 1am. The window in the bedroom (the flat is actually 1 dining room and kitchen together plus something like a loft but smaller) stay open the whole night and overlooks a very busy street. In the early hours there is a deafening noise from broken glass which turns out to be the trash truck for recycled glass.....No further comment here.

This is where I stop and I take your comments -- like the idea, blog, no?! Stay tuned for more! Plus pics too.