Me Love Milan + Getting to Know Genoa

Now here’s a legit Italian blog post! I’m currently on a bus from Venice to Florence and have more than two hours to kill still. So let’s do something productive, since it’s super foggy out and there’s not much to see in the countryside anyhow.

I’ll start from the beginning. My flight landed in Milano Malpensa, and there was fortunately a Deutsche Bank ATM in the arrival area – which is part of the Global ATM Partner Alliance along with ScotiaBank, meaning I can withdraw cash without paying fees! Travel hacks, you know. I stayed in a hostel nearish to the train station, so it was easy enough to get to. An hour’s walk from the downtown/centro storico, though. Irksome, but all the other places to stay were equally far away, so it’s cool. Milano Hostel wasn’t that nice. No frills, I guess: bunk beds, thin pillows, no common area, no breakfast included. Not even a free map! But for two nights it was okay. The first one, though, I had a guy in my room who snored like a truck. It was horrendous. That’s what happens with hostel life sometimes, though!

I’ve heard that Milan is snobby, expensive, and not at all that nice, so I only planned to spend a day there. It was better than what others made it seem like, though! So it exceeded my expectations. I started the day with a traditional Italian breakfast (colazione?), which consists of a milky espresso drink and a filled croissant, which they call brioche. I figured I should try it out, even if I don’t care for sweets and prefer heartier breakfasts. Didn’t like it much, so since then, I’ve been favouring more savoury bread products – foccace, pizze, that kind of thing.

Then I wandered downtown and spent the entire day meandering about. I walked through the Public Gardens, which had a little fair set up for the holidays. Cute. I popped in the entrance to the Modern Art Museum to take a peek, and only learned after that entry was actually free that day, since it was the first Sunday of the month. Shame, but there will be no dearth of art to see the rest of my trip. Milan’s number one attraction is its famed Duomo, which I then located next. It’s beautiful, definitely. Hewn in white marble with countless spires pointing skyward. Enormous as well – I think it’s the largest in Italy, or at least it was at the time of its construction. I managed to gain free entry into it as well, after 5pm, because of “the celebration.” That’s what the employees told me, but nobody explained what the occasion was, so…

Inside, it was just like any other cathedral. Impressive in its size and scale, of course, with some luxury art near the altar. How jaded do I sound? Traveling around a Catholic country means that the top spots to see in each city are often monumental, ornate basilicas. Since I’m not religious or particularly interested in history, I tire of them quickly. That might be ignorant to say, but I’ve seen innumerable churches in my lifetime – especially exploring Spain in June 2014, another very Christian nation – so it’s old hat for me. Anyhow! The piazza outside the Duomo was also nice to see. It had a Christmas tree set up, thousands of people milling around (and this is the low season!), and pigeons everywhere. If you stood in the middle of a flock of them and put your arms out, they would often perch on them, hoping for a snack. It was adorable, actually, and made for some good selfies! Ha.

This year was a great time to visit Milan as well, since they had their World Expo earlier this year. It was serendipitous to realize this, too – it’s not like I planned it that way or anything. Another happy accident.

What else did I do? I visited the Castello Sforzesco, which had an art gallery and some cool exhibits. Their most famous is Michelangelo’s Pietà, his later production which depicts Mary and Jesus as tall and waifish being almost fused together, in contrast to his typical style that features muscular and robust bodies. The queue to see it was long, though (especially because it was free museum day!), so I skipped it. I wandered around the Parco Sempione afterwards, saw the Torre Branca, the Peace Gate, and the Arena Civica. I went through the 900 Museum, another art gallery with a staircase similar to the Guggenheim one in NYC, that included a section on futurism that interested me. I got free panettone and hot chocolate at the end, too, which was great – probably for the mysterious “celebration.” The drink was authentic chocolate, too, not just Swiss Mix. It tasted like melted dark chocolate, and for the reason, I enjoyed it.

After the sun set, I made sure to try the famous “aperitivo” I heard about. So I headed to Trattoria Toscana, which a National Geographic article recommended, and ordered a spritz, as Laura, my Italian flatmate, instructed me to do. It’s Aperol (a sour, slightly alcoholic aperitif) mixed with white wine, so it’s all booze. After walking around all day and not eating too much, it hit me much harder than I expected. Alone in a strange city where I don’t (really) speak the language, intoxication isn’t desirable. The best thing about aperitivo, though, is the fact that they have a whole buffet you can help yourself to, included in the price of a drink! Thank goodness for that. I ate my fill – crostini, foccace, eggplant parmigiana, croquettes, pasta, chicken wings, zucchini, yummm – and it was the perfect way to end a long day. The bar had a great atmosphere, very swanky. I loved being there, though it would’ve been better with a buddy. Ah well. You can’t have it all.

I finished the night by walking along the city’s canals (which were dug to transport all the marble necessary for the Duomo) and slowly meandering back to the hostel. It was grey and overcast all day long, but fortunately it didn’t rain or wasn’t that cold. You gotta take the good with the bad. I liked Milan, though I’m not sure if it really wowed me. But that’s okay.

Then the next day, I took the train to Genova, checked into my hostel, and tried to get myself to Cinque Terre. People also told me that Genoa wasn’t worth a visit, so I aimed to spend the day in CT and then lightly explore Genoa at night before crashing. But that didn’t happen for numerous reasons. The National Park of Cinque Terre is an hour and a half form Genova – much farther than I first thought – and it was already 11:30 by the time I arrived to the Manena Hostel. I still tried to steam ahead with my plan, though – bought my train ticket and rushed to the platform, only to find out that it was cancelled. What? Why? And the next one wouldn’t get me to Cinque Terre until 3pm, and since the sun starts descending around 4:30, that’s clearly not enough time.

Super frustrating that the train was cancelled just like that, with no apologies from Trenitalia. Really threw a monkey wrench in my plan. So instead, I spent the day wandering through Genoa. It was difficult to navigate, since the streets are narrow, winding, and confusing. All part of the charm, though! The Antico Porto is the most touristy area, with its famous aquarium, a mall, overpriced restaurants, Il Museo della Mare, the biosphere, and something called “Il Bigo,” which is this octopus-looking contraption in the water that hoists paying tourists maybe 50 feet in the air, allowing for panoramic views of the harbour and city. Too pricey for me, obviously, so instead I trekked up to a lookout the hostel receptionist told me about. I love miradours like that; it was fantastic. He also recommended I take the funicular to its last stop for even better views of the city, so I did that too… Except there was no real platform to look out from, so trees and buildings obscured the views. Disappointing. It was dusk at the time, too, which made the city lights twinkle and glow, but it also means that when I was walking back down to the main area, it was dark and easier to get lost. Descending all those stairs was murder on my calves, too – I was pretty far high up on the hill.

So when I finally reached an area I recognized, it was definitely time for some dinner. I wanted to go to one of those places offering a “complete menu” for €10, but the guy from the hostel discouraged this. I struggled to find the restaurant he recommended, and I located it after fifteen difficult minutes… Only to find out it’s closed on Mondays. Okay, cool. So I decided, forget what he said, and I schlepped back to a bar I passed earlier in the day that had one of these touristic menus. And it was wonderful. Genoa is the city that created pesto, so I had to get that for my first course. Phenomenal, of course – I love me some pesto. And for the second (which is always a meat or fish course here in Italia, whereas the primi piatti are pastas or more traditional appetizers like antipasti or bruschetta), I had pollo al forno con patati. That is, roasted chicken with potatoes – and they gave me an entire half chicken, plus the pasta, plus a bottle of water and an espresso to finish, all for €9.90! How can other restaurants really compete with that? Sure, the food wasn’t anything transcendent, and the place wasn’t the fanciest, but I definitely enjoyed it all after another tiring day.

Then I headed back to the hostel, made some friends in Californian Katie and Sydneysider James, journaled a bit, then had a blissful sleep on super comfortable beds. It was restorative.

Alright, 1670 words later, and I’m sure you’re all tired of reading at this point. I’ll try to be briefer in my next updates – which will be on Cinque Terre, Verona, and maybe Venice, all places I really loved. So for now, I might take a nap, before (finally) reaching Florence, my #2 destination for this year! Yay!

Amore,

– Jefe

Loving London & Tips for Frugal Travel

Yo!

So my two heavy classes are behind me, I caught up as much as I could with the reading for them, and now I have the time to update you on London! So let’s dive right in, shall we? Also, I did four days in London, purportedly one of the most expensive cities worldwide, for only ~£160, all-inclusive, so I’ll let you know how I did that too!

As my flight was very early on Thursday morning, I tried to go to bed at a reasonable hour on Wednesday. Didn’t work out so well, and waking up at 3:45am wasn’t great. I left the house and walked in the chilly, foggy weather downtown, truly worried that I would get jumped on the way. After all, I’ve heard from several people that Glasgow is the “stab capital” of the world. For some reason, that didn’t appear in the brochures and materials I received to welcome me to the city, ha. Fortunately, that didn’t happen, and I managed to locate the bus stop for the airport shuttle too (£9 return). It was spooky waiting for it, though – the whole town dead, dark, and enshrouded in mist.

I arrived at the airport, breezed through security, and after waiting for my gate to be announced on the screen (something that I’ve never experienced in other countries, but this happened in London on the way back, too), headed to my gate. I flew Ryanair, which is, like, aggressively no-frills. No chairs to sit in at the gate, space for advertisements on the back of the headrests and on the overhead compartments, not much legroom, and no drinks served at all! Coffee cost £2.50 (or more than $5 Canadian…) – and was only instant, too! Yuk. BUT that’s all okay, because it’s a hella affordable airline. Booked my tickets only two days in advance (#yolo) and still only paid £51 return. Not bad!

What I didn’t realize, though – and this is the kicker – is that the flight was to London Stansted, which happens to lie >40 miles away away from Central London. Definitely not ideal, and learning that was a nasty shock. Whatever, I rolled with it. Took a bus to Liverpool station for £15 round-trip, which is typically only an hour but took two on the way in due to traffic. It was a good time to catch up on some sleep, anyhow.

Over the next four days, I seized the day, lived it to the fullest. Walked around so damn much (like 10 miles a day) and spent a lot of time outside. People told me that you needed more time to really see and feel London, but I think my intense touring and let’s-go attitude gave me the full experience. So what did I do, and how did I save money?

First off, I slept on my friend’s floor for the four nights. Literally on the floor, that is, without a proper pillow or blankets. I made a “mattress” out of his laundry, a pillow from my backpack + rolled up clothes, an eye mask out of a t-shirt, and my leather jacket + a towel formed my blanket. It may sound spartan and uncomfortable AF, but it actually wasn’t that bad! Plus, I got to see and spend time with an old good friend – Taylor Steele – and his flat was located very centrally, in the Holborn area. I didn’t need to mess around with the Tube or waste time commuting, so that was fantastic. And he had a kitchen, which cut down on food costs. Which brings to my next point.

At the Visitors’ Centre, I asked where I could go to find cheap eats – if there was a neighbourhood known for that or anything, as I’ve found in other cities. And the woman said, no lie, “Well, nowhere. Everything’s expensive.” She advised me to buy food at grocery stores, and that’s exactly what I did. Every morning, I purchased a cheap latte to accompany the baguette + brie that I got for only £2 at a foodshop and enjoyed them in nice green spaces I found (the Victoria Enbankment, Russells Square, St Paul’s Gardens, etc). I sat in the sun, munched on my sandwich, and read from A Little Life, which I brought in my backpack every day, even if it was a 700+ page, hardcover extravagance. I loved this ritual so much – especially since it’s October and I won’t be able to spend time outside like this for much longer. It was phenomenal.

I also took advantage of the £3 meal deal Sainsburys offers (sandwich + candy bar + drink), the discounted section in Tesco (53p for a salmon and cucumber sandwich), four apples I got for £1, and a £1.50 frozen pizza one night for sustenance. While I definitely wanted to eat more and enjoy a nice meal in a restaurant, this was kind of an experiment to see how cheap I could make the trip. Plus, I would rather spend my money on attractions I really want to do instead of mindlessly throwing it away at overpriced restaurants. And as some of you know, I value asceticism and the actual feeling of hunger, so I didn’t mind tightening my belt for a couple days.

Now for the interesting part – the sites and sights I experienced in my four days in England! I capitalized upon many of the free attractions that London offered – the Tate Modern Art Gallery (I do love pop art, and they had an exhibit on it, yay!), the British Museum (absolutely enormous and thorough – way too much to see in one visit), the Museum of London (more intriguing to me than the previous two, since it covered the history of the city, including the Plague, the Great Fire, fashion, and the Olympics, all subjects that interest me greatly), and even the Guildhall Gallery, although it was closed the day I went. I walked through Hyde Park and along the Serpentine, appreciating the simple beauty of such a grand green space that everyone was enjoying that day. The Princess Diana Memorial was particularly moving for me – unorthodox, sure, but stilI elegant and attractive. It was extremely fortunate that there was great weather the entire time I was in London – sunny and warm. Uncharacteristic for the city, maybe, but I was definitely pleased about it.

And of course I went around to all the famous buildings and structures that are free to view from the outside, too. St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Monument (to the Great Fire of London), Downing Street, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, the London Eye, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Cleopatra’s Needle, Tower of London, the Royal Courts, the original Bank of England, all the iconic skyscrapers – the Gherkin, the Cheesegrater, the Walkie-Talkie, the Shard, the Lloyd’s Building, and, less interestingly, the Heron Tower and 42 Tower. I loved seeing the stately bridges as well, and I was especially excited to see Tower Bridge and the Millennium Bridge, the former with memories of Spice World and the latter recalling when dementors surrounded it in The Deathly Hallows. The Jubilee Bridge was eye-catching too, and I appreciated Westminster Bridge for its phenomenal views/photo ops of the London Eye and Big Ben. As for the Thames, though – no, ew. It was brown and murky. No me gusta.

What else? I wandered through several of the markets people recommended, which were cool enough, and I was attracted by the Clink Museum, which inhabits the original and famous London prison. Of course I had to check out Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, and Trafalgar Square as well. Trafalgar I didn’t really like – they had an NFL rally the weekend I was there, if you can believe it, so much of the plaza was blocked off and obscured by inflatables and stages. Tacky. The other two I enjoyed, though. Piccadilly reminded me of Times Square, with its large, curved billboards, but Taylor told me the Leicester was more akin to it. Either way, they both hummed with life, featured nice statues, and had buskers and street performers to keep things interesting. I even got to see the actual Aston Martin that Daniel Craig/James Bond drives in the upcoming Spectre, at a cinema in Leicester Square. Pretty damn cool.

And, since I’m such a Harry Potter fanboy AND a Quidditch lover, I absolutely visited Kings Cross station, even if it was out of the way. The Platform 9 3/4 attraction they had was adorable (and free, importantly), and, naturally, I went with the Slytherin scarf. Only because of my physical similarity to Draco, though – I think I’m more a Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, personally. Even the gift shop was charming, so cute. I loved it. Much more my speed than another art gallery.

As you probably know (but I didn’t prior to my trip), London is well-known for its theatre scene, which is on par with NYC’s Broadway. And just like the Big Apple, London had a TKTS booth offering discounted but legitimate tickets. So, inspired by and following in my mother’s footsteps (from when we went on various day trips to Manhattan together), I took full advantage of this. Taylor and I went to a matinee of The Woman in Black, a ghost story that has been performed in London’s West End for 25 years already (and also adapted into a film with Daniel Radcliffe, which I haven’t seen), and only paid £12.75 for our seats. They were in the top balcony, granted, but in the first row of it, and I was able to see and hear everything. It was such an amazing experience, definitely my favourite thing I did in London. The theatre itself looked Victorian, and walking down to my seat gave me vertigo, which just contributed to the eerie/authentic atmosphere of the whole production. I even splurged and bought myself a coffee (more than $5 for a tiny cup of just filtered coffee, nothing espresso-based, whatever), and I just loved everything about those two hours. The play was phenomenal, of course – meta horror, which is one of my favourite things, in addition to good acting and great storytelling. Being there made me feel like my (late) grandfather, actually – attending the theatre in Europe, enjoying the simple pleasure of drinking coffee – and I really relished this sensation. I miss him.

The other big thing I did on trip was also kinda an extravagance – I splurged by going to the London Dungeon. I hemmed and hawed about it, wondering if I should really drop £23 (like $50 Canadian) on something so touristy that only lasted an hour and a half… But the macabre history of London interests me so much, I love horror movies and their kin, and I feel like I would’ve regretted it if I chose not to go. And I’m definitely happy I got my past my frugality and did it, because it was a lot of fun. We got to learn about Jack the Ripper (serial killer), the torture at the Tower of London, the Guy Fawkes plot to blow up Parliament, Florence Cook (possessed girl/medium), and the Plague. AND there were two rides included: a boat ride similar to Pirates of the Caribbean and a mini drop tower. I also love thrill rides, so that was another selling point. Typically, there’s a tableau on Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett, but that was replaced by the scariest part of the experience, the Séance with Florence Cook/Katie King, which they’re featuring for the month of October. So it was a trade-off, but still a bit of a disappointment for me.

Later that night, I made sure to go see 50 Berkeley Square, supposedly the “most haunted house in London,” where Florence apparently resided. It’s nothing special now – it’s been turned into office space – but still, I love all the supernatural/otherworldly things London has! I tire really quickly of art galleries and cathedrals when I’m travelling, so having something that is so in line with my interests was amazing. Definitely one of the best things about London for me.

Finally, I also experienced some of the nightlife during my trip. The first and second night, I hung out with Taylor and some of his friends from his residence hall – even attending a dorm event with completely free drinks on the latter. Then on Saturday night, my other friend Jude invited me to an event her cousin was having, on her roof. And let me tell you, the views from the rooftop terrace were absolutely exquisite. The soirée took place in “The City,” too, where all the famous skyscrapers (minus the Shard, which is on the Southbank) stand tall, so it was all the more impressive. I enjoyed catching up with her (and meeting her friends) so, so much – it was a really special evening. Afterwards, Taylor, his friends, and I headed out to the Queen of Hoxton club in Shoreditch – which I had heard great things about – but it was a huge letdown. £7 cover (in addition to the £4.80 I somehow had to pay to take the Tube three stops, both of which were complete BS), bad music, tacky decor, a queue to get in, and super crowded. In other words, it sucked, but I was still glad I could experience a London nightclub. That’s part of life too, after all.

….and I think that about wraps it up! Sorry this is so long; I really fret about the length of my posts. I don’t want to seem too self-involved, but sometimes you just have to wax poetic, right? And also, I shouldn’t apologize for being me (which is also a trend I’ve been feeling about my year here in Glasgow). Read it or don’t, that’s your decision. #RealTalk

TL;DR: I had a great time in London, experienced so many things it has to offer, caught up with some friends, and managed to spend only ~£140 over the four days – which includes airfare and transportation to and from the airport!

‘Kay, bi for now! ❤

– Jefe / Jefferson