First visit to Milan

The first time I visited this city was with my friend Bella at the beginning of my Erasmus year. It was a crazy trip. We had to get up very early in the morning because we had bus from Bologna at 05:50. A crazy start wouldn't you say?

We arrived in Milan at a bus stop called Lampugnano at 08:45 and took a metro ride to station called Duomo. This was the best decision ever! Anyone who has ever said that they didn't like Milan probably did not start from the very center Duomo. I will never forget that feeling of emerging from a shabby metro station into a new gothic world. I found the Cathedral of Milan quite impressive both from outside and inside. In order to enter the Cathedral we had to pay the entrance. The ticket was only two Euros and it was definitely worth the visit. Inside, I had a feeling that it was even larger than outside. The ceiling was so high as if it was built for giants. There was also a possibility to go on top of the Cathedral but we didn't know about it at the time.

The next thing we saw, after visiting the Duomo on the main square, was the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. This is a 19th century glass covered shopping mall. Here you can see some of the most luxurious clothes, shoes and restaurants. This mall has been named after Vittorio Emanuele II who was the first king of the Kingdom of Italy. Many landmarks in Italy bear his name.

Next we took a stroll through some of the most fashionable streets like Via Monte Napoleone and Via della Spiga. Here, I could only get a worried look from security guards while I admired the windows. Later, we went shopping for real in the streets like Corso Vittorio Emanuele II where we found Zara, Bershka and other normal stores.
After shopping, we had lunch at this sandwich bar called Eatme&Go. I ate a sandwich with eggplant and cheese. I have never eaten something so delicious. After lunch we went to Sforzesco castle. This is a 15th century castle built by an Italian duke Francesco Sforza. Since it was a beautiful sunny day we didn't go inside, we just stayed on the grounds of the castle. We found the park behind it as a great place to relax. Exhausted, here we spent two hours. There was some kind of event in progress. There was music, food and beverage stands, tents, a stage and many other things. Just the thing to prepare us for more walking and sightseeing.

After Sforzesco, we went back to the city center for a coffee at La Rinascente rooftop bar. This is both very popular and very expensive place. But when in Milan this is a must. We also ordered fruit salad and our bill was around 15 euros. From here you have an amazing view of the Cathedral, well worth the pricey coffee.

We also visited Naviglio channel located about thirty minutes from the center. Before our trip, I read online that it was one of the things you simply must see in Milan. However, I was a bit disappointed to find a smelly channel with a small bridge. Absolutely nothing impressive. It was a sort of place where you come, take a picture and leave.
Since our bus back to Bologna was the last bus leaving Milan we went to our bus station Lampugnano a bit early. This is a very small station with only one room inside. To our surprise after certain hour they told us that they are closing this room and that we can not stay inside anymore. It was a time of the year when the day is beautiful, warm and sunny, but the night is cold and crawling with mosquitoes. Therefore, we had to wait for our bus outside, freezing and being eaten for at least an hour. Now, you can imagine how much impressed of this city I was when this did not spoil my mood, not even a bit.