Last June my husband and I honeymooned in the beautiful city of Milan, Italy. I was super excited and anxious at the same time. Reason being…I’d been to Europe before, but, somehow never made my way over to Italy. I’ve always wanted to travel to their. Luckily the opportunity presented itself in the form of a wedding gift from our families. Days leading up to the trip, I researched and read about Milan to refresh my memory. I learned a few simple greetings and even started practicing hand gestures that Italians are famously known for. Above all I looked forward to seeing fashion inspirations. Coincidently the country is shaped like the most fabulous knee-high boots you’ve ever seen. It’s no wonder Milan is the fashion epicenter of the World. It was inevitable! I was oh so ready to see Milan in all it’s facets! Food, tourism, shopping, pictures!
Before I share my thoughts, here are some things you need to know before you plan your trip to Milan.
Things To Know:
-Passport Needed. To attain a passport, you’ll need to apply at your local post office or online for a fee. It takes about 4-6 weeks to receive it. You can also request to expedite the processing time by paying an additional fee. While it’s not guaranteed, at the most you can receive your passport within 3 weeks if it’s expedited.
– Electrical Outlets. Outlets in Europe differs from the standard three holed outlets in America. Europe’s electrical outlets are designed completely different. You’ll need to purchase a standard American-to-European outlet adapter or converter. You can always purchase one while over seas. However, if you prefer to have it prior to your trip, you can order at either Amazon or Ebay. Otherwise, you’ll have no access of use to any items requiring electricity to work.
-Be Prepared. The average flight time to Milan departing from the U.S. can be between 10+13 hours depending on where you’re flying from. Remember to get plenty of rest. There’s a possibility you’ll experience jet lag. Also, the time difference is 6 hours ahead. Bring a book, rest, and relax to pass time!
– Lock Your Luggage. Sadly, some airports overseas are notorious for luggage break-ins. I speak from personal experience. It happened to me the first time I traveled to Europe almost 5 years ago. Fortunately, all my valuables were inside my carryon bag in the over-head bin. Although I was stuck with a damaged luggage, nothing was stolen. My guesses are they weren’t particularly interested in women’s clothing, toiletries, or underwear. Believe me, lock your luggage! It ensures that your personal items are safe.
-Customs Checkpoint. When you arrive to Milan, your first stop after retrieving your luggage will be Customs. Be prepared to answer questions. They usually ask “Why are you traveling here?” “Do you know anyone living in this Country?” “How long do you plan on staying?”, and etc. In some cases, as part of normal routine, they’ll even search your luggage. However, don’t be alarmed or feel as if you’re being profiled. It’s just standard procedure.
-Currency Exchange. U.S. dollars aren’t accepted in Italy. However you can exchange your dollars to Euros at any Currency Exchange Kiosk at the airport. Debit/credit cards are accepted. Word of caution, whenever you swipe your cards in another country, understand that there’s a fee. Also, be aware of how much you spend, because your American dollars are converted to Euros. Both currencies aren’t valued as at the same or worth the same. For every 1 euro spent it becomes $1.14 cents in U.S. dollars. Be sure to count the cost if you decide to go the debit/credit card route. It’s easier to exchange your money.
-Notify Your Bank. If you don’t mind paying the astronomical fees of using your debit or credit cards overseas, be sure to notify your bank before you travel. If you swipe your debit card or withdraw money from a foreign ATM, your card may run a risk of being frozen. Believe it or not, based on your statements, the bank is aware of your spending patterns. When using your debit or credit cards to pay for transactions while overseas the assumption by your bank is, the card may have been stolen. As a precaution, the bank will automatically freeze your card or even your account to prevent further pending transactions. Although it’s a great idea and serves as a form of fraud protection, it then becomes a headache because you’ll have no access to your money. So, before you travel, be sure to notify the bank to avoid making a long distance call to rectify the situation.
My Experience:
Ciao! I want to start off by saying, Milan is such a beautiful place! The people there are very welcoming. Depending on what parts you tour, you’ll find many people from different countries touring along side with you. The city is filled with lots to do. The infrastructures are sophisticated. Every dwelling and crevasse of the city seems like live art. For one, if you’re ever on a plane crossing over Italy, be sure to grab your camera and snap a few pictures from above. The aerial view of the villages and the Alps Mountain Range is nothing short of majestic and you wouldn’t want to miss it.
After 10 hours of flying and a little jet lag, we finally arrived at the Aeroporto Di Milan-Malpensa. As always, we made our way through customs to verify our identities and reasons for visiting Milan. Afterwards, customs asked the typical questions and cleared us to enter the country. Once we passed through the gates, it was time to find transportation to our Hotel. My husband and I tried renting a car, but it didn’t work out for us. So we opted for the train station. Since the train and bus will be the main source of transportation in Milan, it’s very important to be prepared to have some sort of translation app on your phone. We found ourselves lost a few times and couldn’t properly ask for directions. Realistically, we knew that language may pose a problem however, we were hoping to bump into someone that could speak a little bit of English, and that didn’t happen. The language barrier was a challenge for us. Nevertheless, between my husband and I being fluent in English, French, and Creole, we managed to communicate the best way we could to get around the city. Finally! After getting lost we made our way to the hotel. We checked in and dropped off our bags, and rested a little before heading out for a walk around the city. That night there was so many festivities going on. We just happen to stumble into a fair filled with carnival rides, games, live concerts, and yep, you guessed it…lots of food! We hung out for a few hours and then returned back to the hotel. We needed to get plenty of rest for the next day.
Morning arrived and we were already out the door to maximize our time. Our first tour stop was the Castle Sforzesco, built in the late 1300’s. It resembles an army fortress from the exterior and a castle on the interior. Fit for a medieval King, the castle was the most interesting monument I’d visited. The history behind it is quite fascinating. It is said that parts of the castle was designed by Leonardo Di Vinci, wow! We made sure to take lots of pictures and capture the little moments as we were in awe of history. Later that day, we took another train and made our way to see a few monuments. We saw many ancient relics and walked inside the biggest Gothic Cathedral I’d ever seen. The Piaza del Duomo, a popular touristic site stands so high into the sky. It was difficult trying to capture the entire cathedral in one picture. During our other stops at the museums, we gazed upon famous paintings by the likes of Leonardo Di Vinci and a few others. Honestly, It was so surreal seeing the things that I’d read about in my school books in real life.
Milan isn’t just known for the architecture and rich Italian culture. It is notably known as the fashion district of the World. I did see some flattering fashion pieces worn by stylish and daring men and women. A few a styles were ahead of my time, but overall, the styles seemed current, vintage, and never seen before. I was definitely in fashion heaven! By the way, If you’re ever in Milan and want to go shopping, you must stop at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. This is the mall of all malls! The mall itself resembles an ancient castle from King Louis’ era. It is the most beautiful infrastructure I’ve seen in person. I observed very high detailed ceilings, marbled walkways, intricate gate designs, mosaic glass windows among other things. Honestly, pictures doesn’t do it any justice at all. You have to see it in person to get the fullness of it. After all that shopping and site seeing, we most definitely indulged in delicious Italian foods and pastries. The food in Milan is noticeably different from American foods. The tastes are quite obvious. There are numerous markets filled with fresh produce. The vegetables, fruit, and meats tastes so fresh. Take my word for it, you can tell and taste the difference in the foods! Even as I write this, my taste buds are leaping. I’m salivating just thinking about the authentic Italian pizza and spaghetti I had.
Overall, my trip to Milan was a memorable one. We spent 5 days in Milan and did a lot! Every day was an adventure. Even on our down times, we took strolls down the streets and soaked in the culture and the people. There’s so many more things I’d love to share, but nonetheless, I don’t want to spoil it for you by telling you everything single detail. I’ll leave it to you to explore Milan on your own.
-arrivederci
