Sorry these are coming a few days late…inconsistent sources of internet, so I am writing these when they happen, but posting them when I can.
I didn’t realize when I was scheduling my little jaunt what I was really getting myself into. I’ll be ALONE for 9 ½ days!!! Not a single friendly face!! It’s not that I feel unsafe, its just that you realize the value of someone to talk to who you don’t have to do the different language sign language game. Pointing frantically at your ticket then pointing at the train means “is this the correct ticket that will take me my destination?” That’s just the first round. The lightning round consists of sound effects. “pfft” with your hands expanding, coming from the French girl in my hostel means “hello fellow young lady, seeing as you are typing in the dark, but I am about to leave the room, would you like me to turn on the light to ease the strain on your eyes.” THAT is how the game is played folks.
But anyway, I also didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I scheduled my first day in Milan, on August 1, 2009. During my month in Florence, I learned that Italians tend to go on vacation for the entire month of august. Therefore, everything I had PLANNED on, was closed. However, there were some awfully fortuitous moments in Milan! I was on my way to a designer outlet, but got turned around. Not only did I find Milan’s monument to the fashion industry (a giant threaded needle, with the knot of the needle coming out of the ground about 20 feet away, it looked like it was stitching the sidewalk), but I also found myself a CASTLE! They had changed it into a big park with a couple museums added as well. I also found an exhibit that displayed two pages of leonardo da vinci's sketches. I saw some cool things!
After that I was peacefully sitting in the shade to cool down, and a man comes up to me selling what I can only describe as those friendship bracelets you make at camp. He kind of ruined the moment.
After that I rode the subway back to Brera (the neighborhood I liked so much the first time around), and walked around, found a cool, CLOSED store. Next time I guess. Then I had my last Italian pizza. One of the restaurants that was still open, had the pizza that was made just for ME. It was thin crust, no cheese, olives, and anchovies. I got two pieces of that and some foccacia just to munch on. All the gelato places were closed, so I ended up waltzing my way back to the hotel.
The next morning I left for Lucerne. Milan had no direct trains to Lucerne, so I had to go from Milan to arth-goldau to Lucerne. It was a long travel day.
Once in Lucerne, I was just in awe. It was one of the prettiest cities I have ever seen. It also felt like the coldest city in existence. I even loged for that baking feeling I got as I was crossing in front of the santa croce. It was very rainy and windy, and I even got to wear the sweatshirt I have been dragging around this entire trip.
In Lucerne: day 1, I saw the Old Chapel Bridge, the water spiking, the lion monument, and a picnic by the lake. The lion Monument remembers the swiss soldiers that were defending Louis the XVI during the French revolution, but he had already left the building, they just weren’t informed yet. The monument is dedicated to the loyalty and bravery of the swiss.
Before you get any ideas, water spiking is when giant spikes are lowered into the water to raise the level, which in turns get it to flow faster (no flooding). Unfortunately, I missed out because they are trying to get it to flow as fast as possible at the moment, so the spikes are lowered into the water indefinitely.
Lucerne day 2: I had such grand plans for my second day of Lucerne. But what do they about people planning stuff and God crying cause he is laughing so hard? I don’t remember. But I do remember that I was going to climb to the top of a mountain (with the help of the worlds steepest cogwheel train), I was going to walk the Musseg wall, instead of just look at it. But When I woke up this morning, it was sprinkling. Still, no big downer. Then as I am buying my lunch, it starts to pour.
The funniest part about the whole thing is I looked at my umbrella this morning and said “nah.” Dumb. Dumb and stupid.
So I end up trying to find attractions that don’t involve me being outside, but ALAS, I only find a handful. I saw the inside of some really cool churches. I walked the Old Chapel Bridge about 5 times. But other than that, I just got soaked. Then I started hopping from store to store hoping and praying that the rain would let up so I could at least SEE the alps in the distance, to no avail. I finally grabbed dinner and headed back to my hostel with my tail between my soaked to the bone legs. Dang. Or as the royalty in me will say in a few days “snippety snoppet!”
I struggled with the german. No matter how many times I accidentally said things to them in Italian, for SOME reason it did not ease the language barrier! Go figure! And for some ungodly reason, this was the only german running through my head AT ALL....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72_icHFx7ys&feature=related
I leave for Strasbourg tomorrow. I swear, if it rains, the clouds and I are having words.
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