Milan - Brand acknowledgement

I first would like to take a second to acknowledge the brands that support me and this blog and keep us going. Today has been brought to you by croissants and borocillina. Now back to our regularly scheduled blog.
Today we woke up to a buffet of breakfast at the hotel for only €4,50. We stuffed our faces. I discovered yogurt that exists in heaven and in Italy, I tried croissants that they keep from us Americans because they acknowledge that if we knew if their secret we'd be ten times fatter than we already are, I had a sampling of the cheese and Rachel.....you would die. If I could can it up and bring some to you, you would stop living in Georgia and move to Italy, specifically Milan. Breakfast is not taken lightly here in Italy.
We finally decided after we looked like we were 9 months due that we should waddle to the bus stop to hit up good ole Milan. So we waddled.
We got on the bus and were about to put in our money when we realized their system only takes tickets. We (specifically Bella, because I don't speak Italian) told the bus driver we didn't have tickets but we had money for our bus fare and the bus driver graciously let us on despite not having tickets....and despite his grousing. He took us to the train station and we went from Monza to Milan in 15 minutes.
Around this time I started to feel a tickle in my throat......no. No, no, no body, it's vacation time and I am not getting sick. By the time we got to the station, I was not looking so hot (Bella sweetly told me this) and was feeling rundown not to mention the throat was feeling worse. So we stopped off at pharmacy conveniently located in the train station and tried to explain to the pharmacists what I had. It was quite humorous to watch Bella explain to them what I was feeling and then have the pharmacist turn to me and rattle off a bunch of questions in Italian. I could not understand at all and just looked at them helplessly. He shook his head and shoved something into my hands, nodding his head assuringly. I trusted him, despite my reservations, and bought it. I took it almost immediately after buying it, looking to see if it would provide relief. Did it ever. I looked at the box I purchased, Borocillina. I couldn't read/interpret any of the Italian ingredients in it but I determined I would bring it back to the states for my grandmother, Meme, to examine. Till her verdict comes out on it, Italian medicine is something I shall always respect.
We walked out of the station and appreciated the view. Milan in daylight looked much less intimidating than at night. The women dress stylishly and always wear heels with no less than 4 inches. The men....well there are some improvements that could be made in that department, though Bella swears they're all hot, even the bus drivers (I would say the bus drivers are average, hardly hot). Nonetheless, I let Bella drool over the Italian men. We walked around for a bit and realized there wasn't much to see. So we wandered by this underground restaurant and decided to venture into it. In this little cove, we found hunky Italian suited men eating their lunch; I felt like we had walked in on the mafia. We got a table nonetheless and enjoyed tiramisu, another dessert that I don't know the name of, and red wine. It was very lovely until we realized the place was deserted. After inquiring we discovered they were closing....at 2...in the afternoon.
We shuffled our way on out and decided to go back to the little town we were at, Monza, and enjoy that instead of the city bustle of Milan. When we arrived back we walked down a shopping area of sorts. I'm certain there is a name for it but I don't know what it would be. It was so typical Italy. It had shop lined streets and the houses on the second floors with their balconies and flowers hanging out. We wandered around for a few hours, talking, sightseeing and enjoying some gelato. It was extremely nice.
When it had become late enough we decided to go back. Little did we know that 7:30 is rush hour traffic in Milan and the surrounding areas. Little did we also know that the bus drivers are allowed to talk on their cell phones. Now we know (also all the buses are mercedes buses, Italians sit in the lap of luxury).
We made it back to the hotel and called it a night after I repacked my suitcase for the third time that night. Tomorrow we're going to set out for Venice. There is also supposed to be a strike for trains and buses tomorrow, so we'll see if we make it. Till then....
Cheers.

1 comment:

Justin Aplin said...

You can find the same stuff in most (European) countries as "Strepsils" or "Gorpils"; it's great for heading off infections if you start sucking on them as soon as you feel that first tickle. I honestly forget if we have anything like it in the States; I should check.

Feel better!