Milan, Italy: Day One

It has been a year since Mike and I packed our bags for a European vacation – starting in Milan, Italy and concluding in Barcelona, Spain. My very first international trip! While we purchased very few souvenirs – two espresso cups, a scarf for Mike, and hot chocolate for me – I returned with thousands of photographs. It has taken me an entire year to edit all of the photos – not because I am alarmingly slow at editing, but because every time I started the process, I grew nostalgic for the ten days we spent together eating delicious food, drinking bottle upon bottle of wine, and exploring new cities. We left our worries and stresses in New York and for ten lovely days, could just enjoy each other and our surroundings. It was like falling in love all over again, although we never actually fell out of love. I put off the editing so long, Mike would tease me every time I started the process again. “Looking at photos of the trip should make you happy, not sad. Nothing bad happened!” But they are finally (finally!) edited and ready for sharing. I will begin this week by sharing the photos from Milan, organized chronologically by our actual days in the city, from morning to evening.

Once we landed and briefly settled into our hotel, we hit the pavement for food to cure our growling, empty stomachs. We found the cure at Paper Moon, where we found delicious breadsticks and pizzas. The homemade ricotta was phenomenal and I am still not able to replicate it’s cloud-like texture.

After lunch, happily full, Mike led me through winding streets, filled with model-esque women and their men. Suddenly, Duomo di Milano loomed in front of me. After exploring the breathtaking exterior, we paid a minimal amount to climb to the roof and it was absolutely worth every Euro! The sun was just beginning to descend and bathed the city in the most beautiful light.

Later, we explored the Galleria and winding streets of Milan. In what would become a trend, the restaurant where we wanted to have dinner was closed. Instead, a bit weary from the travel, we found a grocery store near our hotel and picked up bread, prosciutto, cheeses, prosecco, and red wine. To this day, that simple dinner was still one of my favorites – mostly because Mike and I shared it together, recounting the day, ecstatic for the days ahead of us.