Milan, Italy

After our amazing stay in Rapallo, we had our big travel day to Austria.  We wanted to visit Milan on the way so we scheduled our trains around that.  We ended up taking a 3 hour train ride from Rapallo  to Milan, Italy and got there just in time for lunch.  When we got to the central station, we scrambled to check our bags, go to the bathroom (this is a huge feat! This alone probably took 45 mins to find it and get the right amount of change!) and head on out to find The Duomo di Milano.  Crazy part was, we didn't really plan or map anything in Milan and our cell service was not working at all, so we just started walking.  We followed the masses of people and ended up finding a map.  30 mins of walking the streets of Milan we found it!  It definitely is a heart stopper.  It is massive, but not exactly what I expected.  I guess in pictures it had always looked pretty to me and obviously amazing, but for some reason, I had the opposite feeling.  It felt kind dark and creepy to me.  It reminded me of gargoyles and darkness.  The detail in this Cathedral was so impeccable and it seemed so unreal.  I remember just staring for a long time, KC asked if I was ok, and I didn't answer.  I was so focused on the detail and wonderment of what it would have been like in the 1400s.  And then after about 20 mins of taking in these beautiful building in the square we headed off to explore.  Around the Cathedral are the most beautiful shops, gelato, restraunts, and amazing old architecture.  We walked the square and then experienced my favorite part which was walking through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II... meaning the most beautiful mall you have or will ever go to!  Seeing the stores and knowing that this was the city most of these brands had come from was pretty spectacular.

After about 1 hour of walking, we decided to skip the lunch spot that was recommended to us and head back to the central train station as to make sure we didn't miss our next and only train out of Milan.  We picked our bags back up, grabbed a panini at the station, and barely made our train to Zurich Central Station.  From there, we fumbled our way onto another train and headed to the Zurich airport to pick up our rental car.

I can't end this story without stating that we had NO idea what we were doing this entire time!  We had nothing mapped or planned except the place and the time that each train left.  I really feel that although my stress levels were extremely high this entire day, the relationship of KC and I grew exponentially.  We had to work together.  We had to trust! We had to act fast and help each other with everything.  For example, just getting tickets to trains can be a stressful crazy experience and we had to do it 5 times, took 5 trains and navigate around all with mostly no internet and in Italian and German.  It was quite the experience and I have to say I was blown away at how impressed I was with my husband.  I think he would admit too, that I saved us many times, by going out of our way to ask what words meant at the information desks. haha. 

After we got our rental car that night around 9pm, we headed off to Bregenz, Austria.  Surprisingly this part of the trip was the easiest.  The roads were normal sized, GPS worked perfectly, and there were plently of signs.  I remember distinctively letting out a HUGE sigh of relief.  Being in a clean environment, with internet, my husband driving, and being just us two had never felt so good.
Bregenz, Austria coming soon...