Ciao Italy!

After a few days of rest, I have finally geared myself to put in some details about my trip to Italy. It was great fun!! My frens and I visited Milan and Venice. To be honest, I prefer Milan to Venice, because:

1. Things are more affordable in Milan.
2. People are more polite in Milan.
3. It is less crowded in Milan.
4. Gelato was more yummy in Milan.

Our first stop was Milan. The weather was great. The sun was shining away brightly. It was such a good feeling to finally feel the sun burning my skin. (As you know, Dundee is super cold, and the summer has not be very warm either). Anyway, we visited the main attractions there, such as the well-known Duomo (a church), Castello Sforzesco (a castle), Parco Sempione (a pretty park), and of course, I celebrated my bday there!

The Duomo, Milan.

The Duomo was such a majestic building. I was really mesmerised by the amazing architecture, and had the opportunity to stand at the roof of the Duomo! The view was fantastic. The Parco Sempione was very beautiful. Many gals put on their bikini, laid their rugs on the grass, and began sunbathing at the park. We also managed to visit one of the famous Italian lakes, Lake Como. I love Lake Como. We joined a short cruise around the lake, ate big apples while enjoying the scenic view around the lake and had our first gelato! yummy!

Parco Sempione, Milan.

On the night of the 12th of June, my friends gave me a bday surprise. First, Geak Poh said he was going down to the hotel lobby to get some beer. I told him I did not want any as I was still very full. Then, when he came up, a tiramisu cake with a candle appeared. =D I was very surprised. Too bad we didnt have a lighter to light up the candle. Grazie guys! The cake was quite nice.

Buon compleanno! Happy Birthday to me! On my bday morning, we visited a few places and had lunch alfresco style along a famous street, known as Via Dante. From there, they led me to the famous chocolate shop, Pasticerria Marchesi, in Milan, which was nearby. I am a self-proclaimed chocoholic, and I have been talking non-stop about wanting to visit this chocolate shop before our trip to Milan. So, after lunch, my friends suggested that we take a short walk further down a road in order to board the electric train, that would take us to the Duomo. As we walked, SzeLeng said (while pointing at a shop ahead), "Hey sawling, does that shop look familiar?" I looked up and saw the sign board, "Pasticerria Marchesi." And replied, "Eh, we accidentally walked into the shop!!" All of them giggled away. Only then I realised that it was all planned out by them. So sweet! =D Thumbs up to the dark chocolates there! It was cool to celebrate my bday in a totally different country. It was a great day. Sono felice. (I am happy).

Having said that I prefer Milan to Venice, the latter is no doubt a very pretty place, especially the Islands nearby. Romantic? Well, I beg to differ. I think the only romantic part of Venice is the gondola ride. You know, image riding on a nice gondola with your partner, during sunset. The gondolier would row the gondola down The Grand Canal, with the beautiful orangy sunshine, and the gondolier singing "Santa Lucia" and a musician playing his accordian. Ahh...this is romantic. =)

Gondolas in Venice.

My friends and I did not ride on the gondola. As there were far too many gondolas moving along the canal, therefore, causing a Gondola Traffic Jam. And, unfortunately, being partnerless, riding the gondola is meaningless (moreover, I could ride on the traghetto, which is similar to the gondola, but at a price of only 50 cents, as opposed to the gondola, which would cost about 80 euros).

The famous Rialto Bridge, Venice. The colourful wooden stilts serve as parking poles for the gondolas.

To start, the people in Venice did not give me a good impression of the place. We were answered rudely by those working in the Tourist Info centre. From the main train station, we took a vaporetti (water bus) to San Marco (a district in Venice). The scenery along The Grand Canal was pretty. Saw many gondolas and interesting buildings. At San Marco, the whole area was so pack. We could hardly walk without brushing shoulders with those around us. We tried a Venetian snack, Involtini, for lunch. It was nice but a wee bit salty.

The gelato shops in Venice were not as impressive as those in Milan. The gelato were not decorated with fruits or biscuits, and were not colourful enough to look appetising. hehe. But we did manage to eat nice gelato at the Lido beach.

Gelato shop in Milan.

The islands around Venice, Murano and especially Burano, were really pretty. Murano is famous for glass blowing. Here, I spent sometime buying accessories for myself and as gifts. At Burano, the houses were all painted in bright colours. The sight was picturesque. =) I have yet to find out why the houses there were painted in different colours. We had lunch at a nice Venetian restaurant. I tried their seafood spaghetti (spaghetti ai frutti di mare), which was excellent. SzeLeng tried gnocchi cooked in Arrabiate style. Gnocchi is a potato pasta. It was spicy and delicious too. Both Geak Poh & Su Ann had tasty fried seafood. It was a molto buono (very nice) lunch!

Lunch @ Burano.

Italy is certainly a place to visit. But, I found Venice abit of a disappointment. It was too "tourisy." That aside, I really enjoyed my one week in Italy. I have managed to get a mild brown tan (I tried really hard to become more tan, but it was not an easy task, as I don't tan easily). I am still abit too fair. I have picked up some Italian words too. keke. Ciao!

Beautiful Burano.