Back in the US; Missing the Cappuccino already....

It was a long journey back; over 10 hours on the 1st flight, then 3 on a smaller plane, then 3 more on an RJ: I hate RJs.... Anyway, almost recovered from the jet-lag, ready to get back to business :) Missing the cappuccino already.... here are some of my fav. views from the trip....
Early morning, a view from the park near the apartment....

Lunch & cappuccino with Alysa at a cute little place we discovered while wandering around...

Sunset on an evening stroll; this was one of my fav. parts of town....

The chandeliers at the antiques market

The view from right outside our little apartment :)

Cadorna Station; passed through here so many times....

Another sunset on an evening stroll; one of the cute little alleys that is lined with unique shops, restaurants, & cafes.

And of course; the beautiful cathedral; this pic was taken when I was on the roof enjoying the spectacular views of the city.

The cathedral from below....

And the glass covered galleria; right off of Duomo square; so pretty!

It was a great trip; a few issues in the beginning (there always is), but all in all, I really enjoyed my time in Milano. I would go back tomorrow, if I could....my favorite part was living there like a local & enjoying the little cafes, seeing people walking their dogs in sweaters at the park, the open air market, & the people :) I was afraid that they would not be friendly because I don't know Italian, but it was the opposite, everyone was so welcoming & friendly: even if they didn't speak English. I found the locals to be warm & charming & happy to have crazy Americans in their shops & cafes trying to order in Italian :)

The city itself is beautiful & charming as well; the roads are crazy & hard to figure out, but it adds to the appeal, I think :) I would however, be scared to drive there.....they drive really fast down narrow, crowded streets that have so many crazy intersections: I would get lost so fast!! But, the public transportation is great, once you figure it out, & you can go practically anywhere in the city.

Looking forward to going back; I am hoping Alysa does well, & we have another chance to stay for awhile & see more of the city--maybe this summer when it warmer :)

Ciao for now; wishing for real cappuccino......

Amber

Red Chandeliers & Last Cappuccinos....

My last day....so sad.... On the way to the metro stop, Alysa & I had noticed these beautiful red chandeliers through the window, so today we decided to stop in for a cappuccino and look :) A very nice place; the front was a bar with casual seating for coffee drinkers, and in the back was a more formal dining room for dinner. I would have liked to try the dinner here, but judging by the price of the cappuccinos alone, I would say dinner is very pricey! The cappuccino was good, & I still cant get over the red glass chandeliers; very cool ....

a quick snap over coffee.....Alysa trying to figure out the camera :)

And, here we are in another section of town; near the Girabaldi metro stop. We were looking for the little restaurant that serves free lunch to models...after walking around for awhile, we did finally find it & enjoyed a free salad. Apparently, there a quite a few places that do this; obviously it must be good for business to have models dining at your restaurant :) Alysa & Denise; another model from Holland :)

I'm flying out at 10 am; which means I have to be to the airport by 7, which means I have to leave the apartment for the metro at 5:30: 2 stops up to Cadorna station to catch the Malpensa Express....it's going to be a long trip back. Wish I could stay longer, I have enjoyed every minute here....looking forward to coming back. Hopefully husband will be able to join me & I can show him around like a local :)

Ciao, for now; back to reality tomorrow....

Amber

Another Evening Stroll....

Tonight, I walked back to the canal where the antiques market was set up on Sunday; I wanted to check out some of the cute shops I had seen .... It was about 4:30 in the afternoon; most of the little shops were open, & the restaraunts were just starting to set up for dinner. Lots of cute places...some fancy, some just pizza shops...and lots of little artist/design studios & antique shops.

Had to get a pic of this one; for those of us from Challis....

Its funny the mix of things here; little shops & eateries & then a huge old church...then more little shops.

This is one of the few benches I have seen on my entire visit; appently Italians do not sit on benches & linger; nor do they like loungy comfy furniture or people who walk or drive too slow...

Cute little antique/curiosity shop....the window shopping around here is great :)

And, the entrance to a courtyard; almost all the buildings you see have an inner courtyard area like this; so charming; I want a courtyard....with a cool gate & giant door....

and another....

Here is the view looking back from where I just walked from; all the way down at the end of the water; the very last bridge...

I couldnt resist wandering into this courtyard; its an artist colony of sorts; out along the water, there are a couple little storefronts, with a sign inviting you to come into the courtyard; you are greeted by all these tiny artist studios around the perimeter of the space---I think there are living quarters above. I soooo want to stay here next time I come over....

Another cute little eatery, just getting ready to open up :)

And another cute little shop; see the artist in there painting away???

I wandered around, enjoying the sites for a couple hours. There is sooo much to explore; things are so concentrated. And, every little alley is lined with all kinds of shops & fun restaraunts; I could wander around for days just in the area & not run out of new things to discover! This is all a short walk from the apartment...and I only got lost once on the way back :)

The view on the way back to the apartment.... I will miss it.

Alysa moved into model housing today; she will be staying with the other girls for the remainder of her stay here. I am looking at coming home the day after tomorrow. Sad that I have to cut the adventure short, but anxious to get back to work on my projects at home too.

Thats it for now, time to fix a bite of dinner--pasta, of course :)

Ciao!

I think I had 4 Cappicinos today....

Today was another lovely day; warmest yet! It felt like it was at least 30 (in the afternoon, in the sun :) Stopped in for a cappicino at our fav little local spot with Alysa, the walked down the street to check on the computer; store was not open yet, so I had another cappicino.... This is the view of a small dog park that sits in the middle of the street; just outside the rental agency office. I was waiting for Alessandro & his little dog Biscotti to show up, but they didnt open till late either....

My new shoes that I got at Coin; so cute. notice I am wearing tights, socks, & a long coat; I still cant get over how chilly it is over here! Going to be looking for some leg-warmers at the market tomorrow :)

The view as I was walking back up the street, after giving up on the rental agency....

After Alysa went to her only casting in the morning, we wandered about & did the tourist thing; it was fun; & all within walking distance of our place.

Another cute little street; love the colors of the buildings here :)

Here we are at a cute little cafe for a bit of lunch & another cappicino :) Lunch was grilled veggies with melted bree---yum!

A cool building on the corner; would love to have an apartment here :)

This is near Saint Ambrosio metro stop; very cool looking :)

Yet more cool stuff around Saint Ambrosio; I think this is still a church today, or a seminary school; we coulnt quite figure it out....

And, Alysa the tourist :) We had a nice time exploring, & of course had to stop for one more cappicino on the way home!

Looks like my time here is coming to an end. I picked up the computer from the repair shop today; no luck. Worked on it this afternoon for hours; still no luck.... Alysa is moving into model housing tomorrow & will be taking the little Netbook with her, so I will be computer-less besides the ones at the agency during the day. Funds are running low, & not being able to work means I need to get back home: I've got a contract with the city of Boise right now that I need to be working on & also a few other big bids coming up....was hoping to be able to work on all this while staying here, but its just not working out that way.

I feel like my days are numbered; trying to soak it all in before I go. I wish I could stay longer...although I miss husband & the cats at home :) Will go to the market tomorrow & try to take in a few more of the sights, then its back on the airplane---I wonder if I will have room for shoes...my souveniers :)

Amber

Porto Genova Antiques Market

Today, we woke up to a clear, sunny morning & decided to see if we could find the open air market at Porto Genova; all we knew is that is takes place the last Sunday of every month & there are lots of cool vintage clothes to be found.... After cappicino & getting directions from an English speaking Italian, we wandered through a few streets, turned the corner, & were greeted with this; hundreds of dealers lining both sides of the canal. Not only were there the dealers here, but on every side street, there were more to explore, plus all the specialty vintage shops & cafes in the area that were open :)

Although prices on a lot of things seemed high, I had a great time wandering through & looking at all the stuffs; there was everything: antique funiture, jewelry, vintage clothing, handmade items, books, dolls, and more.... It was cold, & there were tons of people, but it was a lot of fun :)

Alysa & Denise--another model, from Holland--were with me in the beginning, but I got sidetracked looking at all the cools stuffs & they wandered off on their own, which was ok. I rather enjoyed strolling through alone & looking & taking pics.

As usual, lots of dogs: I couldnt resist a quick snap of this large bassit hound in his green sweater :) Makes me laugh; too cute.

An amazing amount of antique chandeliers; I wish I could have brought a couple home to hang in my house! I settled instead for a nice selection of crystal pieces for jewelry making--enough to put together a nice collection of new pieces when I get back. I cant wait to play when I get home :) So far, thats all I have bought for souvineers (besides shoes) But, there is another market on Tuesday, so we shall see if I find any more treasures :)

Thats all for now. Alysa is off to castings again tomorrow, & I am going back to the computer repair shop to check up on progress. Looking forward to cappicino in the morning at our fav. little cafe around the corner....

Ciao!!

Views From my Evening Stroll....

Tonight I took a stroll around the neighborhood with the camera....about 4:30 in the afternoon. A bit early, according to the locals; they all take a stroll between 6 & 8: shopping, etc, waiting for the restaraunts to open up. The dinner places close around 4 & then open up again around 8-ish, so there is time to kill between end of work & dinner :) I am not used to the late dinner thing still, but I like the work schedule here; business starts around 10 am, long lunch break, & work ends around 6:30 pm.... Except the little coffee shops; they open early & many stay open late too, for a quick stop for coffee in the morning on the way to work, or a stop afterwork on the way home for a glass of wine & apetizers before dinner....Anyway, we begin the tour with the view from the front of our apartment; we are on the 4th floor, & I love looking out at the rooftops & little houses on top of the buildings every day...



This is the view from the stairwell, on the 2nd floor; we overlook a little courtyard. Notice the laundry? There are no dryers here; everyone hang drys. I have been scared to do this though, I keep imaginining my underwear falling from the 4th floor & landing on someone in the courtyard....

This is the entrance to our apartment building; the doors must be like 12 feet tall; all the buildings have them; cars can actually drive through to the courtyard inside. When they are closed & locked like this every night, you have to use a key to open a mini door within the big door...




And here we are, walking down the little street: this is my fav. street near our apt; it almost feels like an alley, but there are little shops & restaraunts all along it; lots of little tiny artist studios & design firms---makes me wish I could rent a little tiny studio with living quarters & set up shop while here....next trip, perhaps :)



A tower crane; there are tons of them all over the city; seems to be lots of construction going on....

This is one of those little artist studios; this lady does all sorts of funky jewelry & accessories; the space is tiny, as you can see, but it adds to the charm :)

Another lovely buiding & cool restaraunt that I wish I could afford to try :)

And this is the entrance to a really schwanky looking restaraunt/lounge. Love the lights & the wooden ceiling; the restaraunt is actually through the doors to the right; all decorated really cool like this; I stood there like a tourist gawking---peering through the windows & wishing husband was here to take me to dinner....

Another cute little street with all sorts of nifty shops; just at sunset...

Love this door....notice the mini door? So funny :)

And yet another cute little shop; I want one!! This one is only about the size of my office, but its sooo cool :)

And finally, back on the 4th floor of the apartment building :) This has been my favorite part of being here; actaully feeling like a local (sort of) & experiencing everyday life here. Love the tiny little grocery store around the corner with the owner who barely speaks English, but somehow reccomends the best wine, & the cute little coffe shop just down the street: same thing: locally owned by a very Italian guy who has only said one word of English so far... But after stopping in everyday, he makes my cappicino just the way I like it as soon as I walk in & smiles at my attempts to say things in his language :)

We are in a very non-touristy area & I like it; the people we see on the street are coming & going to work, school, business; living life. I am finding that I really like it here; I could picture living & working here.... perhaps someday.....