Mad Hatters Tea Party.

This blog is long overdue I know but I've had the most hectic 2 weeks so I do apologise.

I made an impromptu visit home during our Easter break (being 5 days long not the 3 weeks we're used to at University in England.) Having 5 days at home gave me the chance to see everyone who I missed and spend Easter Sunday making rice crispy cakes with my cousins and having an Easter egg hunt in the garden with the cats. It felt so good to be surrounded with everything you crave when you're not there.

I luckily managed to time it so I was able to fly back out to Milano with my Dad and Georgia who were already booked to come and visit. SO excited.
We arrived early evening and set off to the Duomo getting on the first mode of public transport out of (what it felt like) 1000 during their stay here.
Being in Milan for nearly 7 weeks now I feel that the Duomo is the pinnacle of being in the city, it has this unwritten aura that you've actually made it there more so then any other historical feature. The shopping around the Duomo is second to none, there is streets lined with high end to high street shops with high end (touch screen menu) restaurants entwined and a few coffee shops. The main street Corso Vittorio Emanuele II is the busiest with street acts, protruding restaurants with waiters guiding you in and an array of stalls selling anything from beer to roasted chestnuts (in 27 degree heat in April.) Of course dad being dad had to taste the roasted chestnut in April - I'm not sure if he was expecting it to taste any different as it did not however it felt extremely strange and yes we did enjoy a beer too.

Castello Sforesco is brimming with history and is in the centre of Milan with only a short walk to the Duomo from the Castle front. In the sun it draws tourists and locals into its vibrant Parco Sempione. We  took a stroll and sat in the cafe in the middle of the park sipping on a cappuccino and tasting a foccacia sandwich. Milan is so beautiful in the sun, in 27 degree heat in England everyone would be gallivanting around the parks in little to nothing however over here the locals have only just managed to peel back the puffer jackets and show off the tailored blazer look - HOW can they not be showing just a little bit of flesh? I'm looking forward to when it is hot enough for them to perhaps show a little bit of leg.

The Garibaldi area in Milan is the up and coming vibrant area to be with the uni credit building towering over the modern square of 'Via Gaetano De Castillia' with its gorgeous water feature and subtle alfresco bars in the sun. It also hosts 'Eataly' a high end Italian food market comprising an array of restaurants, bakery and retail items. You have the option to fill up (and refill) a litre carafe of wine for  only 3 euros. If the experience of the cobbled streets and multicoloured parasols of Como Corso isn't beautiful enough then it also is host to Como Corso 10 - one of my favourite places in Milan being a gallery, renowned coffee shop, high end boutique with an amazing roof garden.

We then experienced an Apertivo in Navagilli. Apertivo is so popular here in Milan, It's an unplanned affair where you just sit down for a drink and then have a full meal for pretty much the price of the drink. Its a brilliant deal however sometimes it just gets little too busy and perhaps takes away the beauty of it.
Having to queue 3 deep on a Saturday or Sunday is certainly avoidable so experiencing an array of Italian food is recommend for a weekday only unless you fancy one massive cuddle at dinner.

My dad's first holiday in his late teens was to Stresa by Lake Maggiore and it felt only apt to return there. We caught an early train for Centrale which got us to Stresa within the hour and for only 16 euro return its a bargain for the sights you see. We took a stroll down to the lake front to be faced with a clear view of the 3 little islands in the middle of the lake (Isola Madre, Isola Bella and Isola dei Pescatori) and a beautiful backdrop of the Alps. We admired the view over breakfast and decided to catch a boat to Isola Bella and Isola dei Pescatori for only 10 euro return. The boats ran every hour so spending time on the islands was entirely up to us. Both of the Islands were beautiful in their own way but Isola dei Pecatori was undoubtedly my favourite. It was quaint and charming with earthy coloured buildings contrasting against the blue of the fresh water lake. The steps leading you down right to the rocks and back up to the lake front restaurants selling the morning's catch of fish. We opted for a Birra Moretti whilst soaking the sun.
Isola Bella is home to a large palace which is divided between a beautiful italianate garden and a small fishing village. The cobbled streets protrude upwards offering an array of homemade goods from glassware to personalised sewing products. We opted for a traditional gelato and then returned to the boat for a short trip back to Stresa.
By recommendation of Mum and her friends when they visited Stresa a couple of weeks ago we ventured to find Pizzeria Ristorante Centrale in Stresa and what a find it was. Centred in a small square in Stresa surrounded by restaurants, shops and buzzing with people was this small, quaint restaurant with the most amazing food. I chose the Ravioli with prawns and squid, Georgia went for the Carbonara and Dad opted for the Fish and Chips (the fish being slightly fried sea bass - absolutely amazing.)
The sun being so hot and being Hutchins' we proceeded to swap chairs in order to
1. prevent burning a already burnt part of the body
2. to achieve maximum tanning.
Almost feeling like we were on the set of Alice and Wonderland and partaking in the Mad Hatter's Tea Party.
The perfect way to end a perfect day was sitting back on the lake front awaiting our train home with a lemon cello basking in the late afternoon sun with Georgia finally claiming she feels like she's in Italy.

We spent the next two days touring Milan, experiencing the Duomo both inside and on the terrace. The terrace is without a doubt my favourite place in Milan, looking out over the city from every angle and understanding the city better from the roof tops. Its so interesting seeing how close everything is compared to on foot. I can't wait to know the city inside out and no longer feel like a tourist however I know that this 'holiday' feeling won't go for the entirety of my stay out here.
We tried the best snack food from Luini - almost a calzone type pastry filled with tomato and mozzarella. It was so delicious and for only 3 euro's it was an affordable light snack.
We took the metro to the canals to view them in the daytime and stopped off at Vicolo Lavandi - a gorgeous old waterway leading on to the canal where women used to wash their clothes. Which has now turned into a prestigious bar and restaurant.

Saying Goodbye to them both at Centrale was probably the sadest moment I've felt since being out here. I could not have had a funnier and memorable past few days and It was a shame to see them go.

The girls decided to meet for a drink at Blanco, selling the best Mojitos in Milan, it was great to be back and chatting away with them only to receive a call that due to unforeseen circumstances Dad and G didn't manage to catch their plane and were on their way back to me - panicked I rushed over to Centrale and greeted them with a massive hug. Fate has somehow given me a few more days with them and I'm SO excited to show them more around this new place I call home.

Ciao for now
S
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