Tag Archives: milan

Milan, Italy: Last Stop on First Backpacking Trip

duomo milan italy

After a full day in Florence, it was time to head to Milan, my last stop on this trip.

Upon arriving at Milan Central, I was really surprised to see how elegant this train station is.  I was not expecting that.  You could seriously spend some time here just admiring it.

milan train station, milan italy

milan train station, milan, italy

 

train station, milan, italy

Even though this is my last stop, I am still staying near the train station so that I can take a shuttle to the airport.  I am at Hotel Cristallo, which is a mere two blocks from the train station…if you don’t get lost.  I did, as always.  So it took me about an hour to get to my hotel.  I wish I were kidding or exaggerating.

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Where Will You Go in Europe?

How do you pick what trip is perfect for you?  Well that’s up to you really.  Don’t listen to other people, do what YOU want.  I once read a message board where some woman posted that her niece (or whoever) went to (wherever) and hadn’t planned enough time in that city and that “The poor thing rushed around so much that she couldn’t even remember what museums she had visited!”.

See, that’s not how I view it at all.  To me, the “poor thing” arrived in a city unclear of what there was to do and see there, and followed other people’s advice rather than doing her own research.  That’s how she ended up at places with names she couldn’t remember.  Trust me, if she had done research and planned “I want to see THIS”, she would have made a beeline for THIS and she would in fact remember seeing the thing she was most excited to see in that city.

If you aren’t sure what you want?  Find out!   I bought a ton of completely outdated guide books on ebay for around a dollar each.  You can also use your library and get these for free.   The beauty of Europe is that everything is so old that you can read a book from a decade ago and all the attractions are still there.  You can find things you never knew existed, that are huge musts.  This is how I learned more about cities and this is how I began to find places I wanted to see.  I never had a clue that the dancing house in Prague existed.  What if I had gone to Prague and not had seen THIS:

dancing house prague czech republic

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