While most of the group had opted to go on the hike in Cinqueterre this past weekend, Emily and I decided to embark on a more leisurely visit to Milan and Lake Como..or so we thought. Starting Friday and continuing through the weekend we suffered a string of minor mishaps and slip-ups, but our trip still proved fruitful and fun nonetheless.
Friday morning we almost missed our train from Albano to Rome because we had misread the train schedule- good thing I double-checked the schedule 30 minutes before we left the palace! At the Rome Termini we boarded our first high-speed train for a three hour ride to Milano Centrale, hopped trains, and finally arrived in Como San Giovani. Once we stepped foot outside the station Emily realized that in our rush to make it to Albano she had forgotten to print out the map to our hotel. Luckily we had the address written down and after an hour and a half of asking passing pedestrians for directions in broken Italian, (thank goodness for Lanie’s Survival Italian class!) and getting turned around and lost one too many times we finally made it to our hotel..only to have the concierge tell us that he had never received the reservations we had made through a travel website. Thankfully the hotel still had room to accommodate us. Although we went to bed exhausted that night we woke up to the most glorious complimentary breakfast we’d ever experienced. I’d never been so thankful for scrambled eggs and unlimited coffee in my entire life.
Saturday’s excursions consisted of riding the ferry for a two hour scenic cruise to Bilagio, the little town where George Clooney’s vacation villa is located. Although we didn’t spot George, we enjoyed a scrumptious lunch and a glass of Prosecco by the water while we watched a wedding reception taking place on an old steamboat docked at the pier nearby. Talk about a perfect wedding venue! We returned to our hotel late that night and slept, waking up to several excited iMessages from friends and family about Auburn’s win against LSU and Alabama’s defeat against Ole Miss (did you know that ESPN’s live streaming app WatchESPN is available in every country EXCEPT Italy? Neither did I until I attempted to watch the game) After enjoying the four-star breakfast for the last time we checked out early and set off towards Milan to explore a bit and treat ourselves to a bit of shopping. How could we not in one of the world’s biggest fashion capital cities?  After lunching we stopped in the Magnum ice cream store to personalize an ice cream bar before heading back towards the train station to return to Rome and Albano.
 
Although our trip got off to a rocky start, Emily and I handled our obstacles confidently and successfully. After living in a foreign country for a little over a month, we had gained enough experience and independence to solve our issues quickly without dissolving into a state of panic, and most importantly, not let it ruin our unforgettable experience of Milan. The most important lesson we learned was to double-check, print out, and prepare everything the night before..and that Survival Italian class really can save your life (or at least save your feet a couple of blisters from unnecessary walking!)
-Bonnie Sullivan-