So I'm finally in Milan-and it was quite an adventure getting here! The flights were uneventful (except for the fact that we left Chicago an hour late, but still got to London 20 minutes early, "quite an accomplishment" according to our pilot), but by the end of the day, I never wanted to be in an airport again! I was so tired I wanted to cry--and then I got the pleasure of manuvering my luggage on Milan's public transportation! That is certainly an experience I never want to repeat. The train from the airport to the city wasn't bad, but then we had to get on the Metro-during rush hour! We finally managed to get on, but then my bag got stuck in the door while getting off. Luckily some nice guys on the train pried the door open for me so I didn't lose my stuff! After we got off, we discovered that there was no elevator to get to street level-just stairs. We each had two huge bags to carry up, but we did it! Streets aren't labeled well here...the signs are on the sides of buildings...so we wandered around in the dark with our huge suitcases until we finally found Hotel Lugano. The people at the hotel are very nice, and the rooms are small, but very nice as well.
Today we planned on going to Bocconi to check in and to an agency to find an apartment-no such luck! The metro workers were on strike today (surprising no one but us), so we were told to take the bus. We got on a bus headed for the Duomo (which is breath-takingly beautiful!) and wandered around downtown for awhile, until we discovered that the metro was open again! we got on heading toward the school, but were told after one stop that we had to get off, all the trains were ending at that stop. We walked back to the Duomo, got some delicious paninis for lunch, and asked if a different metro line was open. Unfortunately, we were told that it "è chiuso", so we were left to take the bus back.
The first few days here have been frustrating, but after we find a place to live (and get used to the strikes!) I think we will have a great time! :)
