Milano & Lugano

The days are dwindling, in a short while I'll be back home in California and I wish I knew how to feel. The past 3 weeks have been filled with the adventure and spontaneity I've only dreamed about. I honestly don't know where to begin, so I'll start where our last blog left us, in mid-November.

Maddie in Milano and also, Lugano

The weekend of the 18th my best friend Maddie, from highschool, came to visit from Leeds, UK. It was insane to meet up with her here in Milano. Traveling the world was something we used to dream about, and it was insane to actually be here living our dreams.

I showed her all around my city for a few days, it was weird seeing Milan like a tourist again. 3 months later and the centuries old buildings become commonplace, I often take for granted that I live minutes away from both a castle and the fourth largest cathedral in the world. We toured some of my favorite historical sites, the Duomo, San Marie de la Grazie (where Da Vinci's Last Supper is housed), the Castello, Parco Sampieone, and many others. We ate just about everything and then on Friday we headed to Lugano, Switzerland.

Lugano

Lugano was a literal dream come true. If you've read my earlier blog post, "Bloomability" you know that this is a place I read about as a child. Getting there was a terrible hassle because Trenitalia, like most of the services in Italy, made last minute plans without telling anyone. We breathlessly raced to our train which had been moved 11 tracks away, and barely made it.

The beauty of Lake Lugano and the Dolomites stole my breath. I'd dreamed of this place for years, and seeing it with my best friend was insane. We walked along the water front seeing the famed Parco Civica, Church of S. Maria degli Angioli and countless smaller churches. Maddie and I had a very spiritual experience inside of San Maria degli Angioli, neither of us are Catholic, but something about the quiet of the church touched me. It was not elaborate or huge as many churches are, rather, it was intimate and warm. Sitting in the pew, the clamor of thoughts in my mind quieted, and I thought, this is what the house of God should be, a place of peace, quiet and calm, where weary souls come to rest.

Before we left, and after a small amount of debate, Maddie is a quasi Muslim and I'm a nonpracticing Jehovah's Witness, she and I lit a candle, more for ourselves than for anyone else. For me, the lit candle was to honor the peace the space had given, to mark my presence, maybe even a small gesture of honor in the face of the Divine.


Souls rested and bodies prepared, Maddie and I set out on a crusade for Swiss chocolate. We used free local wifi to find the best place and set out on a mission. Once we found it, let me tell you, Swiss chocolate is all they say it is. The creamy truffle, tasted like a chocolate cloud dipped in heaven...I'm not exaggerating. Maddie and I wandered for a few hours before heading to dinner at the New York Times' recommended La Tinera restaurant. I find it hilariously ironic that the best Italian food I've ever had was in Switzerland, but I digress, the food was amazing. Huge plates filled to the brim with pasta cooked to perfection. It was fantastic.