First Days In Milan

okay okay okay.... so I am finally here!!! I have been in Milan, Italy for two days now...yesterday was full of jet lag, considering the time change is 9 hours ahead, I was very tired by the time we had landed, gotten to our residence in Milan (which was a 2 hour drive from the airport) and had taken a nap showered and gone to dinner. We were only supposed to sleep for about a half hour in order to make it to lunch with the group, but seeing as I set the alarm but forgot to turn it on, my room mate Kate and I slept right through lunch!! But we made it up in time for dinner, which seemed to last forever anyways.

It was all we could do to stay awake longer, but dinner itself lasted 4 hours. First there was the appetizer is the garden, with white wine, and then the second appetizer in the ristorante, which consisted of buttery/cheesey/white winey rice with pasta and these AMAZING mushrooms that I had never had before, and then dinner... which was steak slices with potatoes in butter and balsamic vinaigrette, followed by this desert that seemed like an edible sponge filled with cafe, topped with this incredible whipped topping and chocolate bits... all accompanied with water and red wine. Yummy!
This morning was even better because Kate and I got to a real Italian Cafe called "The Little Bar" which is right around the corner from where we are staying. It was very cute, and even though the barista didn't speak much English, she still understood us. Apparently here breakfast is not a big thing... Italians have large lunches and dinners, and only coffee and croissants for breakfast. I ordered a "cafe machiatto" which I thought might be like the machiatto that you can get at Starbucks back home (oh and btw, Italy I learned is the only country that do not allow Starbucks in it....that is how serious they take their coffee...there is a whole page devoted just to coffee in our guide book) but really it was a tiny teacup with a splash of milk. Cafe = espresso shot and the machiatto part is just a splash of milk. That is all I had till about one, when six of the people in our group went to an outdoor ristorante and had pizza... (btw, here "pepperoni" is not sausage...it's red bell peppers). The pizzas served here are like smalls back home, enough to fill two people, and all drinks are served in glasses. So far all the food has been amazing!
There are vintage and specialty shops all around us, with a few that I'm looking forward to going to right across the street. One has fairies and a wishing tree in it! There is also a fabric store close by, and Il Duomo is only 20 min walk! The lamest thing I have seen so far is the McDonald's, but I guess you can't leave everything behind....
We learned how to use the buses and the ATM (bart via Milan) today, which is exactly like the Muni and Bart system in SF. Not so bad. We learned where the supermarkets and the laundry places are, as well as the piercing and tattoo shops ( you can bet I plan to hit those up!) There are a few canals around as well, which are unfortunately being drained right now for cleaning. All the buildings have balconies and window shutters, and an amazing array of graffiti... every building here is tagged. The people here are great, always saying "grazie" (thank you) and "prego" (you're welcome). I love it. There is nothing like it.
In two more hours we go to school and then to dinner at a sushi bar... ew. but I guess I can at least try the fish....!!!

ciao bella!!!

did I mention that all the men here are beautiful??? <3<3<3