Two weeks ago on Saturday, Bill and I woke up early to go to Milan. We bought breakfast in the train station and ate it on the train...that was fun because everyone else was super jealous. After a 4.5 hour train ride, we arrived. We navigated the subway system and walked a few blocks to our hotel in the pouring rain. After waiting for 20 minutes, someone finally showed up at the front desk to check us in. I guess we get what we pay for...cheap hotel = cheap service. (Although, the hotel was not cheap because NOTHING in Milan is cheap).
After drying off, we headed downtown to do some sightseeing. We didn't know much about Milan but we wanted to see something. I had read about a guided tour that sounded entertaining so we wanted to try that. However, after wandering around in the rain for half an hour, we could not find the ticket office. We gave up and visited the nearby castle instead - Castel Sforzesco. I didn't even know there was a castle in Milan...and I like castles. It was fun but we didn't stay long. We were tired and I was frustrated about missing the tour.
As we walked back to our hotel from the subway stop, we saw something that instantly made our day a million times better. Well, maybe it just made my day - but Bill was happy that I was in a better mood. What was it, you ask?? Just a little restaurant called "El Paisano". Yes, it was a PERUVIAN RESTAURANT. It was literally half a block from our hotel...how exciting. So, after resting a little while (I'm not sure why, we didn't do anything), we headed out for dinner. Peruvian food is simply delicious and this restaurant did not disappoint. Because I was so excited, I ordered a lot of food...too much actually...but it was super yummy. I had Palta Rellena and Lomo Saltado and Bill had Ceviche and Arroz con Pollo. They were out of Inca Kola...so sad. We spent a lot of money and ate a lot of food but it was totally worth it!
That night, I revealed to Bill the real reason we were in Milan. I had to admit that I didn't think Milan was terribly exciting. I had ulterior motives...a big surprise for Bill. Months ago, Bill told me how much he liked Formula One racing. And, he went on and on about a "legendary" track in Italy, at Monza. He's mad that Formula One racing doesn't get much coverage on TV in the US and he was hoping he would have an opportunity to watch more of it here in Europe. Little did he know that I was forming a plan...a wonderful, surprising plan. I found out that the next Formula One race at Monza was September 14. When it looked like Bill would be arriving in Italy in September, I bought tickets and started planning my most expensive surprise ever...Milan isn't cheap and neither are Formula One tickets!! When I gave Bill the envelope with the tickets he was surprised...but it was hard to tell. He doesn't react well. He just doesn't get very hyper. But, I know that he was extremely excited and looking forward to the experience of a lifetime.
Sunday morning, we got up early and made our way to the train station. We read that there was a free train from Milan to Monza and we were planning to take advantage of every FREE thing we could. When we were still in the subway, we were already noticing red Ferrari logo items (shirts, hats, bags, etc.) all over the place. It wasn't hard to spot the race fans. We arrived at the train station and just followed everyone else. We were not alone! The free train took us out to Monza, which is the racetrack surrounded by a huge park. Unfortunately, the train dropped us off at the gate that was the furthest possible from our seats. However, we arrived early enough to leisurely walk thru the park to our seats. As I mentioned earlier, it was a rainy weekend and the park was wet and muddy. But, that didn't dampen our spirits - we were excited to be there.
It didn't take long before I realized that I had forgotten something very important (no, I didn't forget the tickets!). My earplugs. I had them out and ready to go, but forgot them at the last minute. I was sorry, too, because those cars were LOUD!!! We were there early enough to watch some of the other races...not Formula One. Those cars were loud, but Bill assured me that the loudest ones were yet to come. We enjoyed watching the crazy fans and all the pre-race stuff. All morning, it was sprinkling and trying to rain so we were pretty wet. Before the big race started, we got sandwiches from the snack bar. Again...not cheap, but tasty. I also ordered hot chocolate because I was starting to get cold. I hadn't planned to be sitting on metal bleachers in the RAIN all day! It was the best hot chocolate I've had in a long time - I can't believe I didn't take a picture of it!
Finally, it was time for the big race. How e-x-c-i-t-i-n-g!! I couldn't handle the sound anymore so I stuffed some kleenex in my ears. I may have looked silly, but it worked! Right when the race started, it also started raining harder. It is pretty annoying to sit in bleachers with umbrellas. The person in front of you opens their umbrella and all the water runs right in your lap. Luckily, that didn't last long. The rain let up and people put their umbrellas away. The race was pretty entertaining...but I feel that way about all live sporting events - even if I don't like the sport. Thankfully, there was a TV monitor across from our seats so we could see what was happening on the rest of the track.
The whole race was very fun. Bill really enjoyed it...he was like a kid in a candy store. We could even see the finish line. And, our car won...the car that Bill picked, anyway. After the race, it was a crazy mob of people trying to get on the track. We were going to attempt it but it involved a barbed-wire fence so we didn't. We watched for a while and then decided to head out. As we followed the road to the exit, we ended up walking right on to the track. This time we didn't have to jump the fence - they were nice enough to open the gate. It was pretty thrilling! Bill was excited to be standing on the track at "legendary" Monza. After a few photo ops, we walked out toward the free bus that would take us back to the free train (key word = free). Unfortunately, we missed a turn and ended up walking the wrong way...for a really long time. Actually, to be fair, we didn't miss a turn at all. We were following the signs (and the people) and at one point we were supposed to turn but there was NO sign. When we finally went back and got on the right track, we noticed that there was absolutely no indication that we were supposed to turn. We were more than a little frustrated at having gone in the wrong direction. I was exhausted because we really did walk a LOT! Finally, we made it to the bus (free) which took us to the train (free). We returned to our hotel and were exhausted, wet, and a little cold.
So, what should we do for our second evening in Milan?? Go to a Peruvian restaurant, of course. And, we were in luck because there just happened to be a restaurant right around the corner. Now, I know what you're thinking...we should go somewhere different, perhaps eat something typical of Milan. But, I say NO. I wasn't in the mood to try something different - I wanted good food. And, since Bill got to go to the race - I got to choose dinner. "El Paisano" here we come. For our second time around, we ate just as much food and spent just as much money. This time, they had Inca Kola so we drank two each, to make up for the night before. It was delicious. I had Salchipapas and Aji de Gallina. Bill had Chicharron de Pollo and Arroz Chaufa. It was all deliciously yummy!
We had one more day in Milan because I took Monday off from work. After sleeping in (we were still exhausted from the big race) we got up and checked-out. We went downtown again for more sightseeing. This time we went to the famous Duomo and admired it. Bill took a bunch of pictures. Then, we decided to take a topless bus tour of Milan. Its one of my favorite tours in Rome so I thought it would be a good idea in Milan as well. (And, just for the record, the bus is topless, not the people). The bus tour was entertaining and educational. We learned a little more about Milan and got some good pictures. After the tour, we rushed to the train station for our trip back to Rome.
All in all, it was a fun trip to Milan. I think the race was a big highlight (Milan might have been boring without it) so I'm glad I was able to surprise Bill. We both had a lot of fun. Now I'm back in Rome, back at work, and its depressing. I guess we'll have to go on another trip soon!
The Start of the Race - It was so loud!
Kleenex in my ears!
The End of the Race (this clip is a little long, but you see the winner cross the finish line)
On the "legendary" track at Monza
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Yummy Peruvian Food!
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