Friday: September 4th
Woke up at 4:00 a.m. to be out of the house by 4:30 a.m. so I would make it to Munich airport with enough time to spare. It was a 2 hr drive and I was so tired so I blasted house music and also facetimed with Mark. By 6:45 a.m. I was parked and in the terminal of the airport. I checked the big screens showing departure times and was confused whether it was terminal 1 or 2, but I saw the time 8:55 a.m. to Milan and I was already at the terminal so I I got breakfast, took my time until my flight started boarding at 8:30 a.m. When I scanned my boarding pass, it said to contact the staff. As she checked my boarding pass she said, "This is Luftsana, not EasyJet. You are at the wrong terminal!"
I almost had a heart attack. She said she will call my gate so they could wait for me. I sprinted with my 40 lb backpack to the other end of the airport. No lie it was probably a mile. I had to go through security check and all in 15 minutes before my flight left. By the time I was at security check, I was sweaty and telling the staff my flight is leaving in 15 minutes. They didn't seem to care much. One lady went to tell the lady at the gate to hold the flight and the security was holding me up because they said my backup had explosives. I was baffled and said, "I need to go!!" They scanned it again at another machine and it was good to go. I ran to my gate and they almost didn't let me in. Because of me, the flight to Milan arrived a bit late. I was just so happy I made it. Lesson Learned.
Arriving at Milan, I had to take a train to Varenna and then a ferry to Mennagio where I was staying. I was pretty vigilant with my gear because Milan/ Italy in general is known for pick pocketers. I distributed my money in different wallets in my bag so I felt safe.
The train ride was beautiful! The ride passed many lakes and villages in the mountains. It was beautiful. Arriving to the port in Varenna, the landscape was amazing and I was excited to take the ferry to Bellagio. Bellagio is a dream. The colored buildings, grape vines, flowers, and ornate architecture makes it look very luxurious. I took a lunch break at a restaurant and had an amazing plate of Bolognese and porcini pasta My mouth waters thinking about it. I wondered around the shops selling everything from silk scarves to olive wood utensils and expensive clothing.
After exploring Bellagio, I went to Menaggio to check in at the youth hostel I reserved. I was surprised to see the hostel was in such an amazing location with a great view out to the lake. This is my first time I've stayed at a hostel and I was hesitant on how it would be. I was traveling alone so I thought it would be a good place to meet people instead of booking an airbnb or hotel elsewhere where I would probably not meet a soul. Besides, who can say no to 19 euro a night?
I put my stuff in ton my bunk and was happy to sit down. The room had 8 beds and a great view from the balcony. I took a nap and woke up when one girl named Clare walked in. She was Australian and also traveling alone. We chatted a lot and went to the dinner the hostel was hosting. After chatting for a while, we went back to the room and met the other girls also staying there.
I had borrowed a lock from the hostel to safeguard all my important belongings in the locker. I locked up everything and was ready for bed when I realized I locked my wallet in there, but I wasn't sure if I brought it up from dinner. Suddenly, I realized I think I locked the key in the locker!! F*&K!
I had already taken out my contacts so of course I couldn't find the keys or see anything. I told the receptionist and she didn't seem thrilled. She gave me a ring of keys to all of the locks and none of them worked. I need my stuff!! Since none of those keys worked, they had to go for the drill TO BREAK THE LOCK! I was mortified and laughing to myself because I am an idiot. After seeing sparks from the metal, the lock broke free and I was relieved. I feel bad for the roommates that were woken up after this. I looked in my wallet to see if the keys were there, but didn't see them. The next day, I found them in another bag, which was on my bed the whole time this whole fiasco occurred. I didn't tell anyone that of course...haha Next time, I need to put my contacts back on and then search for the keys.
Saturday: September 5th
Got up around 8:00 am and headed downstairs for breakfast. I slept pretty well and was ready to explore around Lake Como. I met two really cool girls named Jane and Maddie from the U.S. and we decided to walk the Green trail to many points of the Como. They were traveling from the U.S. together for 4 months, and this was their second stop. We walked miles and saw many extravagant villas and hotels. We stopped for lunch and found a small beach area with sand and a volleyball court. We took a dip in Lake como and although the water was a bit chilly, it felt amazing. The water was very clean and just gazing at the mountains and Alps in the distance made me appreciate how this moment is perfect. We sam for a bit and sunbathed afterwards.
We went back to the hostel and chatted with so many other people until dinner.We had BBQ and polenta for dinner. Soon the "social table" was full of people and the conversations were great. A couple of us decided to go to Karaoke night at a bar downtown. We arrived to a bunch of old Italians singing to Andrea Boccelli and other Italian Classics. We obviously stole the show with Backstreet boys and spice girls..haha typical. On our way back to the hostel, we decided to go for a midnight swim in the lake. it was so cold, but felt adventurous being in the water with the moon, stars, and amazing people. We parted ways and will definitely keep in touch.
Sunday: September 6
Took the ferry back to Varenna to catch a train back to Milan. I arrived and started walking through all of the shops en route to El Duomo. There were so many nice stores with reasonable priced clothing and everyone that I saw pass me on the street seem to be very fashionable. Even though I heard bad things about Milan from others, I really liked it. Very populated, but there was a lot of culture. Good music on the streets, great architecture, and good food. The Duomo was spectacular, but there were so many weirdos walking around that I left. Definitely a place where all pick pocketers reside. I made my way to Sempione, a big park and took a break from all of the walking. I also stumbled upon a Gelato Festival where I tried 5 different gelato flavors: Panetonne, Peaches with Basil and cinnamon, a buffalo mozzarella, tomato, basil, lemon, and pepper one, and cinnamon with citrus. They were all so amazing, but I liked panetonne best and ate it twice. After making my way all over milan, I took a bus back to the airport where my hotel was located. It was nice to finally sleep in a nice bed and relax.
-I had the most amazing time traveling alone in Italy and will definitely be doing more trips elsewhere. It's nice to go solo because you get yourself out of your comfort zone and able to meet lots of people you would otherwise not know if you were traveling with others. Traveling alone is great because you get to do what you want, when you want, whenever, Besides, I like to know a town by foot so many would probably be opposed after all the miles I walk. Italy is amazing and I will be coming back.
Your lock story made me lol! Can't wait to catch up..maybe later this week if your available! <3
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