Italy & Switzerland
Milan, Italy : June 5 - June 7
June 5 : Day 1 - Arrival
I've flown to Milan, Italy from the east coast - the total in-air-flight time is approximately 10-hours. I had a layover in Barcelona, Spain for 3.5 hours. Flight got an hour-ish delayed departing from the east coast so layover time reduced. So here is how it looks:
east coast -> Barcelona, Spain = 8-hours Barcelona, Spain (layover) = 3.5-hours Barcelona, Spain -> Milan Italy = 1-hour & 40-minutes
Arrived in Milan, Italy in the late afternoon and went to pickup the car rental which was fairly easy and straight forward. We called the car rental and they send a shuttle to pick us up. The car rental was approximately 12-15 minutes away from airport and once I got there signed some papers, provided my paperwork (license, passport, international drivers permit) and off we went to our airbnb which was about a 40-minute drive.
We arrived at our accommodations in the late evening (9pm) and settled in and looked for a place to dine. We ended up at this cute little spot at the end of a residential area which we walked to (15-mins). The food is hella good and affordable in Milan - apps were 9-10 euros, entrees were 10-12 euros, dessert (4-5 euros) and this is all inclusive of seafood && pasta. First meal we got was:
apps = mussels & clams (10euros), calamari (9euros) & spinach (8euros) entrees = pasta with clams (11euros) & steak (12euros) dessert = tiramisu (4euros)
After completing the meal, the waitress said it is a tradition that after your first meal (I think) you are to take a shot of liquor. She was hella sweet and kind and said it was on the house.
June 6 : Day 2 - City-Exploration
Today was the day of city exploration. One of my favorite things to do aka do what the locals do, immersify and acclimate myself via taking the public transit (Red M line), walk around the city, check out parks, churches, people watch, understand the structure of the city with absolutely no fixed/strict plans nor time constraints and to just wander, get a little lost and enjoy/appreciate. This is my way of getting comfortable in a new city - a new place that I've never been to
We departed early noon/afternoon (12:00-13:00) to find the train station transit (12ish minutes walk from accommodations). Struggled and was a bit confused at first and couldn't really understand it (dumb small-brained americanos) but after awhile we sorta made some sense of it and just followed the colors and decided where our destination. We decided to purchase a day ticket (8euros) which can take transit all day within the M2-Zone. Unlike the grid system in NYC, Milan has a circular-area-zone system (sorry a little confusing but bare with me), whereas the center/heart of Milan is M1, and the further you go out it goes to M2, M3, M4, etc.
We got out to the city and wandered around and somehow ended up at Parco Sempione, which was beautiful and grand. The entrance was like entering a castle into a huge park and unbeknownst to me, this was free. We explored the park and there was so much space and ample benches & seating, as such, we sat down on a bench and chilled there for a bit to people watch. Highly recommend visiting here if you are strolling around Milan.
After, we headed south-westish and visited Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio & Santa Maria delle Grazie (also free) - so dope. The structure, architecture and the way they are able to maintain it so well is unreal. And by the way, when entering Basilica (churches), don't forget to take off your cap.
Then, we headed and walked through the shopping district area towards Duomo di Milano, but we never got there and decided to head back home and figure out dinner.
For dinner, we found a spot (25-30 minutes walk) and after all day of walking, we was famished and got pretty much a buffet (2x pizzas, muscles & clams, 2x pasta). It's hella funny when the waiters/waitress and people around look at us and get a giggle in seeing us ordering food for literally a family - which also probably gave them a good idea that we were dumb small-brained fat americanos. We finished grubbing and had leftovers for take-away aka Italians' way of saying to-go/take-out.
A very productive day of exploring and lots of walking (30K steps).
Lugano-Paradiso-Locarno-Lucerne, Switzerland : June 7 - June 14
June 7: Day 3: Journey North
We depart from Milan today and drive up to Lugano, Switzerland (70ish-minutes from where we stayed, insanely close).
We arrived prior to check-in time so we parked somewhere close and walked around & explored. We ended up at this stunningly beautiful park by the lake, Parco Ciani. It was so filled with life, students, children, greenery, flowers and hella clean. There are ample bathrooms there and right across is the main shopping area filled with restaurants & stores. Ended up hanging by the waters and after some time, we headed back as it was check-in time, but before that we stopped by a convenient store to grab some necessities (water, juice, etc.)
We were pretty much in & out of the airbnb (dropped off our bags, relaxed for 10-minutes) because we were starving. Ended the evening at this restaurant very close by (5 minute walk) called Amarea and ordered fries & a octopus burger - it was fucking fantastic. Juicy, flavorful, delicious and by the waters.
June 8: Day 4: Exploring Lugano Day 1
Today was our first full day & we didn't have really much planned. It was going to be very similar to how we did Milan, which is walk around and immerse ourselves into the culture & the life.
Started the day by going to the lake and from here you are able to walk all the way up to the park we were at yesterday - which is so nice & easy and with a beautiful view.
Walked up, boating docks, museums, hotels, beautiful condos and ended up at the shopping district. It has all the stuff you'd expect - LV, Rolex, Cartier, Prada, Hermes, etc. But I couldn't be bothered with it (personally). We stopped across from LV for some coffee & a sandwich and continued on through the shopping district.
We ended up back at the park, Parco Ciani and it had this picturesque gate by the waters that was so dope.
After a full day of exploring the shopping district, it was time to head back & find food. Our walk back is always by the waters/lake that just stretches from south (Paradiso) up to north (Lugano) so you already know, it's a fucking dope town to walk.
Ended up at a restaurant near our airbnb, called Ristorante Pizzeria Verace, it had some sort of guinness world record for making the most pizzas in an hour(?). Pizza, pasta & an appetizer followed by desert after a long day of exploration.
June 9: Day 5: Exploring Lugano Day 2
This day consisted of pretty much the same thing, whereas, we explored a different part of Lugano by choosing a direction we have not gone yet.
Started off our day by going and enjoy our walk to the shopping district. There's a plaza (Piazza della Riforma) there with many restaurants with outdoor seating and we'd grab coffee and a desert (sometimes) and just chat & people watch and being able to see the mountains and the lake is amazing - what a life. We would start our day like this everyday - nothing beats a good 30-minute walk by the lake with views of the mountains to grab coffee & desert and people watch.
After 90-minutes, we head off and started working our way north. We stumbled on Cathedral of Saint Lawrence and then ended up at Lugano station, one of their bigger train states. We hung around for a bit and it started raining/drizzling, so we decided it was time to head back and through a different path.
June 10: Day 6: Back to Italy, Como
Short & sweet day, we had nothing planned and considering how close Italy is, we decided to check out Como (40 minutes). But not before we walked down to Lugano's plaza for some people watching & coffee for 2 hours.
Arriving in Como, we saw the lake (gorgeous btw), uniquely dope.
Ended the day eating pizza & pasta in front of a dope ass cathedral, and was tourist trapped by what seemed like a very popular area. Nonetheless, it was fucking delicious, ordered lobster pasta & large pizza.
Finished up & then bounced back to Switzerland.
June 11: Day 7: Exploring Lucerne, Switzerland
Today we journeyed to Lucerne (120 minutes north), right by the borders of Germany and only another 60 minutes to Zurich. We ended up starting the day hella late & slept in to be fully rested.
The drive is dope & hella picturesque, driving through & inside the mountains (pretty much Swiss Alps). We arrived in Lucerne around 5pm, it was pretty chilly since it was higher in elevation. The buildings were magnificent and it was really cool seeing Lake Lucerne run through it. It felt like a mixture of farmlands & vibrant city that is spread out. We explored some castles (free btw) and the city shopping district areas. It was more populated than I expected, but didn't feel congested at all. Lots of tourists, lots of humans, lots of people just enjoying & living.
We left pretty late and ended up grubbing at a indian buffet (much needed) & journeyed back since it was like 50 degrees fahrenheit.
Another great day in the books.
June 12 & 13: Day 8 & 9: Chilling in Lugano, Switzerland
After the long journey to Lucerne, we were pretty burnt and took it easy these next two days. We met up with a friend and hung about in Lugano. The usual coffee & people watching by the waters (unbeatable)
June 14: Day 10: Spa day in Locarno, Switzerland
Never experienced a spa day, so what other time but to do it while on vacation?
Off we went to Locarno (1-hourish northwest). We arrived and explored a little of the town and walked by the waters. It is fucking dope as hell that so many towns are interconnected with pools of water making each magically beautiful & unique in its way.
After that we headed into the spa, Termali Salini & Spa Locarno. We each got the same package aka Day Spa Termali Experience for CHF 168.
The facility was gorgeous, the views stunning, the experience incomparable & body rejuvenated. This is a must anytime & every time if I am in Switzerland.
Facility closes at 9PM (and we stayed for 5+ hours btw, which flew by insanely quick. note to self: come earlier next time).
Finished off our day at Locarno by going to a restaurant nearby that served some bomb ass food - then off we went back to our homebase Lugano.
The perfect way to spend our last day in Switzerland.
Back to Italy
June 14 - June 16: Day 11 - 13: Como, Italy
Majority of the Day 11 we spent hanging around Lugano and arrived in Como late in the evening (midnight).
On Day 12, we met up with a friend and we headed into Como. Our friend joined us and we showed him where we explored, which was within the city and from the outside looking it, it looks like a castle's defensive walls. But there are openings on each side (N, W, S, E), and once you walk in, you enter a completely different world. There are shopping districts, restaurants, parks, museums, churches & many more things - you can spend a whole day inside & honestly, that was quite magical, like entering into a different world.
Day 13, breakfast in the morning followed by the starting drive towards Gargnano via continued below.
June 16 - June 19: Day 13 - 16: Gargnano, Italy
Day 13 continued, our drive from Como to Gargnano was sort of a trek (approximately 2.5 hours), so we planned to stop in the middle and take a break + explore a little town. Forgot which town was were in, but it was about half-way (1-hourish). It was hella lively, there was trains, parks, history, culture, life & walking around the waters was lovely. Saw a beautiful house right by the waters (one day, we coming for you).
It was a short break and we headed straight to Gargnano after and getting into the town, we ran into some traffic due to a accident. It was barely moving and we was delayed for over an hour with barely any movement - it is because there is only one lane for each direction so any accidents will pretty much result in traffic. And if it was major, they use helicopters to pick up (instead of ambulance).
Finally arrived, we met up our host & headed up to our airbnb and got a tour. A 3-bed/3-bath unit with views on views, gorgeous layout, front-yard with clean-cut grass, 6 AC-units (1 for each room (3), 3 in living room), each room has its own bathroom. We got comfortable & decided it was time for dinner - we headed back down to the town (10 minutes) and found a restaurant by the waters. We literally ordered everything and anything we wanted, the prices really reasonable (imo). The views immaculate, it was like a broadwalk-style. It was hella funny seeing the waiters & waitress look at us (3) ordering a buffet, 2 pizzas, 2 pastas, 2 appetizers, & a few other things. It was delicious, and we came back the following day.
Day 14, it was the first day of events for the wedding so we wanted to take it easy and stay close. We opted to go down south (30 minutes) by the rivers and walk around, grab coffee & brunch. We also met up with our friend that was arriving that day so we became a group of 4 (he was also staying with us).
After eating by the waters, we walked around for another 30-40 minutes and it was almost time for the event so we headed back to get cleaned up, shower & get ready.
Arriving at the event (15-minute drive), it was right by the waters, fucking beautiful with a gorgeous view. There was a good amount of people since this was just sort of the pre-game before the wedding for everyone to meet & mingle. Saw some familiars from the hometown and it was so nice just grabbing drinks, snacking & catching up while having a lovely view. This event ended around 10PM and we had friends that was hungry, so we ended up going back to the restaurant near the broadwalk for round two. Unfortunately, the restaurant was closing, but we were able to order take-away (what they call it vs takeout).
Day 15, today was the big day of the wedding. We did the usual of grabbing coffee & lunch, then headed back to get ready & went to the venue. The event starts at 5PM and we arrived 1-hour early, but we got to see where it was behind held - by the waters (fucking amazing) and across the street was a castle-like entrance for pre-drinks after the ceremony. Ceremony was stunning, with the lake & mountains in the background.
After it, we headed down for the pre-drinks & appetizers (60-minutes) while they finalize the setup for dinner. Once it began, we all sat down and they had the groomsmen & bridesmaid do their introduction dance as we sat, then it was dinner-time with a in-between best man & maid of honor speeches. After that, the bar was open as we were getting served dinner (steak, gnocchi, veggies, soup) and shortly after it was the dance party for the last 2 hours in the evening (ends at midnight).
The wedding was perfect - and it is something I aspire to do. Having friends travel to a different country, enjoy & explore a different culture & way of life - this is the way. It may be hard for some being able to take 7-14 days, but I can argue, this is the justification for you to go and enjoy life.
Day 16, today was suppose to be the day we fly out of Milan (2.5 hour drive) and we gave ourselves about 4-hours. But more to come below.
June 19 - June 21: Day 16 - 18: Missed flights, Extended Trip, Unintentionally Milan, Italy
Day 16 continued, we felt like we gave ourselves enough time to arrive, but we should have accounted for additional time incase of any delays. But we arrived around 13:50, whereas, our departure was at 14:10. It was closed, but then I noticed there was a 2.5-hour delay (departing at 16:40) so I inquired to see if we can get on considering it was delayed and still here. Unfortunately, they said no, with no actual reasonable justification. So we ended up missing our flights and eating the cost.
With the only solution is to purchase a new flight - we stayed at the airport for 3-hours figuring out what to do and how to resolve this. My friend ended up purchasing a ticket to depart the same night for $900. This didn't make sense to me as I can stay for literally a week living real good & eat good. So I decided to stay a few additional days. Also, had a friend that was still here for a few days (who stayed with us at Gargnano), so I just let him know that I'm staying and if he had room for me and I'll cover half of it. He nicely accepted and let me know. So I started to figure out the trains to get into Milan, which was fairly easy and took about 1.5 hours.
Finally getting out & arriving at the hotel, I decided to go take a walk to places I have yet to explore. And this was where I headed to Duomo and oh my, was it magnificent in every way imaginable. I pretty much walked around that area and stayed there to glaze at the views & people watch. It was lively and it totally makes sense why it is.
After that I headed back to the hotel (30-40 minutes walk) and stopped to grab food (pizza) along the way.
Day 17, Another day of exploring, this time we ended up in Chinatown (which I missed) and it was pretty big (imo) from all other Chinatown(s) I have visited throughout my life. The streets were hella wid, lots of shops & restaurants. And friend brought me to a place where they do skewers and you get to just choose what you want to eat/try, give it to them & they charge & cook it (5 minutes). Absolutely a banner business concept, 1 front for register, 1 back for cooking & prepping. This was something I've never experienced and the food was really good.
After getting our food, we headed off to the big main park in Milan, got some chocolate & ice-cream, chilled, and headed back.
Dope and chill day.
Day 18, the departure. We made sure to arrive on-time so we gave us a lot of additional time incase of delays. Luckily we did as when we were returning the car, there was people that took their time, as if they were actually shopping for a car and the workers were fairly slow. It may be the way of life (I suspect), no rush and just in their own pace. It took almost 90-minutes to return the car.
Closing Notes
Overall, it was such a great time exploring Italy & Switzerland. I was there for 18 days and I am confident that I can go there and be able to maneuver around without any issues. Comfortable in their transit, comfortable in driving around, comfortable in walking around.
Such beautiful countries with beautiful people, rich in culture, history & life.
Without a doubt, I'll be back.
Love you Italy & Switzerland.