It’s Christmas Time

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas here in Milan, and I am loving it.  All of the streets are decorated with lights and rugs out in front of each shop.  There is even a large Christmas tree in front of the Duomo. And not only does it look like Christmas, but it feels like it too.  Last weekend it even snowed for a couple of hours and has been very cold these last couple of weeks.  Being from Washington you think I might be used to the snow and cold, but boy am I not! In a city that is made for walking, riding the bus, metro, and tram I was not prepared coming from a city where we only hop in and out of our cars to go places.   I am learning quick though that multiple layers of clothes, gloves, hats, and boots, do just the trick in keeping me warm.  I can’t complain though if its cold and sunny.

 MAKE.HAND.BUY

Once a year L’ARTIGIANO IN FIERA comes to Milan.  This is a huge convention center set up a little bit out of the city but accessible by metro.  Now from the descriptions I had heard I expected it to be a couple of large tents with merchants selling their homemade items.  I had no idea it was going to be enormous and so crowed full of people.  This market contains people from all over the world each having their own booth for their country.  They are divided into different regions of the world selling homemade goods, food items, and tons of samples.  Each country has a section depending on how many vendors are selling their items.  This market is a fun time to explore and see what items are from different areas of the world as well as a great time to do some shopping before my time here in Milan comes to an end.  The first time I went with friends to explore, get some lunch and see what the market had to offer.  Note to self: the first day of anything is always the most crowded, so wait a little bit.  The market was extremely overwhelming, but I loved it! I decided to make a trip back by myself to really take my time and go shopping.  I found a basket I plan on using for a fruit basket on my table from Madagascar and a couple of presents for my family and co workers from the Sicily region, but I wont say what incase they read this.

The city of Milan is so diverse in culture and so many things to do everyday you just have to explore.  That is what I have learned on this trip.  Go out and explore, even if its on your own each city is so unique and I have grown to really enjoy Milan and the atmosphere here.