A Milanese Christmas

Sorry for my absence, but with all the commotion lately I just had to recalibrate in order to get back to blogging, but here I am with a lot of content that I will be sharing throughout the next few weeks, so I hope you find it interesting!

So, what should be the number one travel rule, when you find cheap flights? You book them and worry about everything else later! Let’s start with my last trip I took to Italy. I sure love Milan and had to revisit during the Christmas season. With lively music on the Piazza del Duomo until the late hours of the night, and the cold air gently caressing the frozen features on my face. I stop to look at the Duomo in all its glory, the centre of attention, as the lights beneath it light up and frame its beauty for everybody to see. However, all I could think about were my frozen toes. I wish I knew that when they meant it would be cold in Milan during December, I would have believed, as temperatures can go as low as 1 to 0 degrees Celsius during the day. You sure have to layer up pretty heavily if you decide to take a trip to Northern Italy in the winter months.

The cold never stopped me before! So throughout those six days, I bundled up tightly and roamed the streets in search of beautiful and free tourist attractions, which I will write about in an upcoming article. Many a time, people believe travelling has to be expensive, that you have to eat at a restaurant every evening, and everything that the specific country offers is costly. For me, I enjoy the little things about travelling. The simplicity of walking down a street that I have never seen before fascinates me and sipping on some warm roasted coffee while I watch the people from afar and take in the beauty of life itself are my top reasons to travel. Sometimes all we need is change, and that is priceless.

Although I visited in the second week of December, the sensation of Christmas was apparent, with beautiful Christmas lights shining in the streets, to store windows decorated in the Christmas spirit. However, the main highlight has to be the decorations in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. The building itself is a feast anytime of the month, but during Christmas, you feel transported to a new dimension. The decor is exquisite and worth a flight to Milan in itself. The Christmas Markets in the Piazza del Duomo began on the 12th of December, and the beautifully decorated market stalls were selling everything from delicious Italian pastries and chocolates to gifts for family and friends and is a great way to kill time and get into the festive spirit.

Seeing Milan during Christmas time was a fantastic experience, and one I would love to do again, even though I came back home with the flu. The festivities sure are taken seriously in the fashion capital, but try to make as many coffee stops as possible to warm yourself and make it through the day. Until next time, happy travels everybody and I wish 2018 to be filled with them!