Milan was definitely worth the long ride. I know we didn't get to spend a whole lot of time there but the hotel and location was by far my favorite. The hotel was right in the middle of a little shopping center, and neighbors to some seemingly popular nightclubs. The first day we were there we explored our surroundings and did a little bit of shopping. We took the train to a shopping district where they had some pretty reasonably priced stores with some very cute clothes! After doing a little bit of damage, my roommates and I took the train back home to get ready for the night. I'm not really much of a party girl, but I must say Milan does clubbing right. A cover fee of 15 euros gets you into the club, and a drink of your choice; if this happened in Utah I may go out a lot more often! Not only that, but drinks are significantly stronger than Salt Lake City ones, not a big surprise but still I was not prepared. Another surprise I encountered was the amount of American music played, I knew every song that came on which I didn't expect. I always figured every country had there own pop stars, but American music is much more wide spread than I had assumed. I hadn't even planned on going out this night, but I am so glad I did since it ended up being one of my favorites.

Our next day in Milan, Kirsten and I woke up pretty early and headed downstairs for coffee and much missed eggs and bacon. Once fed we headed out to meet the rest of the group in the lobby to head to the Duomo in Milan. This was by far my favorite church we visited, the gothic architecture on the outside was one of the most detailed I have ever seen in person. I also liked how the city was not as touristy as the rest, at this point in the trip I was feeling beyond sick of crowds. The elevator to the top was also a plus, no more climbing stairs for us! The top was a lot different than the others, you could see more fixtures up close like statues and gargoyle gutters. I liked the layout a lot and it gave you a much more personal experience with the building details. After the Duomo, a couple of us stayed and shopped at some of the less expensive stores most notably Berkhe where everyone seemed to find something. After wasting a couple hours at this particular store, we headed to window shopping at the designer stores one day I'll be able to shop at! For the ladies, the handbag section was like a candy store; everything from Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Gucci and Burberry was in one beautiful place.

After the bank was broke, we all headed home happily with our purchases. While everyone else headed to the opera I decided to take a long wonderful bath in our very clean warm bathtub. This was the first time I felt relaxed and at ease on the trip, and it was much needed. We were always so busy and stimulated I never realized how fast time was flying and that we were heading tomorrow. I reflected on how much I had gotten to see and do in such a little amount of time and felt content. Next, my room mate Claire came in and said we should look for a Mexican restaurant which sounded like the best thing in the world as I quickly dressed. This mission unfortunately proved unsuccessful since the closest one was about 15 minutes away according to the concierge. A steak house close by soon became our target and I have never been more excited for a cheeseburger in my life. I realized that this really was the end of our trip and my last dinner in Italy. I was excited to go home and see my family and friends but also bummed my adventure abroad was over. I'm so thankful that I had to take this class to graduate, otherwise I would have been to scared to have gone. The people on this trip really made it worthwhile and I'm happy to have been blessed with the opportunity and new friends!