Viaggio Musicale 2013: Milan Finale!

Milan was amazing! Even though we were there for a very short time (I will definitely be going back someday), I got to experience quite a bit! The first day in Milan we checked into our amazing hotel (and said goodbye to Mario...sniffle...). We then went shopping!! Milan shopping was amazing! There were the expensive stores that I would not have even been able to step foot into, and then there were the stores that I could actually consider buying something in! I got two pairs of sandals (buying shoes in Milan...can't get much better than that!!). That night after having some dinner, a few of us went out on the town to go clubbing!! Our hotel was in the clubbing district so we were in the right area to go out! It was my first time in a club and at first I was really uncomfortable because of all the strangers and the smell but after a while I started getting into it and dancing and having a great time! I got hit on by some old guys (which was interesting), and danced it up to popular American songs! And I was very happy to reaffirm the knowledge that I can totally have a blast without drinking! It was a really fun time and I'm not going to lie...when everyone else wanted to leave because they were tired and their feet hurt...I was totally up for staying there for another hour at least!! Maybe I am a closet party-er after all! ; ) When we got back to the hotel I crashed into my bed with my ears ringing and my throat throbbing from singing at the top of my lungs and trying to yell over the music to my friends. But sleep came quickly! The next morning was rough though...I had the hardest time getting up! I can't even imagine what it would have been like if I had been hung over as well! But despite that, I am happy that my first clubbing experience was in Milan! My favorite part about Milan though was definitely the Metro!!! I LOVE riding the Metro!!

The next day (our last day in Milan and of the trip), I wandered around the hotel area with a few others and then got ready for the opera! I wore my hot black dress and new black sandals and we headed to La Scala Opera house! The opera was the fourth and last of Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung opera. It was three acts long with two intermissions which all added up to 6 hours...holy cow!! It was like running a marathon! (and I wasn't even singing...I can't even try to comprehend what it must have been like for the singers!!) It was truly great though. The music was great, the set was pretty good, and the opera house itself was incredibly beautiful. I got to sit in box seats and lean over the edge; it was truly a once in a lifetime experience and I loved almost every moment of it! (the moment that I didn't like was when two Italian men came and kicked Trevor and I out of the awesome seats we were in....ba....) After the opera we got dinner and I was soooooo hyper!! I don't know what was wrong with me but I just could not sit still! Poor Kelli and Chipman had to deal with sitting by me at dinner and I can't even think about what I must have looked like to them! It was a good last night : ) I had a wonderful talk with my two amazing roommates that night (thanks Andrea and Ana!) and we went to sleep and woke up maybe three or four hours later to get ready to go to the airport. I was sad that it was over but at the same time I was happy that we were going home back to America!

The traveling was horrible!! Even though I slept for a lot of it it was fitful sleep and I was cold and just wanted to be home! My favorite moment was getting back into American ("Murka!") where water is free, bathrooms always have toilet seats and toilet paper and are free, and I can easily eavesdrop because everyone is speaking English!! Sigh...I LOVE living in America!!! I will miss Italy dearly though, and I will miss experiencing it with the wonderfully amazing group of people that I was with! But thankfully I got people's numbers so they will have to hang out with me soon!! Thank you Italy for such an amazing time!! And thank you to Michael Chipman and Brandon Derfler for planning such an incredible trip full of experiences and laughter!!