Aman & Nadya’s
Guide to Milan and Venice
Milan
For
as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to go to Milan. Maybe it’s the hype
that comes along with Milan's fashion week or their status as one of the fashion
capitals in the world, I thought, Milan, I must come and see you.
We
flew from Paris to Milan and we board a bus from the airport, straight to the
city centre. Milan hotels were pretty pricey, so we thought, hey, let’s just
get a super simple room. Hence, Ibis it is. Most of the time, I usually avoid
Ibis. It’s not that I have anything against them, the hotel occupancy is quite
high, which means, longer waiting time and a very crowded hotel. But the
location was pretty good, price not too steep, so Ibis it was.
We
headed to the Duomo. Being the third largest church in the world, the minute
you come out from the subway station, the spectacular view greets you. You just can’t help
but stare at it in awe and wonder, how on earth did they built this?! So
intricate and the enormity of it all, mindblowing. We got our tickets and paid
to climb a never-ending flight of stairs, to reach the top. The Duomo rooftop
is a whole other story, the view of the city was stunning and I remember we
spent quite a bit of time there until the sun set.
We
explored Galleria Vittoria Emanuele. It’s a huge shopping arcade but I wasn’t
interested to buy anything, I just wanted to sit and have a nice cup of Italian
coffee at the Gucci Café. We stood in the centre, looked up at the high ceiling
and just gawked at the amazing architecture. Everything about the galleria was
so beautiful and definitely the place to go for high end products.
Gucci
Café was quite a pleasant experience. We each ordered a cup of coffee, I can’t remember
exactly the type and a plate of biscuits. Quietly nibbling on our biscuits and
watch the world pass by. Definitely a great place to people watch. A bit pricey
but what else can you expect from Gucci? Haha!
To
be honest, apart from the Duomo and Galleria Vittoria Emanuele, I felt that
there was not much that Milan had to offer. Maybe we didn't really explore the other parts of Milan but one or two days would be enough to
cover Milan.
Food
wise, we couldn’t find any halal food so we settled for pasta with tomato sauce
and Maggi Mee when we came back to our hotel! :D
Venice
From
Milan, we took the Trenitalia to Venice. I can’t remember exactly how long the
duration of the trip but it took quite a while to reach Venice.
You
know all the things people tell you about Venice?
Its
true. Venice is SUPER gorgeous.
If
you’ve watched The Tourist, Venice is exactly how it was portrayed in the movie.
Canals in the place of roads and small little boats and gondolas floating on the
glistening waters.
We
arrived around Maghrib time, and went to get our 3-day pass for the Vaporetto ride.
The Vaporetto is their main public transportation. To be honest, I don’t know
if the day pass was worth the money because we rarely took the water bus. Most
of the time, we walked through the alleys or we took the Traghetto, which are
small gondolas the locals use to cross the Grand Canal. The only time we took
the water bus was during our trip to and fro the train station and one more
trip because we felt that it would be such a waste if we didn’t use it.
The
water bus system is a bit confusing and you must find out beforehand which stop
you’re alighting to reach your hotel. The hotels by the Grand Canal with their
own private docks are super expensive so for the other hotels, you have to stop
at the main area, and walk to your hotel. Some things to take note of, Venice
has quite a number of random stairs and cobbled streets so getting to and fro
your hotel might be a bit of a hassle. Always take note of your hotel’s
location first before booking. Unless if you’re carrying a backpack then this
should not be an issue.
Our
hotel room was soooooo gorgeous that when we first stepped in, we just went
OMGOMGOMG SO SO PRETTY?!?! Even Aman went around to take snapshots and video of
our room in all its Venetian themed glory. It was soooooo pretty, I kid you
not. If you’re on honeymoon, go on. Book it. You won’t regret, I promise.
Just
around the corner from our hotel room was a halal pizza place. Apart from that,
we couldn’t find any halal certified restaurants in our area. For dinner, we
went to a nearby restaurant and ordered seafood and squid ink pasta. We also
specifically asked them not to put any form of alcohol or meat based products
in our food. In general, the restaurants in Venice are quite pricey so get your
ka-ching ready.
We
walked all the way to the central part of Venice which is Piazza San Marco.
Along the dwindling passageways are many shops, left and right so we also window
shopped while walking. You’ll find many shops selling embroidery, lace, Murano glass,
masks and quills.
I
won’t go on more about Venice because it has soooo much to offer. On our second
day, we went on a free walking tour and the guide brought us off the beaten
touristy track. We explored the areas frequented by locals and the guide kept
telling us lots and lots of interesting facts about the island. It is quite a
fast paced walking tour which takes almost three hours so be sure to wear good
walking shoes if you’re thinking of joining them. The meeting place for the
tour was right in front of our hotel so we had no problems finding them. The
tour is free, all you have to do is to register beforehand and at the end of
the tour, it’s up to you to tip your guide :)
We
didn’t go on a gondola ride. As much as we would love to, it was too expensive
for us. Instead, we took the Traghetto and feeling feeling as if we
were on a gondola. If you have a lot of money to spare or it has been your long
time dream to go on a gondola, by all means. We were happy to settle for the Traghetto.
Venice
has so much character and so many stories to tell. From why they’re known for
their masquerade masks, to the flooding that happens quite frequently when it
rains or when the water level rises, we truly enjoyed Venice. Definitely a
romantic destination, perfect for newlyweds.
Much love,
Nadya Abd
