Morning in Milan... Evening in Florence

apple-banana smush... who knew?
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After Sean's night of no sleep, he wanted to get up as early as I would allow, so I opened the drapes at 7am. We went down to the breakfast, which wasn't amazing, but had some interesting food (see me trying apple and banana sauce in the picture).

We decided to wander towards the cathedral, since everyone has said that it is one of the only things you must do in Milan. We saw some cute shops and streets, and Milan has trolleys that run down the middle of the bigger streets. We came across a small flower shop, and crossed a major road into a park.

adorable school in Milan
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The park was beautiful, with clean wide open spaces, a small stream and gorgeous buildings. The best part was watching the little kids walking to school with their families. It was drizzling, so they all had little boots and umbrellas. Their playground was out in the open and had no gates surrounding it. It was amazing.

Then we made our way through the shopping district (though the stores were all closed), to the Duomo. It has the most intricate exterior, it's unbelievable. It was free to enter, and the interior was breathtaking. Sean and I are both so amazed that there are people worshipping in these historic buildings that seem like museums.

attempting to take our own picture
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Back at the train station we grabbed some food and waited for our train to Florence. It was a 3 hour ride and we sat facing two Italians who had no desire to attempt to speak to us. The countryside was beautiful, though it was kid of rainy. We got to the Florence train station and dragged our baggage over the cobblestones to the apartment I had rented. (We'll include pictures later).

Nick had two midterms to study for, so we agreed to meet for a short time. We met at the Duomo, and went to check out his apartment. He has grown his beard and hair out (quite a shock at first, but now I love it!). He graciously agreed to make Sean some "sean-friendly" food for dinner. His apartment has a great terrace, but is way small for two people. I guess boys can manage, since they have less stuff.

homeless man sleeping in the Duomo
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Nick headed back to school to study, so Sean and I got some Gelato on our way home. Deee-li-cious! Our apartment has a super-comfy bed; we turned in after midnight looking forward to a full day in Florence.