Category: Weekly posts_2016

Death, Budapest, and New Friends

I finally learned how the metro system! This is truly amazing since I was completely lost coming here. It was honestly very simple to understand. One of the things that stood out to me this week was visiting the cemetery. It was very strange and somewhat dark, yet really beautiful. I enjoyed seeing the dramatic and extremely detailed tombstones. While walking around, I reminisced about the importance of life and how short it is. The cemetery honestly gave me the motivation to push through my dreams and struggles. Yes, it was eerie but also very refreshing.

Como is a beautiful city! It rained a little bit but we were still able to see the site. I spent most of my time with Linda, Karina, Pamela, and Baylea… it seems like I am going to make some lifelong friends. Stay tuned to see if Milan makes or breaks us…

This weekend I also went to Budapest. Somewhat similar to Milan in architecture but not in people or language. It was definitely my first time in Austria. They seemed to like alcohol a lot. I went with Karina, Kate, and Courtney. It was a nice 3 days weekend. We did go on a cruise which was very nice since we got to see all the touristy spots at night. We also went to see a castle and a palace.

 

A Day in Bellinzona

After a long fun week, I took the bus to Bellinzona to meet my Swiss friend that I haven’t seen in more than 4 years. I was late to the bus and almost missed it, but I got there when the driver was planning to leave. On the way, the view was amazing; the mountains arched down to meet the water, reflecting their image. The green trees covered the side of the road, the sun was just peeking… It was magical. When I almost made it to Lugano, the first stop, the driver had to take the town road instead of the highway to avoid the police (questionable but worth it). Lugano was breathtaking! Going through the town streets, the lake reached so far and so long it was hard to miss. The sun was a bit higher and I could start seeing the light hit the water and make it look like diamonds are floating on the surface.

On My Way to Bellinzona

About 45 minutes later, the driver announced that we got to Bellinzona and I left the bus, however I was actually 30 minutes far from the city, by foot. I asked around and took a bus to get to the city where I met my friend. Since we were both strangers, we first started by walking around the city. It was very busy, and many locals had food stands on the streets as if it was Saturday food market. Also, it was the Italian canton, so most locals spoke more Italian than Swiss-German. We walked through the stands and sat at park for a little, then we decided to eat. She really wanted me to try Swiss beer, so we kept looking till we found a restaurant that served good beer and we ate there.

Swiss Beer with My Swiss Friend, Cheers!

After, we decided to visit the Castle of Bellinzona, it was huge! We walked all around it, and we went underground. After the long walk, we had a glass of Coca-Cola in the castle’s courtyard like true princesses, only we weren’t! After the castle, my friend took me to buy Swiss chocolate and then I took the train back to my bus station. The day was very fun and I wish I stayed longer, but the best part was seeing my friend again :)

The Castle of Bellinzona
A Small Pond in the Castle

 

Rocky Start… Rocky Roads

The plane ride to Milan was pretty exhausting. There were times of discomfort. The second plane ride had a lot of turbulence which completely freaked me out but I did some prayers and gave my worries to the big guy upstairs. It was easier to bear knowing the city I was going to was the fashion capital of the world. Once I got to Milan, I had a rocky start at the airport. I could not find the proper queue where my luggage was supposed to be and the nice Italian guys at the airport only spoke Italian (which make sense but did not help my anxiety). I ended up taking a taxi home to a small but cozy apartment on Via Ausonio. I love how addresses work here. It’s really simple and I feel that America should have picked a similar way of making addresses. Inside my snug Italian apartment, I met Neesha and Celeste who will be my roommates on this trip. Throughout the week we ended up seeing the Duomo. That is where I met everyone on the trip. We had a dinner at Karina’s house with everyone and had amazing pasta made by Baylea and cheese bread made my Pamela. It was great! The whole group bonded pretty quickly. I also became a gelato addict… probably going to have one every day now.

milan week one

After one week in Milan, I feel as though my stomach has shrunk by at least a third – it’s still getting used to the different pattern of eating, often feeling starved the whole day then scarfing down an entire pizza at 9pm : I guess stomachs feel culture shock too. The hours of operation are so different here that for the first time I became sensitive to the quality and characteristics of simple white noise of the city.

The highlight of the week for me was the Fondazione Prada. The whole place was like a total work of art, with the buildings and the spaces in between relating and having a conversation with each other. It was fun to pick out the materials and textures of old/new (rusting walls, corrugated walls, gold painted surfaces, velvet chairs, modern chairs)  and natural/manmade (metal, wood, mirror) of materials and textures made for a unified space that manages also to be diverse and distinct in its character.

Karina, Baylea, and I booked last minute train tickets to the coast of Italy to Cinque Terre, but it felt like I had left the country and gone to something like a tropical destination spot. I half expected not to find any of the typical coffee, pizza, and gelato shops that populate the streets of Milan but juice bars and Hawaiian cuisine restaurants instead (I was wrong though). We paddle boarded/canoed and were pretty stressed the whole time (it helped that it felt as though I was in a dream). We rented our boats/boards from a small shop near the dock which was run by a beautiful couple – I feel as though I have encountered more genuine people here in Italy, at least in places of business. It’s either indifference or sincere friendliness with no in between, so when it’s the latter I know its not a front many workers in America feel like they have to put on for customers.

 

A Dérive Through Omegna

I brought my own lunch to Alessi, so when our bus stopped in Omegna for lunch, I took the opportunity to explore this small lake town.

Lago d’Orta

First, I did the obvious thing; I walked along the waterfront until the buildings turned to residential homes. The vibes were similar to Como, and after sitting on the water for a few minutes, I turned around to see what was further in the city.

The streets were narrow and lined with shops from the north end of the lake. I peeked into the gelato shops as I walked past hoping to find blatant signage that read “vegan”, but I didn’t have any luck. I came to an old church with open doors, peeked inside, then ducked around the side where I could see a pedestrian way. It wrapped around to the back of the church and turned into a suspended walkway over a calm river of clear water.

The River – I tried to find the name but it’s not even on google maps.

When the suspended walkway ended on land, I followed the fork toward an iron gate and discovered a park called Parco Della Fantasia. Some kids were playing on a small zipline, there were brutalist planters over 10 feet tall, and an large eclectic building. The building held Omegna’s Museum of Art and Industry. On one side of the building, I was able to pay 2 Euros and then walk to the other to enter the museum.

Kids playing on the zipline

The museum was empty (I was literally the only person — there wasn’t even anyone to check my ticket) and I walked through the permanent collection of designed object which were manufactured in the area. One room was full of coffee makers, toasters, and other industrial goods with googly eyes tacked on. The second floor was dedicated to manufacturing processes and I was able to see how moka pots are forged and how table-ware is formed.

Products with googly eyes!
Industrial Processes Exhibit
Industrial Processes Exhibit

Gelato 24/7

After a long flight and a furious arrival, my first week was actually pretty good. Even though I am not a design major, professor Catterall made It very easy for non-design students to understand the art and the design and appreciate it as well. My favorite visit of that first week was the Rossana Orlandi museum; it was very interesting. I liked most the art that was present, and even though they did not make sense when put together in the same space, the guide was still able to give us a unique story and enlighten us about most pieces. Also, what I love about Italy is how close it is to my home country Lebanon. The driving, the people, the buildings, the restaurants… Even the flowers! It almost feels like I have known Milan forever.

Yasmine (Jasmine) Tree

Before I left, a family friend that has been to Italy told me “Pizza and gelato every day” and let me tell you something, he is so right! The Italian cuisine is delicious and if I don’t have a gelato daily, my day doesn’t go well.

My best friend from France visited me this weekend as well after not seeing her for months… It was great. We were counting the days and it felt unreal to see her again, but I am glad I did, even for a short time. We visited the Duomo together, watched a heated soccer match in a bar, ate lots of gelato and went happy hour together. This weekend was definitely a success!

 

Me, my best friend, and my new friend

I cannot wait to experience Milan and the rest of Italy over the time left and learn as much as I can about design, an elective that I’m starting to love and appreciate!

Week One in Review

Upon arriving in Milan, I was immediately struck by the size of the city and the number of people crammed into such a small space. The trains were packed, the subway was full of passengers even at odd times, and the coffee shops were always full, but always worth the wait. The amazing combination of new fashion and ideas in a place rich with history was exciting and different than any other experience I’ve had. Visiting Duomo, I was even more surprised at the amount of people, and pigeons, you could fit into a small area. Although I don’t have an extensive background in design, the culture of the city is tightly bound with the historic buildings in the area. The shear amount of people in the city was clear when a few of us attended a concerted and were packed into a small park in the middle of the city. It was not only interesting to see the night life, but also the combination of beautiful historic buildings in a park hosting a DJ filled with people young and old.

After seemingly just arriving in the city, I traveled to Cinque Terre with Karina and Linda where we spent most of our time near the shore in La Spezia. The beautiful atmosphere was much different than Milan and traveling was a bit harder due to the fact that fewer people spoke English. However, the scenery was a beautiful mixture of old castles and pastel apartments which captured the unique style of the city.

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