Heys guys!  I’m Melanie.  I love to travel, thrift, and catch a great deal on both.  I’ve incorporated my love of these into this blog.  I hope it inspires you to travel, thrift, and stretch your dollars doing it.  So let’s go! 

Milan, Italy obviously has the fashion allure, considered one of the fashion capitals of the world.  However, its grand architecture also drew me in. The buildings have many arches, curves, and points reaching toward the sky.  Most were neutral toned, with lots of windows.

The Duomo Milano was beautiful and grand, with all its different levels.  It reminded me of Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.  We never got around to getting tickets, and the line was always long.  I wanted to do the rooftop tour to get amazing views of the city.

Piazza del Duomo reminded me of Las Vegas with all its colors and Paris, with its arches.  You are supposed to walk to the bull that’s painted on the ground and spin around, while stepping on its jewels. Apparently, that’s supposed to be good luck.

The Starbucks Reserve Roastery was quite impressive.  I think it’s the largest Starbucks in Milan.  It had a beautiful interior with multiple floors.  It would definitely be a cool place to meet a friend for a quick treat or use as a co-working space for a few hours.  It had a huge, working coffee grinder in the middle of the first floor.  The guide let you smell different kinds of beans and gave a brief history.  I bought my usual city mug (a recent travel tradition) and a muffin.  It’s definitely a place I could see myself hanging in from time to time.

As we walked hours each day, eating gelato and shopping, I tried to take in the sights, wandering in the beauty of the cityscape.  We even found a section that had small a harbour (The Darsena) with a boardwalk with a few shops, where folks were just hanging out – eating, drinking, riding bikes or catching up with friends.  This was quite a contrast to the hustle of the city with the crowds.

If you are ever in Milan, stop to take a breath and look up at all the beauty around you in its architecture.

 

Duomo di Milano

Piazza del Duomo

Starbucks Reserve Roastery

The Darsena