My Final Few Days

Ciao!

This last week has been great, and it's been a wonderful way to end my time in Milano. I leave for the US tomorrow, and while it will be nice to come home, I'll definitely miss Milano. After all, it has been my home for the last 2 months. 

Today's post is going to be pretty short because I need to pack and then get ready for the Farewell Dinner. Tomorrow I will have plenty of time to kill at the airport, so I'll try to post something more tomorrow.

First off, here is my granita di cafe (espresso granita) and my wonderful tub of gelato. When I came to Italy with my family after high school, we went to Rome and had Granita de Cafe con Panna (espresso granita and fresh whipped cream, but way better than you can imagine). It was delicious, and I wanted to try it in Milan. I didn't see Granita di Cafe con Panna anywhere, or even espresso granita, until earlier this week. I ordered it from a little place near my apartment and took it home with me. I added my own cream with Panna flavor gelato. It was great, but Roma still has it beat. Still, granita, gelato and espresso in one cup. What's not to love!

Over the course of the trip, I've accumulated a few more things than what I arrived with. Because of this, I needed to get a new suitcase. Instead of shelling out a ton of euros for a nice one, I went to an outdoor market on Saturday, the same one I went to a few weeks ago. I bought a fairly decent and lightweight suitcase for 20EUR and then got 2 little watermelons. Watermelon on the balcony on a warm summer day? It was fantastic!

On my last free afternoon in Milan (yesterday), I finally went shopping. Right after work I went to a little place across the street and got a cute pair of pants. After that, I went to Zara. You can see the entrance in the picture above. The Zara I went to was right near the Duomo, and it was large and well decorated with a massive atrium entrance. I bought a few more things there and had a lot of fun. Only downside? They only let you take 6 items in the dressing room. When I asked if they had a place I could put my other items to switch out (like you can do at home in most stores), they said I couldn't. Instead, I was told to only try on the 6 I was most likely to purchase and then to put the rest away. Massive store, 6 items? Seems like a bad strategy for increasing sales, but oh well... On the plus side? It's sale season in Italy, that's part of why I waited so long to go shopping, so everything was on a great sale. I got a cute jacket, some light knits, and a super cute t-shirt. And Alexa? Know that I thought of you when I wrote "Super Cute!".

Last night my roommates and I went out to our final aperitivo. Above is my Victoria Giulia (a cosmo plus lychee), which was fantastic, as well as part of my plate. The bar we went to is called Yguana (pronounced Iguana, like the animal) and the buffet was amazing. The had mussels, fries, focaccia pizza, several pastas, fruit, and an unidentified, but delicious curry-flavored something. Of all the aperitivos to end on, that was it. We also took a bunch of pictures both at the bar and at Colone, the columns nearby. It truly was a wonderful night! 

Today was my last day at my internship, and I ended it with the espresso you see above. I had a great time there and I learned a lot both about finance and myself - how I work, my interests, what I can accomplish, etc. It's an experience that will stick with me forever!  

Finally, because gelato is important, I end the post with my final gelato. The place across from my work has my absolute favorite gelato. Not the normal chocolate, stracciatella, crema, etc. but the fruit flavors. I ended with a fragola e banana (strawberry and banana) cup and it was an excellent choice. The banana gelato and cookie reminded me of the banana pudding and nilla wafers that Dad and I love! 

Not only was the gelato wonderful, but I had a nice conversation with the scooper...in Italian. I told her that this was my final gelato in Milan and she asked if this was my favorite gelateria. I told her it was, and that I was going to the US tomorrow. She asked if I was returning in September, meaning if I was going to the US for vacation. She thought I was Italian, which was neat. She's the first person to do so, and it happened my last full day here. Definitely a nice note to end on. And with that? Farewell and arrivederci!