Susan Solo – Photographer | Traveler | Adventurer

Tag: Europe

Milan 2004

Sub-title: The time I spent a day wandering around Milan, Italy by myself.

As promised, I have a couple of photos to post from my day trip to Milan that I’ve finally scanned from film. While Chris and I were staying in Lugano, Switzerland, I signed up for a day-trip bus tour that went across the border to Italy. Chris had to work that day, but I figured it would be safe enough to go by myself since I’d also be accompanied by a bus full of tourists and a guide who could keep an eye on us. It was only about an hour-long ride into the heart of Milan, and the tour stops included Sforza Castle, the Monumental Cemetery, and the Duomo Cathedral. Oh, and when I say “tour,” I actually mean we were dropped off at each of these spots and given time to wander around on our own. So much for safety in numbers! But I did enjoy the freedom of seeing whatever I wanted at my own pace.

The cathedral was certainly one of the most impressive parts of the tour. The architecture is just mesmerizing. I made my way to the top and took one of my most favorite photos ever by holding my camera up high and over the ledge into the street below, and hoping for the best. There was no LCD on my 35mm film camera! 🙂

The piazza was fantastic for people-watching. I had some fun interactions with the locals using my broken Level 1 Italian, and also some not-so-fun moments. See all of the pigeons in the photos below? Apparently some tourists think it’s super fun to have their photo taken with the birds, so there are vendors (?) milling about who give you corn to feed the birds and then volunteer to take a photo for you in return for a small tip. I had no interest in a pigeon photo, but this guy kept insisting (in Italian) that I must have one. He grabbed my hand and put corn in it, while also trying to take my camera out of my other hand. Thankfully I had the neck strap over my head like a ~~true tourist~~ safety-conscious photographer and he was not able to get the camera away from me. He probably meant well and just wanted a few Euros in exchange for the photo op, but I couldn’t be too sure. And I don’t easily separate from my camera! So I shared some polite/nervous laughter and politely refused the photo. Oh, and did I mention I had about two-dozen pigeons on my arms and shoulders and surrounding my feet at this point? Yeah. Pigeons like corn. A lot. So there were quite a few birds that accosted me, and there was quite a bit of arm-flailing on my part, all while trying not to let a random Italian dude take my camera from me. Rather than a photo, I wish I had video of that whole scene because I’m sure it’s pretty hilarious.

In order to calm my nerves after the Pigeon Incident of 2004, I walked around some of the streets of Milan surrounding Piazza del Duomo. There were some amazing couture boutiques as well as really cute street vendor carts. I didn’t buy anything except for lunch in a nearby cafe, but I always just enjoy my photos as souvenirs. (Okay, actually I do regret not buying some designer shoes or a handbag – come on, it’s MILAN.)

One of the last stops of the day was the Sforza Castle, where I had the privilege of seeing Michelangelo’s Rondanini Pietà, the last sculpture that he worked on in the last days of his life. We weren’t really supposed to take photos (I’m not sure if this rule is still current or not?) but I did snap one careful image when no one else was around. Side note: I’m assuming light from the flash is the main reason photos aren’t allowed, so I’ll just mention that I took a very quick photo without flash and without interrupting anyone else’s viewing experience.

Milan was absolutely stunning, but I know it’s just a small slice of Italy, so I can’t wait to go back some day and travel the whole country. And with Chris this time of course!

January 24, 2014
Switzerland 2004

Yes, that title is correct! These images are from a trip to Switzerland nearly ten years ago. I’m only just now posting them because they were all taken on 35mm film, and I just never got around to scanning the images. (And as a side note, the scans are from the 4×6 prints, so the quality might not be the best.) But since this blog is somewhat of a photo diary for me, I’d be remiss to leave out some of my favorite trips. My side-trip to Italy and a separate adventure to England are next up to get scanned.

Chris and I went to Lugano, Switzerland back when he used to travel a lot for work. He was scheduled to work at a conference for the week, so I mostly toured the country (and Italy!) on my own. We flew into Zurich and took an incredibly beautiful train ride into the southern/Italian part of Switzerland. We stayed at the super cute Hotel Lugano Dante, which was central to a lot of restaurants and shops. I spent a lot of time wandering the area by foot and sometimes by bus once I figured out the system. I knew how to ask for directions in Italian well enough that the answer was returned to me in Italian, which I couldn’t make heads or tails from, but yay that my Italian was passable!

When Chris was able to take some time off, we took a train ride into Luzern so that we could see the spectacular views from Mt. Pilatus and also to see the Chapel Bridge in town. We rode a funicular all the way to the top of the mountain only to find out that it was completely foggy that day with zero visibility! But after riding a cable car back down, we did get to see the bridge. And it was really fun to visit the German-speaking part of the country. Neither of us speak a word of German, but we enjoyed trying.

One of the highlights of my visit was an overnight trip to a tiny Swiss Alps town called Gimmelwald. Another conference significant other, Tammi, and I took a train to Interlaken and then a bus to a really amazing site called Trümmelbach Falls. It’s a series of waterfalls inside of a mountain that you get to by tunnels and paths along the falls. I’ll never forget how loud and beautiful they were! If you get the chance to go, it’s an amazing site to see and hear.

After seeing the falls, we made our way to Gimmelwald, which is only accessible by cable car. The population of the most adorable town in the world is just over a hundred people! We stayed at Mountain Hostel, my only hostel experience to-date, and it was absolutely amazing. Our sleeping arrangements were dorm-room style and fairly comfy, but I didn’t get even a minute of sleep. Instead, I stayed up all night and well into the morning talking with other travelers, laughing, trading stories and photos, and playing silly card games.

And then the next morning, before anyone else was awake, I grabbed my camera and set off to go hiking. I got to see the sunrise over the Alps, found some authentic Swiss cows, and ate a picnic breakfast in probably the most peaceful, majestic setting I’ll ever experience. Looking back on it, it’s one of my most favorite travel memories, but I also get a little spooked at thinking how dumb it probably was to go wandering around by myself in the mountains without telling anyone. Oops! Obviously it worked out, but I wouldn’t do that now. 🙂

Sigh! I can’t wait to go back someday. Oh, did you notice there aren’t any photos of Chris or me on this trip? Sadly, I think we only took one or two of each other and NONE together! There’s one horrible photo of me in the dorm room at Mountain Hostel after a night of no sleep, so please forgive me for not posting that one. And I can’t find the other one of me from the trip. It’s funny how many “selfies” we take now that we have digital cameras/phones, but for some reason we just didn’t do that as much on the film cameras. So for that reason, I guess we’ll just need to go back!

Up next (after I get the images scanned), my solo-trip across the Switzerland/Italy border to see Milan.

Update: I did find another picture of me! Here I am standing in front of a fountain in Lugano:

January 18, 2014