FunderfulWorld

A piazza all to yourself? Well, you can get that and much more! At the charming town of Vigevano, a short train ride away from Milan (~30 minutes). Hop on to a train from Porta Genova, and you will be transported across green fields and beautiful countryside to the quaint town of Vigevano. A short walk from the Vigevano train station through cobbled streets took us to the beautiful Piazza Ducale.

I gazed and admired and stared and marveled and wondered and gazed again… We rode the metro to the ‘Duomo’ stop, took the exit towards the Piazza del Duomo, ascended the stairs, and… I simply couldn’t take my eyes off the Duomo, located in the heart of Milan. I had viewed many pictures of this centerpiece of Milan earlier. Yet, when I saw the actual marble structure in all its grandeur (there is absolutely nothing that is simple about it), I was almost speechless.

Another very cold and grey weekend morning. The unanimous choice was to spend at least a couple of hours riding the ‘passante’ trains in Milan (with 2 ardent train lovers in the family, even if I hadn’t voted FOR, it would’ve been the majority choice! :)) We marched out in the ‘grey’ outdoors for a short walk to the Porta Garibaldi Railway Station. And VOILA! What a colorful feast for the eyes!

A winter weekend in Milan. Freezing temperatures outdoors. A three-and-a-half year old bundle of energy waiting to head out on a weekend morning. Parents in deep thought. How about the Milan Aquarium? It turned out to be a great decision on our part. A short ride in one of our favorite modes of transport, the tram, took us to one end of Parco Sempione, where the Milan Aquariumis located. This small aquarium, which offers free entry to all visitors, was a welcome respite from the bitter cold outside.

After unpacking, shopping for essentials, recovering from a wee bit of jet lag, and settling down in our little apartment, we looked forward to a relaxed weekend in Milan. Someone had mentioned that a street market took place on Tuesdays and Saturdays in our area. Well, I’d heard a great deal about the open-air markets in several European cities and I wondered what Saturday had in store for us. At about 6 am, we heard voices and the sound of vehicles outside.

Pasta, pizza, Parmesan, mozzarella, Espresso, cappuccino, Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, Versace, Gucci, Armani, Ferrari, Lamborghini, AC Milan, Inter Milan, … LA DOLCE VITA 🙂 Buongiorno from Milano, Italia! After a brief hiatus from blogging (a very busy couple of months on the personal front), I’m all set to share more stories with you. Join me as I explore the ‘funderful’ wonders of Milan, Italy, and the surrounding regions with my family.

I wish you all a wonderful New Year 2013! 2012 has been a great year, and will bring back many beautiful memories. Thank you for being an invaluable part of FunderfulWorld. Here’s wishing you joy and good health!

A weekend afternoon. It was “Lunch at McDonald’s” day. Our little preschooler loves this once-in-a-couple-of-months destination particularly for 1. Ronald McDonald 2. The balloon. Thus, Junior became the proud owner of a big blue balloon. He held on tight to the prized possession all afternoon. And then, it was time to head home… by the metro train. As we entered the station, my eyes spotted a sign: Balloons and firecrackers not allowed.

After a lovely day in the midst of Ganesh Chaturthi festivities in Pune, we awoke to a bright morning in the city. With all the mandals in the snooze mode until evening time, we opted to spend the morning walking along Main Street (MG Road). A large part of this area remains unchanged from the last time I was here (was it 7 or 8 years ago?). And again, a flood of memories came by: unbeatable potato chips from Budhani Waferwala, brand new school uniforms from Indo-Foreign Stores, endless shopping in “Wonderland”, and MARZORIN!

“It’s the Little Things” by Craig Wilson is an absolutely delightful book with many short stories. A friend had gifted it to me almost 10 years ago. I spotted it a few weeks ago, and picked it up for another read. If you need to recharge your spirits or just “feel good” about the little things in life, “It’s the Little Things” is a perfect reading choice.