Milan in More Detail

I had been looking forward to the (work) week being over and finding the time to sit down and write this post, but now it's Sunday again and I'm already feeling that familiar frustrating feeling creeping in that tomorrow is Monday. Eeeek. Next week's highlight is a short business-trip to Hamburg, which I'm looking forward to. The last weekend in Milan already seems quite long away, but it was a most welcome break. The weather on Saturday was very sunny and spring-y to the point that I was beginning to fear my face would end up sunburnt at the end of the day (it didn't). Unlike my Mum, I had never been to Milan and had quite high expectations on this fashion capital. Given that there was a lot to offer, fashion-wise, I exercised remarkable restraint and did not buy much. To be honest, said restraint is always boosted by the presence of my Mum who has not give up yet on trying to get me to invest in more grown-up and longer lasting things than handbags and make-up...

Speaking of handbags. On Sunday morning, we shared our breakfast-table at the hotel with a lady from Salzburg who asked if we were there for business or pleasure. When we explained that the weekend-trip was a Christmas present, she said, "Well, you've picked a bad time, haven't you?" We asked her what she meant and she said that what with the Bag and Shoe Fair going on and all hotels being outrageously overpriced (I had booked well in advance and got a decent price)...It turned out that she was a wholesaler in bags whose client portfolio included Steffl depatment store where I raid the sale more often than I should. Soon, we were talking bags and swapping notes on our favourite designers. In hindesight, I guess I should have asked her if she needed a business partner.

So here are some pictures...

in front of the "mother of all shopping malls": Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele

even the - very elegant and cathedral-like- central railway station offers plenty of shopportunities.
artsy manhole cover in the famous Via Montenapoleone

kitschy blue skies on Saturday

I love browsing through markets when abroad and I love Italian artichokes above all vegetables!

the famous Duomo

on the rooftop on fhe Duomo, wondering if the terrace on the building opposite is James Bond's Milan patch

a top I picked up at Banana Republic

tiny umbrella (next to my even lighter Japanese brolly - the best you can find, and I did literally find that one) I bought at a cool store inside the central railway station mall, which also has a Sephora...

mini-haul at Kiko Milano. That BB cream is really amazing, I wish I had bought another tube.

we had the best paninis I ever tasted outside the Castello. I also really liked the originial names such as "Berlusconi" and even "Bunga Bunga"...

you can export the machines and roast beans, but somehow espressi never taste half as good and hot outside Italy, don't you agree?