The beginning of travelling! Madrid.

One of my best friends is also on the Erasmus scheme but in Madrid. Her university course appears to be way more relaxed than mine and she has lots of time of to travel around Spain and really see the country she is living in. My first term in Milan has been so intense that i couldn't even go away on weekends if i wanted to nor could i afford to due to living costs and the cost of fabrics and materials for my course. I've been so jealous of the experience that she is having out there compared to mine as she has a social life and travels constantly... But then i remember i'm studying fashion in Milan and get over myself.

When i compare the experiences that we are both having on our  separate Erasmus adventures, it's really eyeopening to see the differences! For example, up until now i have been drown down with endless amounts of work, sometimes sitting up until 4am to have work to a certain standard for the next day - Despite the fact that this sounds awfully depressing, don't feel sorry for me, I live for this kind of rewarding stress! (I know right, who am i?) On the other hand, Imogen is that terribly annoying person on facebook posting endless photographs of her amazing time in Madrid and surrounding cities with her new friends. (Green monster) Luckily, my term at university after Easter is looking very nice in terms of time off - they're definitely going easy on us with mainly lecture based classes. Which meannnssss.... I can go travelling!!! And i plan to use the time i have left here very wisely!

Madrid

After this awful rant about my jealousy for Imogen's life in Madrid, it only makes sense that i fly out and see her and find out what the fuss is about! My friend Kayleigh and I booked flights to see her on the 6th - 9th May. From the moment we landed we were in ore of the city! First off, people in Madrid look normal! (this isn't a dig at Milanese people, they're just skinny and olive skinned here) Everyone we met was so friendly and her friend in the apartment were very welcoming and accommodating. 

Naturally on arrival we needed a cerveza! "We're on holiday". Imogen took us to a small bar called El Tigre in what was apparently the gay district... and yes, it was apparent. I have NEVER been to a place like this in my life! We each ordered a beer which cost us 2.50 euros and then they brought over four seriously loaded plates of food, which was awesome, best 2.50 i've ever spent! But then he just kept coming and coming until we had to kindly decline these never ending plates of amazing tapas food! He was like the tapas version of Mary Poppins.

After having a quick tour of Imogen's new home town we joined some of her new friends in a beautiful park that over looked onto a jaw-dropping view. We sat there until 9:30pm - completely unintentionally! But the weather was so beautiful that neither of us realised the time! We were due to head out to a bar that played swing music that night so we ate out at place called 'The Zombie Burger Bar' for some good grub before the night ahead. Do i even need to go into how good my goats cheese and caramelised onion burger was? I wouldn't be writing about it if it wasn't amazing!

The next morning was our first whole day in Madrid so we walked the length of Gran Via (several times) and then headed to Parque del Retiro to see the Palacia de Cristal (glass house). I fell in love with the Palacia de Cristal instantly! It is beautiful space made up of a series of glass windows. Birds have found their way inside and a handful of rocking chairs have been scattered around the room. Utter silence apart from the chirping of the lost birds and the caged heat (sigh) my idea of heaven!

The Parque del Retiro was a beautiful place to take some time out from the hectic city of Madrid. If i lived there (which i wish) i'd be down there as often as possible, grab myself a rocking chair and a good book! The actual grounds of the park provide great space for a walk around the park and time to appreciate the quiet and nature of Madrid. There is plenty of water features and cafe's to stop along the way for refreshments.

Also in Parque del Retiro is a small man-made lake with rowing boats available for hire and on one side of the lake is a huge monument which was made in remembrance of the king. Of course we got a boat...

After walking around Madrid for the majority of the day in 28 degree heat, i was certainly colourful (lobster red) and gagging for a cold beverage in a nice bar! Imogen took us to a great place called 'Gymage' which is a rooftop bar overlooking beautiful scenery. Like Milan, Madrid is a religious city. Therefore, churches really are everywhere. The rooftop bar is next door to one of these churches and i was dying for the bells to ring to see how loud they were! They did ring and everyone around stopped and watched the until they were finished. Gymage was a really great place for the late afternoon in the sunset - they even had cool water spraying above each booth!

The following day we took the cable car to Casa De Campo which is a huge desert-like area where most people go to walk or for a long bike ride. We walked for about half an hour before we were truly lost in these dusty roads- but with a bit of initiative and navigational skills, we made our way back in one mucky piece. The grounds of Casa De Campo go for miles and actually cover more acres of land than New York Central Park three times over! 

On the last morning it seemed appropriate that we tried something new for brunch and found a gorgeous little french pancake restaurant. The restaurant was owned and run by one man, he was the chef, the waiter and front of house! I ordered a white chocolate macchiato and a chicken with goats cheese and caramelized onion pancake. I'm not going to sit here and pretend it wasn't weird - it definitely was weird! But it was so good! I could drink the white chocolate macchiato all day everyday! If your'e in the area and fancy something a little different, you should definitely get yourself a savoury pancake from this place!

Last but definitely not least! This is my top place of recommendation!

The San Miguel Market! If you haven't already heard about it then you need to learn about this place! I could have spent an entire day there - It's amazing for experiencing the way  the Spanish do food and drink but within a higher price range. For us tourists its perfect for an afternoon to grab yourslef a sangria and few plates of nibbles. We bought sangria from a lady at a stall for 5 euros and it was so good i went back for another... if you have somewhere to be after your visit to the market i wouldn't indulge in more than two. Trust me! When people hear the words food market i'd say the majority of us picture an outdoor market with a number of white tents selling various things. San Miguel Market is a stylish indoor market with quite a high class of people. I wasn't going to walk around all of this delicious food and not try any of it! My friend Kayleigh and i shared some pastry goodies filled with chorizo, spicy ham and vegetables. We also shared a sausage and chorizo paella and a selection of olives. Crazy good food.

Easter Placement - Sirdar

It't the 3rd of April and tomorrow is my 21st Birthday!

Unfortunately i could only get flights home the day before my birthday due to an intense term at university in Milan. However, it felt like the perfect time to return home! I landed and met my mum, dad, and twin brother. I miss them so much when i'm away so it was great to return home with a celebration! The following Saturday my brother and i celebrated with our closest friends in York -  I had the most amazing time and was a real reminder of how sweet home really is.
Although i'm loving my time in Italy, there are certain things you just can't get like you can at home...

For the Easter holidays i had a whole three weeks off so needed to fill my time with some form of work or at least searching for placements for the near future. I managed to get myself a weeks paid placement at a company called Sirdar. They are a company that specialises in hand knitting yarns and have been established since 1880. It was a real pleasure to work for the company as i am really into textiles and knitting is a new skill i have become obsessed with. During my time at Sirdar, i was set the task of producing yarn rosettes for presenter displays. Once i had made the rosettes i then arranged them in the according presenters ready for display for a meeting with John Lewis at the end of the week. It was an amazing opportunity to work as part of a team in a working environment and experience real business in the fast pased fashion industry. Whilst working with the company i gained a real insight into each department that is the foundation of Sirdar and how demands from each department are equally as important to keep the company running at full speed and of high quality.

My workspace at Sirdar

Lake Como, Milano

So one day i heard along the grapevine that Mr George Clooney has a house on Lake Como, So i bought myself a train ticket and searched the premises immediately.
Not really - that's what i should have done.
One of my best friends came to visit just before the easter holidays, i was so excited to have her here and to show her this part of my life, but it's just so hard to spread the sightseeing out over the duration of three days as you could literally do it in a day! We looked at getting train tickets to Como the next day and we only paid 10euros for a return and the journey was only 40 minutes each way.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect of Lake Como, of course there was going to a lake, but i had done no such research on the town itself. The surprise was wonderful. As soon as you step off the train you can see that the town i surrounded and enclosed by the trees and green woodland with vertical climbs to the next town.

     

After we had walked around the lake as far as our little legs could take us, we noticed that people were on the lake in pedalos. What a better way to see the lake than to get on a rusty red boat with no stearing?! I reccommend the pedalos to anyone wanting a bit of fun around the lake! Of course we were not the only people on the lake - people in speedboats were having fun with us creating waves for our pedalo to struggle over. By the end of our half an hour we had a small audience laughing at the three strange blonde girls screaming in the pedalo!

The best ice-cream in Italy!

If when you read this you are planning on taking a trip to Como yourself then you should do the following! When you arrive at Lake Como there is an gelataria with a huge but fast-moving queue outside, if you are wise you will take my advice and plonk yourself on the end and queue to spend the best 2 euros of your life! Slight exaggeration you say? I beg to differ! Tiramisu fans, your're in for a treat! 

After plenty of time walking, sitting, pedalo'ing, ice-creaming and sightseeing, we walked away from the lake and into the town of Como. I literally felt as though i was walking into Duloc (The fictional town in the movie Shrek). By using this reference i guess what i'm trying to say is that the town in unbelievably pretty and it just doesn't appear to be real - there is something to catch your eye on every corner.  The town is so small and everyone seems to know everyone. Como is built up of gorgeous skinny cobbled streets that link very easily therefore it is impossible to get lost! To save ourselves some pennies we packed up a lunch so that we could sit and take in the view and made the decision to chose from one of the bars to have a 'cheeky one' in the afternoon before heading back home. We chose a quirky looking bar / cafe right in the center which had an outside sitting are in the square. I could have sat there for days drinking red wine, nibble on breadsticks and staring at the beautiful people of Como.

In another section of the town we found a small cheese and ham fair. On one of the stalls a man was selling chorizo in all it's form and flavours, he offered me a taster which i took and as i chewed he made a "eeee oooorrrrr" sound repeatedly. At first i thought he was 'oinking' at me and calling me fat but it turns out he'd given me a piece of donkey chorizo... that's right ladies and gents. I ate donkey. AND I LOVED IT. At the small fair somebody had set up a game in the middle on a carpet. The aim was get your hoop over the neck of the wine bottle - which is pretty impossible when the hoop is on the end of an insanely long stick of bamboo! I'm a pretty determined soul so once i picked up the bamboo i wasn't putting it down until i had won! Here is a photograph of my victory - it only took me 16 minutes...

Imogen and I - Como

St Patrick's Day in Milano

Paddy's day is a big thing at home, and for the last two years i have dedicated myself fully to the day!
A Paddy's day hat and several pints of Guinness are essential! This year i was sure it was going to be a disappointment - how could anybody in the center of Milan celebrate St Patrick's Day?! Well you just have to look in the right places, an Irish pub is usually a good place to start...

My friend and i managed to find a glorious little irish pub names 'Murphey's Law' through the streets of Porta Genova. When we arrived, it appeared that any efforts to get inside the pub would put you at risk of losing limbs. However, we spent the night outide next to the popcorn machine and the pop-up bar! It was amazing! And a real chance to meet fellow English and Irish people!

Our new friend Simone and I

My friend Kayleigh and Simone

Luckily we have made lots of friends at university in Milan, some of them Mexican, German and Turkish. We invited them to come along and we showed them a great time! By the end of the night everybody (including ourselves) were up dancing on the bar until 3am! ... And yes, i made class at 9am!

The Ballet - Teatre Alla Scala

Let me just start by saying i have never been to the ballet or the opera, and have never wanted to go to the ballet or the opera. But for some strange reason, now that i'm in Milan and perhaps feeling a little classy, i really want to go to the ballet! Here in Milan there are theaters everywhere, most of them are small but very accessible and anyone can go!
I was walking along the street one day and saw an advertisment for the Swan Lake ballet and raced home to book tickets. Sadly they were either sold out or way out of my price range - but i did find tickets to a ballet called 'Jewels' at the Teatre Alla Scala, which is right beside the Duomo. I went with one of my friends unsure of what to expect but i loved it! The show was in four parts so you escaped the danger of becoming bored and had the chance to run to the bar for another glass of wine in between!

Jewels Ballet - Teatre Alla Scala

Me at the ballet

After the show my friend and I had a steady walk back to our apartment which allows us to pass through the Duomo and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. These areas are usually packed throughout the day so there was something quite eary about the fact nobody was there. Naturally, as two students would, we took this as a photo opportunity with the lion statues that sit right outside the Duomo.
Inside the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, a newlywed couple were having their photograph taken!

Cultural differences

Whilst living in a foreign country for the first time, i have noticed that it is the smaller things in life that make a big difference...

This post is mainly going to be filled with photography and images i have taken during my Erasmus experience to capture cultural differences.

The Streets
Graffiti is huge in Milan, when i first moved out to Milan i had this image in my mind of a pristine city, high class and full of interesting people. To be honest with you i couldn't have been more wrong! Graffiti is on EVERY wall in the city - i love street art and use the influence in a lot of my work, but i feel there is a big difference between street art and graffiti. Some pieces around the city are wonderful and very inspiring but there is a lot of mess on the streets that bring down the cities class.

What i love most about living in a new country is experiencing their way of live everyday. Here in Milan we don't have much of a skyline but the streets are narrow and cobbled which means the lighting throughout the day is so different to back home in England. I have experienced some beautiful sunsets and weather out here so here is some examples...

Bars
I don't know what it is about Italy, but they seem to just throw food at you constantly! (not literally, of course)
For instance- you fancy going to a bar for a couple of cheeky wines. You arrive at the bar of your choice, you sit down, you order your drinks and they bring out a plate of food! Usually ham and cheeses or bread with some sort of topping. Don't get me wrong i'm not complaining, I love me some food! (especially when it's free) but joking aside this is actually a really cool way of understanding the types of food that they eat in Italy.
My mum and dad came out to visit recently and i took them to a bar where they have this kind of service so we had been nibbling on bready bits for a couple of hours. We spent so long catching up that we were in this bar until they served aperitivo and we were so full from eating steadily throughout the day that we didn't have room for dinner that night!
The best bar I have been to which catered for this kind of service was a bar called MAG. The bar itself is a dark, quirky, jazz bar with a great atmosphere. We sat at a tall table with high bar stools drinking prosecco (mum was paying, obviously) and the waitress brought out a plate of ham and cheese - as soon as the plate looks a bit sparse, they bring out another one!

Expenses

Living and studying in the UK is fairly cheap and cheerful, we have our weird and wonderful ways of getting by on next to no food, we have endless student bars and nightclubs with discounted prices and it's generally all under our noses. Naturally, I came to Milan thinking there must be some sort of student sub-culture. Long story short - I was wrong. The average price for a pint of beer is 5.50 euros, the same for wine and cocktails begin at 7 euros. On top of all the expenses at university (buying fabric and materials etc.) We just cannot afford to have the student life that we are used to. Don't fear - the supermarket sell wine and it is insanely cheap!! I have never paid more than 2.50 euros for a bottle! And it's good wine too! As you can imagine, my friends and i have managed to salvage our Coventry University student lifestyle by wacking on a great film drinking copious amounts of wine! Happy Days!

And just to make sure you have a nice day, here's some adorable dogs i've spotted along my travels...

Brera / Montenapleone

Brera, Milano

It was only the other day I discovered a gorgeous yet tiny area in Milan named Brera!
Brera is home to Milan's botanical gardens, bars, restaurants and (my favourite) plenty of fortune tellers. The fortune tellers set up their booths along side the colouful cobbly streets and call you over for a card reading. I really want to have my cards read by one of the ladies - not for any particular reason - i just think it would be fun! However, the language barrier looks as though it would cause some problems!

Brera seems to be an area very much aimed at the tourists Milan brings in. They cater for the English with English menus outside restaurants and bars and i even saw a bar that advertised a 'full English breakfast' - i'm not sure on that one.

On the way in to Brera is an amazing coffee shop / cafe / restaurant / bakery / bar - they literally sell under every food and drink catagory you can think of! The place is called 'Princis'. They're a chain store so it's likely to stumble across another one in another district. 

The first time i went with my friend i ordered a hot chocolate (I don't normally drink hot chocolate but maybe i was feeling particularly crazy that day) and a custard doughnut! The cute Italian lady that worked behind the counter suggested we tried this other desert which looked like a white slug wrapped in wafer with a slab of orange tucked in there... she was either blatanly lieing about how good it was to get rid of them or they were actually going to be delicious! We took a chance and oohhh myyyy - I swear, the best deserts i have EVER had. This place has added to my addiction list!

Montenapleone

Montenapleone is a district in Milan that is home to all of the designer stores. I think my friends and I actually stumbled across it by chance, but if you walk the streets of Milan long enough then you soon realise that each district connects very easily!

Of course shopping in Montenapleone isn't something us students can afford to do... or most people for that matter! But for window shopping i love it! The window displays in every store are amazing and its great for inspiration. Here's a few of my favourites including Jeremy Scott's fast food collection for Moshcino...

Like i said - the visual merchandising and shop windows in these stores are incredible. This huge burger rotates! That's right, it rotates.

Prada

Kurt Geiger