Lauren Tindal, Bocconi Exchance, Fall 2012
It’s October now, and that means rainy, chilly days in Milan. This past weekend was one I spent entirely in Milan, just sleeping in and wandering around the city by myself, since most exchange students were on a school Tuscany trip. It took a peaceful weekend here for me to really get into a rhythm, to start to do the simple things like getting a haircut, mailing postcards, and grocery shopping less sporadically. I’m definitely welcoming such a rhythm- it’s really nice to feel more at home here.
Anyhow, some brief descriptions of my travels so far!
Lake Como: A short, Sunday trip (an hour by train) was a great way to start traveling. It was a sunny day to relax, take in the views on a boat tour, and eat a panino and gelato as one should in any trip around Italy.
Cinque Terre: Cinque Terre is 5 mountain towns on the coast of the Mediterranean, connected by trains and hiking trails. Most people have seen some sort of picture of Cinque Terre; each town features a cluster of colorful houses on the mountainside, staggering along the incredibly blue sea. A trip to Cinque Terre is some sort of a right of passage for Bocconi Exchange students. Everyone goes, since it’s only a 2-3 hour train ride away. We hiked between towns, ate seafood, swam in the very salty Mediterranean, and stayed at a classically suspicious hostel which forced us to climb excessive amounts of stairs to our room. The views? I think the pictures (below) really do speak for themselves.
Oktoberfest: I attended Oktoberfest with 150 other eager Bocconi exchange students with our ESN program, which runs the social events here. We bussed there and back in one day, leaving Friday night, and arriving early Saturday morning. Basically I can sum Oktoberfest up in a string of words: sausage, candied apple, beer, beer garden, crowds, people, dirndls, carnival rides, rain, more beer, Munich sight seeing, whrilwind, proust! It was hectic, tiring, and completely ridiculous, but I’m so glad it was something I got to experience while here.
London: I loved London. It’s probably been my favorite trip so far, and I hope that someday I’ll go back. I met up with one of my good friends from NU and spent two days touring the city, which wasn’t nearly long enough. We were able to squeeze in seeing the London Eye, Tower of London, Big Ben, Westminister Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, the Soho district, and a bit of shopping near Regents Street. What I perhaps loved most about London was the simultaneous existence of the old and the new: the tours of the Tower and the Westminister Abbey highlighted London’s long history (which was really exciting for a nerd like me), emphasizing its past. Yet, walking around, the city is so alive. The buildings are built in such a grand, traditional fashion, but at the same time, the swarms of people bustling around them insist that city never really stands still. As my friend wisely said, it’s not difficult to imagine how J.K. Rowling imagined a world of magic in London. I think I’m already getting slightly nostalgic; I feel so lucky to have seen and felt that energy, even if just for two days.
These next two weeks are Midterm weeks at school, and as I only have one test, I’m visiting Rome and Florence next week with another one of my best friends from NU. I can’t believe it’s the end of October almost, time is really flying by. More to come!