Milano.

Of the following, which do you think cost the most: one, an overnight bus from Istanbul to Plovdiv; two, three nights lodging in Plovdiv; or three, a shuttle bus from the Milano-Bergamo airport to the metro station? You know...I'm still to a little depressed about this to answer so I'll just let you guess.  Suffice it to say, when I went to the money change with about 150 TL and 100 Lev and received 37 Euro back I was not happy.  But I digress...

Milano is Italian to a t.  Everybody here dresses so well - young and old, man, woman and child.  I guess I never realized how fashion capital this city was (perhaps I should have).  After flying in this mornig on RyanAir I checked into my hostel (which resembles more of a military barrack and shall here on be referred to as Camp Pendleton) and bought a two-day metro ticket (good choice as it's already paid for itself).  

I spent most of the day checking out the Duomo and around.  Climbing to the top was breath-taking (literally - 201 steps - and figuratively).  The views made it worth it and the detailed architecture and butresses were fantastic.  I have no idea how it was built in the 13th c. AND survived all the bombings.  I really don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow.  Bored in Milan? Wow, that is quite pretentious of me.  But truth is, I'm just not that into shopping, and I can only look at old churches for so long -- and I need a non-church day before Rome! Nonetheless the Duomo was spectacular, and the metro here is very convienent and easy to use.  

I miss the quietness of Plovdiv a little, and also all the spectacle of all the waitresses in matching skirts/shorts and tops.  Sure, wait staff in America wear uniforms but these outfits seem more like what you might find in a gentleman's club -- which stood in stark contrast to Istanbul where there was not a single female waitress, and always and only we were served by men (something I didn't really notice until I left).

After tomorrow I'm heading to Rome which will be great.  A, it's Rome; B, my family; and C and most importantly -- I can stop eating nutella sandwiches in Italy because someone else will be paying (thanks Mom and Pops!).  Seriously, I can NOT get over how expensive everything is here...especially compared to last summer in...  

***...Don't think of how stupid cheap India was, Don't think of how stupid cheap India was, Don't think of how stupid cheap India was...***

Oh!  And I finally was able to utilize my Spanish to help two nice women from Mexico find their way (I no longer feel so inadequate with no German, French, Turkish, Bulgarian, or Italian).

CM