Milan, To Eat

My first trip of the year 2024. Milan. I already have the plan how I am going to spend my time here. 

The Milan Metro is the fastest and most efficient way to get around the city. It has five lines, but the most important for tourists are red and yellow. Usually I take a daily ticket and do not care much about timing. Moreover those tickets are valid across buses and trams, but I never used them in Milan.

The hotel is located near the main railway station. To my mind its quite easy to access to the city centre from here. And it is not extremely expensive as it happens in the very city centre.

While staying in Milan I am always attracted by The Duomo di Milano, a stunning Gothic cathedral, the largest in Italy. The facade of the church is adorned with elaborate statues, spires, and detailed carvings. And the cathedral's main doors are also masterpieces of bronze relief work, depicting biblical scenes and historical events. For example, the central door features intricate bas-reliefs illustrating the life of the Virgin Mary.

As evening falls, Milan’s streets light up with a warm and inviting glow. Elegant street lamps cast soft golden hues on the historic buildings, creating a mix of old-world charm and modern vibrancy. I love strolling down the streets at this time and watching how the sky is majestically darkening.

The experience of the day is a degustation menu with some Italian delicatessen. Well, it was good by two reasons - some fresh food and nice talks with other guests. I also have learnt that the most popular meat in Italy is pork, which is used for making prosciutto, pancetta, salami, porchetta, and sausages. Still, after finishing the meals I was hungry, so I took some food at KFC after. 

The next day will also offer some unique experience in Milan. Lets sleep and see.

Pardubice, Horse Racing

The Great Pardubice Steeplechase was first held in 1874. Since then, it has become one of the oldest and most prestigious steeplechase horse races in Europe. The race covers a distance of around 6.9 kilometers, and it demands both stamina and jumping ability from the participating horses.

So, I came to this event quite unexpectedly. My colleague had a spare ticket there. It was a unique chance to obtain a new experience for me.

People are coming here not only to watch horses, but also to earn money on betting. I do not know how others were choosing their favourites, but I paid attention to the horses' names and numbers :-) I had many bets and sometimes my strategy worked, but at the end I was in minus.

While watching horse races I felt a range of emotions, including excitement, anticipation, adrenaline, because I could witness the competition and the speed of the horses, and I also felt sorry for them, when they fall down or did not finish.

It is absolutely thrilling to have a bet and to see if your horse finished the first. To be more relaxed about losing money I would recommend to drink beer and eat some sausages.

Before the main race you can watch the participants one more time and decide for yourself, who might become a winner. My favourite was number 4, Lodgian Whistle. He was one of the leaders during the race, but unfortunately, the last 100 metres before finish he got tired and took only the 6th place.

Horse racing in Pardubice turned out to be the amazing experience for me, I have lost money on betting (all in all, around 500 crowns), but I was extremely excited. Next year I would love to repeat it.

Roma, Vatican

Before leaving Roma we agreed to see the Vatican. It is quite far from the place, where we live, but it is a must-see landmark.

We decided not to buy any ticket to enter the museums of Vatican, but my friend was satisfied with the fact that she could observe the Saint Peter's Square. Moreover, we could hear the traditional speech of the Pope Francis.

We could not enter the Saint Paul's Cathedral, but we visited another remarkable church of Saint Ignatius with some kind of unique dome, which is in fact turned out to be a fake one. The story says that the the founders simply could not afford to build a real dome, so the artist Andrea Pozzo has created this illusion.

For the final word, I would like to tell about our experience with restaurants in Roma. Honestly, not all our attempts to enjoy the Italian food here were successful. Sometimes the food was awful, and sometimes the service was even rude. Still, I would love to mention two dishes which were very delicious to my taste. These are artichoke and burrata with anchoes. I think everyone should try it when staying in Italy, if they are bored with pasta and pizza.

Our trip to Roma is coming to end, and tomorrow we are flying back to Prague, with lots of memories and very good experience. I hope, that I will see this wonderful city one more time. But probably, I would come here in Autumn, to avoid a heat wave and to enjoy the atmosphere of the place without being exhausted by the baking sun. See you soon, Roma!

Roma, Spanish Steps

One more day in Roma, and after a hearty breakfast we can continue to conquer the city!

The further important landmark here is called the Spanish Steps. They say that it is the longest and widest steps in Europe. The steps were built in Rococo style between 1723 and 1726, and they lead from the Piazza di Spagna square to the French monastery church Trinita dei Monti. In the 17th century, the Spanish embassy was located at the base of the stairs, hence we have the name "Spanish Steps". Actually, the stairway is made up of 135 steps. The steps are arranged in 116 flights and 11 different ramps/levels with varied balustrades.

The city of Rome is also the home to the largest collection of the Egyptian Obelisks in the world (at the moment they count 13 obelisks, but 8 of them were transported from Egypt during the Roman Empire). The highest of them is reaching 45.7 metres, including base and cross Now I want to know, how did they arrive to Rome, and what did they mean to Roman emperors and citizens? 

Of course, we could not miss visiting the Pantheon, which is unique because it is the only ancient Roman building remained intact through the centuries. It was constructed as a temple dedicated to the Gods and became the burial ground for several important people, including famous artists and kings. Interestingly, Pantheon has the largest unsupported dome in the world made of concrete, and its diameter is around 43 meters. Unfortunately, we could not get inside the temple, but even outside it looks impressive!

Piazza Navona is one of the most beautiful squares in Rome, home to some of its most famous fountains, like the Fountain of the Four Rivers. Measuring up to 240 meters in length and 65 meters in width, there are multiple small alleys that lead onto the square which has 9 entries in total. The interesting fact is that the Piazza was initially a Stadium. But today, life in the Piazza revolves around a variety of open-air cafes and seasonal fairs. 

Very eventful day indeed. We are extremely tired but happy, that we could manage to see all these sights.