From March 11-13, my roommates and I spent some time in Scotland. Since this blog is being published a few weeks after having been in the area, we've all come to the conclusion that Scotland was so far our favorite destination! It was a last minute decision to go, and things seemed to have gone perfectly. Our hostel was right in the center of town, and it was easy to find our way around. The first day, we walked the Royal Mile (the major thoroughfare of Edinburgh) and walked into and out of little shops (we tried on a lot of Scottish wool over the days!)

We spent the majority of our second day in the nearby city (2 hours by bus) in St. Andrews. Although we were dozing on and off on the bus, we enjoyed the glimpses of the Scottish countryside. Upon our arrival, we went straight to the St. Andrews Cathedral (now in ruins) and the marina.  Near the marina, we ran into an old man from Glasgow who had retired to St. Andrews. After, we found lunch on the main street of the city, then coincidentally stumbled upon the coffee shop where Prince William and Princess Kate met for coffee (casual, right?). We spent the remainder of the afternoon seeing the Old Course (the world's first golf course) and the main campus of the university of St. Andrews. Later that day, we returned to Edinburgh. With one of our hostel mates, we decided to get a taste of Scottish nightlife/food. We went to a pub off the Royal Mile, where we tried the local tap beer, and haggis (rolled oats and sheep's pluck; don't knock until you try it, it was amazing!). 

On our last day, we had the majority of the day to explore before returning to Milan. That day, we hit the major sites of Edinburgh: the Castle, Princes Street, Scott Monument, and more. We also had "high tea" at the Elephant Cafe, where J.K. Rowling wrote part of Harry Potter.

I'll definitely be back in Edinburgh! I think it might be my favorite place in the world.

​

From February 20th-21st, my roommates and I spent a night in Lugano, Switzerland, about an hour north from Milan by train. It's the largest city in Italian Switzerland, and so far, one of our favorite destinations! The city is situated on Lake Lugano, one of the lakes that makes up the Lake District (along with Lake Como and Lake Garda). There were many piazzas, restaurants, shops, and walking paths to enjoy.

The first day, we mainly explored the city and the scenery. All the food there was quite expensive, so that is where we spent the most money. Lugano did not seem particularly touristy at this time of year, so it was generally quiet compared to the hustle and bustle of Milan. So, we took lots of nice walks near the lake, and took a boat tour around the different "zones" of Lugano. The scenery was probably some of the prettiest I've ever seen.

The main reason for our visit was to hike (or maybe it was for the chocolate?). To get to the mountain many tourists hike, there was a bus from the center of town that would take you most of the way up the mountain (which we conveniently missed the first time; and we were on a tight schedule as we were returning to Milan that day!). The bus took us up in windy turns (thank you dramamine) with a more beautiful panorama of the city each level up. Once we got there, we were in a village called Brè, and there was a beautiful path to hike up to the top of Monte Brè. Once we reached the top, you could hear a pin drop; it was possibly one of the most relaxing situations I've been in.

Switzerland is an amazing and diverse country, and I was really glad to have visited its Italian-speaking Canton. It enabled me to experience a new culture, all while practicing my second language. 
​
Grazie Svizzera per quest'esperienza!