Fashion, Milan and the Autoroute Blanche

So, here's what you do if you're in Milan, on the weekend of the Milan Fashion week - only you don't have a fat cat bank balance, fashionista wardrobe, or the street cred required to muster up passes to any of the actual mainline events - 

1) Get a room in the city - even if, budget constraints dictate that you're staying so far away from the actual action that the clerks at the reception desk give you a sympathy hug along with your keys.

2) Spend most of your shopping budget on the stock clearance sales going on across street and mid line fashion stores across Milan - you'll be amazed how quickly 15 bucks an item multiplies to half a month's savings.

3) Get into the line in front of Grom's for a gelato - never mind that it's still technically winter, and you're carrying an entire wad of wipes for the snot that'll erupt after. It's Italy, and it's heavenly. Don't forget the almond biscotti alongwith.

4) Browse the shops at Monte Napoleone, try to pretend that you belong inside the Valentino and Dior showrooms. After giving it a respectable few minutes, shamelessly befriend a shop assistant and ask when they go on sale and where the factory outlets are.

 5) Catch coffee at the cafe's tucked away behind the high end boutiques.as you closely scrutinise the well heeled passersby, and the impossible well dressed people walking into the cafe, hoping one of them is Anna Wintour or Grace Coddington.

6) Casually amble down the cobbled streets over to the main Duomo square, all the while making sure to catch a good glimpse inside the various black sedans with waiting chauffeurs parked all over, just in case someone famous walks by. 

7) Amble around the Galleria near the Duomo, and stand stunned in the magnificence of the Cathedral in the night. Close out the evening with dinner at Bagutta, a restaurant with a history - Ingrid Bergman once dined here.

And if you're serious about buying some actual designer stuff, try Foxtown, an outlet mall located an hour and a half drive away from Milan, very near Como, in Mendrisio. You can find the latest spring collection at D&G, Gucci and amazing discounts at the Jil Sander, Ralph Lauren, Replay and Diesel outlets.

The drive adds on to the distance from Geneva, so it was a four and a half hour odd drive back to Geneva from Mendrisio, but the stunning views on the Autoroute Blanche, through the Mont Blanc tunnel was completely worth it. I went nuts with my camera on the drive, check out these pics. 

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Anyone home??

Never let it be said that I wasn't brave enough to venture out to explore the beauties of Switzerland in winter. An impromptu visit by a friend led to a boatride to Evian. She was on a short trip, visiting the thermal baths was not an option, so the experience was... how should I put this... a sleepwalk through a ghost town.

No more Lac Leman boatrides for me till the peak of summer. Meanwhile, this was me after a long boatride back, a shower and a soak.....

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Lyon-Festival of Lights 09

I have to say I was astounded at the sheer scale, number of people and the spectacle of the Festival of Lights in Lyon. The installations were the best of modern art in themselves, but the city of Lyon is an icing on the cake  - vibrant, diverse, cultural - the best of what Europe has to offer.

An hour and a half drive from Geneva, this French city is a must visit for anyone looking for a short break from Switzerland. Apart from the sights the shopping and the food are outstanding.I recommend half a day spent at Part Dieu - the largest mall, with a must do lunch at Rouge Tendance, a hip, multicuisine cafe tucked away at the base of the mall.

If boutique shopping is what interests you, check out the interesting stores at the 6th arrondisement.For some amazingly funky hangouts, head to the back lanes running upwards from the Rue de la Republique. There are a number of small art galleries and cafes here, with loads of restaurants and a variety of cuisines.

This was as much as we could do in a day and a half, but watch this space for more details on Lyon- a followup trip is definitely on the cards!

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A Weekend in Venice- Wrapup

To wrap up, the highlights of the Venetian weekend …...

To Die For

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  The light in late summer. Slightly overcast, never too hot to walk or glide in an open air water vehicle
  
  
  
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  Dorsoduro – Funky, airy and very chic
  
  
  
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  San Marco piazza – simply stunning
  
  
  
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  Cioccolato Pepperincino. Chocolate goodness with a kick in the end
  
  
  
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  Venetian masks. Evocative of more dramatic times
  
  
  

Overrated

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  Murano glass – its very difficult to find something that is authentic yet with a modern take at the normal tourist haunts (for mandatory souvenirs try Frederica Glass near the station). A must see on Murano island is the church of Santa Maria e Donato, it has a beautiful aspect and some stunning sculpture both inside and outside.
  
  
  
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  Gondola rides – a bit cheesy and very expensive.
  
  
  
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  Cisalpino – definitely dated, needs the swiss touch. Also, very likely to not be on time.
  
  
  

I move on to planning the next great escape. Goodbye Venezia. Au Revoir.

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A Weekend in Venice - Day2

(This is the second of a three part series - Day 1 can be found on Chantal Gardner's blog http://www.onebigyodel.com)

What I really love about Italy is the sensory overload – every where you look there are sights that amaze, sounds that delight, tastes and smells that entice you . You need to be an energizer bunny on steroids to be able to take it all in.

Day two of Venice started out on a slower note however, with a quiet breakfast at a secluded (yes it is possible) café. We took to water taxi from Ferrovia to Accademia, where we ambled down the by lanes of Dorsoduro to the Peggy Guggenheim museum.

This is one of the quieter, classier parts of Venice. Small boutique stores and art galleries can be found all around. This is a great place to buy (if you can afford it) an original work of art or a souvenir that is not your run of the mill, murano/Chinese kitsch.

The Guggenheim museum itself was one of the more fun museum’s we’ve visited, simply because you never know what you are going to see next. From the quirky (Yoko Ono’s wishing tree in the courtyard) to the awesome (Giacommetti sculptures) to the inexplicable (Max Ernst), the place gives you a great introduction to the work of abstract and surreal art.

We walked down towards San Marco plaza from the museum, and began to get a true taste of how much of a tourist magnet Venice really is. Wading through the snap happy hordes however, allowed us a brief prelude from the sheer impact of of the cathedral as we approached the entrance of the square.

 As with the Sistine chapel in Rome, every cliché was true. Awe inspiring. Breath taking. Simply magnificent.

We sat at Florian’s in the square and watched the sights around us to a cup of choco café and the violinist playing in the background.

Beauty held us and a passionate energy bound us, along with thousands of others, as there was nowhere else to be but in the moment.

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