European City Wandering 3 — Milan

I struggled for a long time before coming here, and every time before going out, I actually have to study the flight tickets carefully (debating which airport in Paris to go to). Whenever I take a plane, it basically involves a long process of transferring between subway, train, subway, airport shuttle bus, plane, and then airport shuttle/light rail/subway again (Rennes is really poorly located!). If it weren’t for the expensive train tickets, I would have chosen to buy a 10-hour direct train. By the time I rushed onto the plane, I was already a bit exhausted, but the moment I saw the snowy mountains after getting off the plane, I felt alive again. I left home after 6 a.m., and by the time I really arrived in Milan city center, it was already 4 p.m. During that time, I happened to see that the Christmas tree lighting at the church door was happening that very night, so naturally, I had to join the fun. I felt like I had never been so squeezed in my life—how can Milan have so many people!! I experienced what my mom said about her childhood exchange meetings, where there were so many people that you didn’t even have to walk yourself; you’d be pushed along by the crowd. Milan feels like quite a big city but doesn’t have much distinctive character; the area around the cathedral is a bit like Paris. After being completely drained from the crowd the night before, I also stayed up very late reading fanfiction without restraint. I had booked tickets for The Last Supper early the next morning. After much inner struggle, I finally got up, did a bit of parkour, and barely made it a few minutes late to see it. The last time I felt like my bronchus was about to bleed was during an 800-meter physical test. Later, I went to Milan Cathedral and the park area between the Arch of Peace and the castle. Milan’s trams feel quite vintage; it was my first time riding one like this. Why did I insist on coming to Milan? Actually, it started a few years ago when I probably saw a travel montage video that made the Milan Cathedral look very grand and charming, like a scene from a video game. At that time, I thought I must come and see it. Now that I’ve finally come in person, I found it much smaller than I imagined (I always thought it would be like a wider, taller version of Cologne Cathedral), so it wasn’t that shocking. Maybe it’s also related to the distance from which I first saw it—after all, Cologne Cathedral hits you with an overwhelming presence right as you exit the train station, which was very exciting, while the Milan Cathedral subway station is still quite far away. The gradual approach combined with the width balance weakens that feeling. Well, actually, it’s pretty ordinary. But the scene of pigeons flying together in front of the square is still very beautiful. Since I was here, I climbed many stairs to the top, thinking I could overlook the square, but actually, I couldn’t. It was basically just to see rows of ribbed arches and flying buttresses, and the unremarkable city buildings in the distance. But I’m still very happy. Actually, today I suddenly realized that I really like traveling, and I’m happy wherever I go. It’s not about taking good photos or eating delicious food; I’m just satisfied to walk around. Is it worth coming to Milan for a vague video impression? For me, definitely yes. After all, if I don’t come in person, it will always be someone else’s creation in a video, with their filming skills and emotions. But now, no matter what it looks like, it’s already my own experience, memory, and feeling.