Extraordinary Adventure 2018 Day 1 & 2: All Business
We absolutely love traveling. There's the planning. The anticipation. The countdown. And then it happens. You wake up with your bags pack and it's time to go to the airport. One minute your home and the next your in a new place with its own rich history and culture. Today was that day for our big trip of 2018. Originally scheduled for three weeks, we trimmed the trip down to a little under 20-days after our big move to New York a few months ago. We woke up this morning like a normal Thursday. Jenn was running late to work and grabbed a taxi (a rarity for either of us) and I hopped on a couple of calls while I worked the day from home.
At around 3:30 PM we left our apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and made our way the 17-miles to JFK airport. Our colleagues said to budget two-hours to get to the airport and we both thought that was impossible. Almost two hours later we were dropped off at Terminal 7 of JFK to our flight to London and onto Milan, Italy. We got to the ticket counter after a fifteen-minute wait and the first question out of Jenn's mouth was "are there upgrades available?" After our AMEX was swiped for two upgrades we moved from Premium Economy to Business Class and were off to the British Airways lounge. We've been to probably ten lounges and this one was one of the best. Even though parts were still being renovated there was a ton of food and drinks to enjoy. Jenn started off with Bailey's and we both enjoyed some champagne. They had a random hot dog table in the middle with a chef and I love hot dogs so I got one with freshly made chips. It was an odd pairing with champagne but it was nice.
About an hour and a half before our flight we noticed a "pre-flight dinner" room where they had even more food to eat before you got on the plane. There i made myself a nice shrimp salad and tried their udon noodles with pork. Jenn had a plate of corn (yes you read that right) and more champagne (as did I). We left the food and lounge behind to go to our gate where we walked around the small terminal for twenty minutes stretching our legs before boarding with the other business class passengers. Our seats were on the upper deck of the 747 across the aisle from each other. When we sat down we had an amenity kit with lotions, socks, eye mask, earplugs, over-the-ear headphones, and a toothbrush. We were also given a bag for the seat bedding which included some sheets and a comforter. After taking off our shoes and putting on our socks, we strapped in and enjoyed some champagne as we waited for takeoff.
Before takeoff, they came by and took our dinner and breakfast orders. Jenn ordered salmon with a cheese plate and I ordered a salad and gnocchi for dinner. But after a delay on the runway of almost an hour (all of which we made up for in the air) we decided to cancel our dinner orders and instead opt for sleep. So after enjoying another glass of champagne (probably our fourth or fifth of the night), we put our bed in lay flat mode, made our bed, and both fell asleep minutes later.
It wasn't until almost six hours later that the flight attendant came by and softly nudged us awake that we lifted from our slumber to enjoy some light refreshments before landing. Jenn had a nice little breakfast plate while I enjoyed a nice cup of hot coffee. We both washed up in the nice bathroom and brushed our teeth and departed the beautiful business class cabin a half hour later. I do not for one second take for granted the privilege of sitting in the type of seat. It is incredible. It made me genuinely grateful for the hard work both Jenn and I have put in, in our first few months in New York.
From the second level of the British Airways 747, we made our way through Heathrow back to another British Airways lounge. I had another cup of coffee with a mango smoothie while Jenn just had water while we waited for our flight to Milan. The flight to Milan was a little over an hour and we arrived with a lot less fanfare than the last flight. Our bags (which were supposed to be the first ones off) were the last ones off and when we finally got them we grabbed a taxi and arrived at our hotel for the next four nights, the Excelsior Hotel Gallia.
After getting checked in and having to change rooms because of a problem with our bathroom in the first, we were settled in and ready for our first day in Milan. We immediately went out in search of a light Italian lunch. Unfortunately, it was almost 3 PM and most restaurants close between 2 and 6. We were lucky enough to find Osteria Italiana a beautiful Italian bistro only a ten-minute walk from our hotel. Jenn had a glass of white wine and I had a beer. Jenn went with the Pasta Pamadoro and I had a hot salami calzone. Both were well cooked and delicious. Just what the doctor ordered after a day of travel. After lunch, we made a quick pit stop at a coffee shop so I could get a cappuccino and went back to our hotel.
I went to the gym to get a quick run in to try and work the pizza and jet lag off and then we were off to our one and only stop of the day, the Naviglio Grande, or the grand canals in Milan. After a quick subway ride (which were super clean) we made our way through the canals on a beautiful night here in Milan. We weren't hungry so we walked through the restaurant-lined streets and just enjoyed the amazing scenery and beautiful evening as we strolled down the various canals.
We spent maybe an hour walking along the canals before calling it a night and taking the subway to our hotel. The good news is the metro is literally a stone throw from our hotel. The bad news it was pouring rain when we got out of the subway. So we hurriedly made our way back to our hotel with our one umbrella and half soaked made it to our room. We called it a night early in the hopes to get some sleep and enjoy a full couple of days in the beautiful city of Milan. Before we could fall asleep though there was an emergency announcement that played over the intercom telling us to evacuate. After getting our blood pumping and having Jenn and I run out of the room we were told it was a false alarm and were profusely apologized too. We made our way back to our room, let our hearts slow down, and turned out the lights on the first day of what is undoubtedly going to be an extraordinary adventure.
