Day trips are fun! Short stop in Monaco

Tiny tiny Monaco. I had to look this up, but Monaco is the second smallest country in the world (the smallest is Vatican City). But surrounded by beautiful architecture, imposing cliffs and wide open waters, Monaco is absolutely stunning. 

After a quick stroll/drive around, my companions and I headed to our OTHER reason for being in this tiny city/state... there was a chocolate festival in town! 

Unfortunately, the chocolate show ended up being a little bit of a disappointment. I had previously been to the show in New York, and it was both larger and more extensive in its displays. Still... chocolate is chocolate, and we had fun browsing around (for like a half hour) and tasting samples.

Day trip to Marseilles

I was lucky enough to be able to tag along for a short day trip to Marseilles. I only got a couple hours to look around, but the pretty port views and stunning architecture really impressed me.

Gorgeous early fall day, on the water. It was relaxing to
stroll along the port

At the corner of the port, there's a museum that looks like a large fortress. I
was later told that a new wing with amazing architecture was located just
around the corner, but I missed it. Oh well!

I walked around the old Marseilles area, which is steep
and windy with lots of side streets. Good exercise, and
very pretty.

Where do all these side streets go?

Stairs. SO MANY STAIRS!

Even the random buildings look pretty here

One more picture of the port. So pretty!

Milano, not the cookie

After two days at the World Expo, it was time to explore a little of the city of Milan. I've never been to Milan before; I've always thought it to be a fashion-based city and not much else. But luckily, there were other things to see and marvel at during my stroll there.

I set out without much of an agenda, with only vague ideas of hitting up some of the most famous landmarks. The metro was convenient and easy to use; and at 4.50 euro for an unlimited 24 hour pass, also a great deal.

I was staying at an Airbnb located by the Loreto metro stop, which sat on an intersection of the M1 and M2 lines. It was perfect, as it allowed me to criss-cross the city with ease. I also had time to stop and eat a delicious (and not too unhealthy!) lunch.

Of course my first stop was to the famous Duomo church. It was large,
imposing, and very very impressive

Surprisingly, the famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
was located just next to the Duomo. Wikipedia tells me
that it is one of the world's oldest shopping malls, and
you can find high end stores here, like Prada, Gucci, and
Versace.

The amazing architecture and glass roof makes it more appealing than the
items INSIDE the stores!

But don't forget to look down... the mosaic tiles are also
beautiful. I didn't take a whirl on the private parts of the
nearby bull in Turin's coat of arms, but it is said to bring
a person good luck.

The Navagli riverside. The area was a little lacking in
things to do (lots of restaurants though). Maybe it's
more bustling in the nighttime?

Cute subway art

Well, this definitely doesn't encourage me to enter!

I stopped by a local market, and LOOK AT ALL THE CHEEEEESE.

Of course, one of the best things about Italy is its food. While at the expo, I was able to try a classic Milanese style risotto. As with all well-made risotto, the rice was toothsome and separate. I could taste the earthiness of the Parmesan, and the citrus saffron sauce added a brightness to the dish.

Almost looks like a modern art piece instead of food, no?

I was also able to go to Joia for lunch, which is interestingly a Michelin starred vegetarian restaurant. It sounded like creative food, and I was enticed by the 20 euro lunch set. For that price, I received a plate with 5 different 'courses' or components. Each was beautifully done, with really complex flavors. I found that I didn't miss the meat at all; each dish had something texturally interesting, which more than made up for the lack of meat. Along with the plate, I also received bread (mmm, foccacia!), water, and coffee.

In the middle was a farro 'risotto'. It was creamy with
cheese, with crunchy kale. It was topped with a small
slice of dried apple, bringing a tantalizing sweetness. Then,
clockwise, from the bottom right: crispy potato pancake,
topped with cheese. The pancake was delightfully crunchy.
Spring rolls filled with veggies. Beet tartare, a visually
playful dish that was slightly spicy. And dessert was
a coconut bonbon with raspberry sauce, and a dark
chocolate ganache with cherry sauce.

I got this fruit from the Colombia pavilion at the expo.
It is called a granadilla, and it's a type of passion fruit.
The skin is thick and waxy, and the white pith is spongy
like a citrus. The inner seeds are edible; they taste
sweeter than a regular passion fruit.