WHAT JJ WEARS

To be 100% honest: I was a bit nervous that morning. It’s been a couple of years ago since I went on a trip to another country all by myself. Ohh, it was also my first time visiting Italy. But … I was super lucky that my parents showed up as a surprise to take me to the airport and to wave me off. So, as soon as I had gone through security at the airport, all the stress fell away. My slight nervousness turned into so much enthusiasm, excitement and a sense of freedom. Earlier that morning, I also got the chance to upgrade my economy flight to business class for only €69 euros. I loved this experience so much! There was so many yummy food to choose from in the business lounge, the front-row seat on the plane was comfortable & the fast track lanes were also worth the extra money. It really was a great start of the trip!

When I landed only 1h50 later, I was super relaxed. My suitcase arrived quickly and I easily found my way to the metro. It was about 45 minutes from the airport to the hotel, where I arrived around 13:30. Officially, I couldn’t check in until three o’clock, but I thought I’d just give it a try. And … my room was already ready, how lucky I was! The luxury hotel: Excelsior Hotel Gallia was so beautiful, I loved every single part of it. So, when I was completely settled it was time to explore the first bits of Milan. For that afternoon, I had planned to visit the city park BAM (Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano), Porta Nuova Shopping District and Milan Central Station, since they were all pretty close to my hotel. Before going back to my hotel room later that day, I grabbed a vegan poke bowl at the station. It was still early, so I thought about discovering the spa area on the top floor. This place is a collaboration between the hotel itself and Shiseido. The woman who welcomed me here was super friendly. She handed me a white bathrobe and Shiseido flip-flops and took me to the beautiful spa area with a swimming pool. More than an hour and a half later, I left feeling really relaxed. When I returned to my hotel room, I ate my poke bowl and then took a nice bath.

I woke up feeling super grateful that morning. For my life, this trip, the amazing hotel room and my huge comfy bed. Before it was time to head to the extensive breakfast buffet, I did some yoga first. Some relaxing yoga is one of the best ways to start the day! Next, it was time to freshen up and explore the breakfast buffet. A kind woman showed me to a table and explained all the extra things I could order. More than an hour later, I was completely full. The food was so yummy and there were enough lactosefree options, which I thought was great. In the morning, I decided to visit Arco Della Pace, Parco Sempione and Castello Sforzesco. I reached the first sight by authentic tram. Well … eventually. I stayed on the tram too long and, as a result, had to walk back for about 20 minutes (oops, hihi!).

A few hours later, I started to feel a little bit hungry and decided to treat myself to a luxurious lunch at the Bvlgari Bar of the Bvlgari Hotel. It was a bit pricey, but I absolutely loved the hospitality, service, atmosphere and food! After filling my belly, I headed to the Pinacoteca di Brera (an art museum), which also housed a library and a botanical garden. Pretty close to this place you can also find Palazzo Citterio (another art museum). When I bought a ticket at Pinacoteca di Brera, a visit to this other museum was also included. At the end of the day, I went looking for dinner with a sense of contentment. I quickly found the perfect place: Giardi food, a local restaurant with many plant-based options to choose from. I decided to order a take-away salad bowl and some hummus with bread to eat in my hotel room. In the evening, I really enjoy processing all the day’s impressions in peace and quiet. Afterwards, I took another relaxing bath to end the day.

Another day in paradise! That’s truly how it felt waking up that morning. This would also be the last morning at this hotel before I traveled to the second hotel later that day. After my daily morning yoga session and an amazing breakfast, it was time to pack my suitcase and check out of this amazing hotel. I decided to store my suitcase at the hotel so I could freely explore more of the city. My first stop was the garden of Palazzo Invernizzi with it’s pink flamingos (you can see them through the fence). Next up: GAM (Gallery of Modern Art in Milan), which is situated in a wonderful palace/villa. Behind this museum lies a beautiful garden, Giardino della Villa Belgiojoso Bonaparte, which I visited afterwards. After my visit to this garden, the Milan Natural History Museum was on my list. I’m always super intrigued by the large dinosaur skeletons.

Since it was around 13:00, I decided to find another luxury lunch spot. This time I went for the Armani/Bamboo Bar, which is located on the 7th floor of the Armani Hotel Milano. Ohh, how I love the luxury vibes of places like this. The menu here was amazing and it didn’t take long for me to make my choice: falafel with fries. The food also came with a huge basket of different kinds of bread (all lactosefree). I didn’t manage to finish all the bread, of course, but I absolutely loved the entire experience. Now, it was finally time to pick up my suitcase from my first hotel and then travel on to my second 5-star hotel: Radisson Collection Santa Sofia. As soon as I saw my hotel room, I fell in love. The bathroom was huge and the freestanding bathtub looked so inviting. I was soon settled in and ready to explore the hotel’s rooftop pool. Luck was still on my side: there was just one more free poolside bed left :) I ended the day with some food from a nearby supermarket and (yet again, yayyy!) a relaxing bath.

This was the only morning I had set my alarm, because today I was going to visit some major tourist attractions. But … not before I had discovered this hotel’s breakfast first. This hotel also had plenty of choice for someone with lactose intolerance! Ohh, how I love hotel breakfasts so much. Around 9 o’clock, I left the hotel to head to the majestic Duomo di Milano. I did reserve a timeslot for visiting the terraces, but I was a bit early, so I went inside the cathedral first. One thing that surprised me was that there was no line to get in (yayy for being there early!). Visiting the terraces/roof of the cathedral wasn’t overly crowded either. I was really happy and I loved the architecture and views from up here. Super close to the cathedral, you can also find Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (a historic 19th-century shopping arcade). Luxury shops like Dior, Chanel and Prada are housed here. If you walk straight through here, you’ll eventually end up at the Teatro alla Scala. I would also highly recommend visiting this theater as well.

Just after midday, I went for tea at Ralph’s bar. There were not really vegan food options, but I did love the atmosphere and I was still a bit full from the extensive breakfast, so it was fine. After experiencing this bar, I walked via Piazza Quadrilatero to the Via Monte Napoleone shopping street. I loved looking at the beautiful shop windows from all the luxury brands here. And … I hadn’t had enough of all the luxury shops yet, so I decided to pay a visit to the Rinascente Milano department store! So, since this was my last evening in Milan, I decided to look for a luxury restaurant once again. I ended up having a lovely soup at La Cupola restaurant, located inside the Park Hyatt Duomo Hotel. I felt grateful, excited and truly blessed. Of course, I ended my day with a nice bath. Ohh, I’m going to miss this so much!

The final morning of my trip to Milan had truly arrived. From the first day, it was an absolute dream. My flight wasn’t scheduled until 16:50 this afternoon, so I still had time to visit a few places. First stop: Basilica di San Lorenzo & Colonne di San Lorenzo. Then, a 12-minute walk took me to the Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio. Finally, I visited the Santa Maria delle Grazie, famous for it’s ‘The Last Supper’ painting by Leonardo da Vinci. I didn’t got a chance to visit this mural painting, though. All the tickets had sold out months before my travel plans. Oh well, I didn’t mind. Then the moment was truly here: saying goodbye to beautiful Milan. I traveled back to the hotel to pick up my suitcase and then took the metro to Linate airport. Luckily, I got a chance to upgrade my return flight to business class as well. So, I could enjoy fast track lanes, business lounge food and a comfortable front-row seat once again. My return flight was super comfortable and around 20:00 I arrived back home with amazing memories.