Types of coffee in Athens and Milan

I woke up at the end of the line. I exit the train station and started looking for a place to abandon my luggage. When I was younger, I would abandon every material possession of mine and enjoy the down town cite seeing without worries. I ‘m not that young anymore, but I ‘m still young enough to carry my luggage and be amazed by Milanese women. They are so stylish!

My energy was enough for a 2 hour wandering at Duomo and the streets around. Duomo is the center of the city and is surrounded by some astonishing buildings, like the homonymous cathedral or an equally giant archway that leads to the famous Scala di Milano. If you need more information, use the internets. The only thing you will learn from me is that Duomo plaza is impressive. If you enter the archway, you realize it’s actually an impressive 100 year old shopping center. Some of the well known Italian fashion firms keep permanent exhibitions of their collections here (some of them also serve coffee).

The Duomo Plazza, the Cathedral and the archway

I could not help but compare Milan to Athens. First of all, people behave the same. Of course, Athens is full of immigrants from Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. I expected to see some of them here as well, but turns out most people walking in the center of Milan are Italians.
It’s still early in the morning and I haven’t seen many tourists yet, but I was happy to watch normal living people grabbing a tiny cup of espresso and a bite as they walk to their jobs.

The great archway leads to the Scala through the central stores of the most famous italian fashion designers. On the right, the impressive ceiling of the archway.

Espresso bars are everywhere! They are small and friendly looking, and they remind me of the cheese-pie-places in Athens. I like the fact that both Italians and Greeks have the option to order so many types of coffee. Of course, I have no idea what all these Italian coffees are (except that they are based on espresso), but they smell great and look good too. They are also cheaper. The only real difference between Milanese and Athenian coffee drinking experience is that in Greece it lasts longer. Espresso is a quick (but effective) coffee shot, while frappe has been specially designed to be enjoyed for hours (you can even refill it with water if you need to prolong the experience).

Apart from coffees, Milan looks amazing. You can photograph anything. Every corner makes a good picture. In todays trip I paid too much attention to the means of transport, like trains and train stations, airplanes and airports, taxis and trams. Trams look cool, and they make a good scenery if you mix them with passing by bikers and pedestrians.

People are selling stuff at metro stations

Also I had to watch two policemen arresting a black guy who was selling watches illegally. I met quite a few of illegal street salesmen like him in every metro station (and they are everywhere in Athens, too). They sell everything that can be wrapped in a sheet in less than 2 seconds. This guy was trying to set up his “store” at Duomo, and maybe that’s why he was busted.