We're finally here (Milan/Cairo)

Who knew getting out of the midwest could be so difficult?? It all started out so well--we grabbed our 5am bus no problem, got to Ohare with time to spare...we were even being nice to each other despite the only 2 hours of sleep we had gotten the night before! Our itinerary looked something like this: depart Ohare, grab a connection flight in JFK airport in New York City, fly to Milan, arrive 8:30am June 9th. We were all set to go, very excited. We boarded the plane.As we sat down, it began to rain. "Will this delay us at all?" Michael asked a flight attendant. "I doubt it," she replied. "It doesn't look bad at all." Everyone took their seats and the plane taxied onto the runway...
But the weather ended up being bad. So bad that we sat on the runway for 4 hours as the wind shook the plane and drove the rain sideways past our windows. So bad that they canceled our fight. So bad that they canceled lots of other flights, too, and thousands of people were delayed at Ohare. We ended up standing in long lines and talking to countless airline representatives at Ohare for about 12 hours, trying to get rerouted. In the end, we had to stay in Chicago for the night and catch the 3pm flight the next day...

So we lost one day in Milan, but when you're traveling for 45 days, one day doesn't feel so bad...and we were just thankful to get out of the States! Who knew that we would start our day at 3:30am, be on a bus for 3 hours and a plane for 4, and only make it as far as Chicago?

Anyway, Milan. Oh, Milan how we love thee! It was wonderful to be able to walk around our old neighborhood (we lived there together in 2003), take in the familiar smells, sounds and sights, and just be back in a place that holds so many memories for us. Oh, and of course we were excited for the food! After we threw down our bags at the hotel, the first place we headed was Pizza OK, our favorite pizzeria. Don't let the name fool you, this place is way more than OK. It's heavenly. The pizzas look huge, and they are, but most people can eat one in a sitting, since the crust is paper thin and it just tastes so darn good. As you can tell in this picture, we are more than happy to be there.

After a full stomach, we did as the Italians do and strolled. Strolled for about 5 hours around the city. And of course we stopped for gelato. Nicciola (hazelnut) and pistachio...delicious. If you've never eaten gelato in Italy, it's worth the cost of a plane ticket to do it here--there's something about the gelato that American gelaterias never can quite capture.

As a part of the day, we stopped at the Duomo in the city center, a gigantic church dating back to the early 14th century. It's one of my favorite churches in Italy and hopefully these pictures will give you a sense of why:

And of course, after a long hard day, we went to Spontini, Michael's favorite pizzeria. They offer two choices, normal and big, and the place is always packed. So packed, in fact, that as soon as they clear your plates, a waiter comes up to you and says something like "Hey, ragazzi, did you like your meal? Great!...now get out." Everyone gets kicked out like that, without fail, if they sit too long. And it's always our favorite part of the meal. :)

This morning, we repacked our bags and boarded another bus, yet again, to take us back to the Milan airport to board a plane, yet again, to take us to Cairo, from where I write this. We honestly haven't done much yet, since, yet again, neither of got much sleep last night and needed a long nap after we arrived at our hostel.

So far, though, I can tell you that people here are friendly and hospitable. Almost too friendy, as we experienced the gazillion people asking us if we needed a taxi or some assistance as we waited for our hostel driver to pick us up...but that's more about us sticking out like sore thumbs and people wanting to make money off the tourist industry...

So now we're relaxing at the hostel (King Tut Hostel, which is, so far, excellent as far as hostels go). We'll take it easy tonight, settling for a venture outside to a falafel stand and an early night in bed. Tomorrow we leave at 9am to view the pyramids (which we saw from our plane and are oh my gosh amazing to see! I kept squealing "oh my gosh, the pyramids! It's really the pyramids!" as I looked out the window.) We're even hiring an english speaking egyptiantologist (or something like that) who can give us the full history of the area. Awesome. We'll have pictures soon, for sure.

And now I'm going to rouse Michael from his deep sleep and grab a bite to eat. Ma'as salaama!