Getting off the train in Milano Centrale was like stepping backwards into a memory. The beautiful ceilings and smooth running system of trams seemed to invite me back with their simple familiarity.

In October of 2015 I had the privilege to be a part of a mission team from my home church in Columbus Ohio. We worked with a church on the college campus of the University of Milan Bicocca running english clubs for the students. The students were so kind and full of laughter, they welcomed our whole team with such joy. It was an incredible experience to be able to work with people my age that were experiencing the same things as I was, but on the other side of the ocean.

Now, fast forward a year and a half. I return to Milan alone this time, but not really. While I may not have a mission team to travel with, Milan will never be a lonely place for me. Many people travel to this city for the fashion or art or history, but I am not one of them. I travel here for the people. Reuniting with the people I met on my previous trip was euphoric. At this point I had been away from home for two months, and the homesickness was starting to set in. Being around familiar faces put me at such ease.

I apologize, because in this post I cannot detail to you any restaurant or sight seeing destinations. I apologize because my experiences here are not ones that everyone can have. And I apologize for how short of a post this is. In truth, I spent most of the weekend relaxing and visiting with friends that I consider family. 

My one recommendation that I can give you is this, climb the Milan Duomo an hour before it closes, and sit with a friend on the roof to watch the sunset. The sounds of the square below will be but a murmur, and the lights of the buildings will flick on one by one around you.

I leave you with this, enjoy the destinations but more so enjoy the company.

xoxox julia