Milan, Coronavirus, and Quarantine
To be completely transparent, I have dreaded writing this blog and have basically stopped writing altogether in this quarantine period. I am an extrovert who loves interacting with people and hugging everyone, but I am also highly anxious, which means I truly value my “me time” and require it in order to recharge. This period, however, has been a rollercoaster for me and I feel mentally and emotionally drained. While I am very fortunate to still be working from home, I have no separation of my work life and home life, which makes me feel like I’m never actually “off” or relaxing. I’ll have days where I’m extraordinarily productive, and then there are long periods where I can’t do anything but read, binge watch something inane, and go on long walks with Matt to feel somewhat okay. It is also really difficult being seven hours ahead of everyone, making zoom calls really difficult to schedule and just generally eliminating quality and meaningful conversations with all those we miss at home unless it’s on a weekend. This is really hard. I can’t imagine not having Matthew with me and he has been my personal salvation through all of this. Unlike me, he doesn’t suffer from insomnia or lack motivation. He still prepares incredible meals, works out (from home) every day, and goes to sleep and wakes up at reasonable hours. He’s also very steady and understands when I have days that are good or bad. But again, this is very hard. We were fully embracing our lives here and traveling and exploring constantly, but as we are now in our eighth week of quarantine, it is hard to imagine life ever going back to that blissful period, even though Germany is technically supposed to reopen in a few days. But lately, I have felt like writing and documenting this transformative period. I want to honor it for what it is, remember this strangely sacred period of our lives, and reflect on our journey with the Coronavirus.
Our journey begins with a spontaneous birthday weekend I planned for Matthew in Milan, Italy over Valentine’s Day weekend. We took a 7 hour bus ride on a Friday and returned via the same way on Sunday, marveling at the incredible beauty of Switzerland and the Alps the entire way. To me, it seems like colors are more vibrant in Switzerland and like every other place in the world is just slightly dimmed in comparison - even on gloomy days, the colors are vibrant and everything is so pastoral and picturesque. Needless to say, the bus rides went shockingly quick both times. We arrived late to Milan on Friday evening, checked into our incredible AirBnB, and were excited for a relaxed weekend. While we usually rigorously plan our weekend trips to really maximize our excursions, we decided to just relax and experience the Italian culture in Milan. We wanted to eat well, drink coffee and cocktails, do some shopping right before fashion week, and walk around at leisure. I have already mentioned above how grateful I am for Matthew, but even before this quarantine, I wanted him to feel how loved and appreciated he is with this weekend. Obviously, we had NO idea that Milan was about to be ravaged by Coronavirus and I’m pretty sure we were there at the last time possible tourists were allowed in and out with no precautions taken or any hint of medical issues.
On Saturday morning, we decided to do a quick, free walking tour to get a feel for the city. We headed to the Piazza del Duomo, where we got our first breathtaking view of the stunning Duomo and the fashion Mecca, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. We walked around the area a bit before the tour, admiring all of the high fashion boutiques and shops. I got a phenomenal Italian cappuccino and croissant and forced Matt to allow me to have “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” making me feel very much like Audrey Hepburn. We proceeded to go on our tour, which showed us the Duomo area (but not the Duomo itself, leaving us to go inside the next morning), the basilica of San Nazaro in Brolo, and the Milan Cathedral. We also saw the Policlinico of Milan, which is one of the oldest hospitals in Italy and a marvel at its time due to its emphasis on modern practices and procedures.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Duomo
(Click image below for more pics of the Duomo’s Exterior and the Piazza del Duomo)
Duomo’s interior - we acutally went inside on the following morning and were lucky enough to sit in on mass
(Click image below for more pics of our Sunday excursion going inside the Duomo)
Basilica di San Nazaro (Click the image below for more pics of various cathedrals seen on the walking tour as well as the famous hospital)
We then walked back to the Galleria area and saw the famous opera house and a very interesting modern sculpture by Maurizio Cattelan, which is hilariously right in front of the Palazzo Mezzanotte, the Italian stock exchange building. Generally, as we went through the tour, we noticed that people in Milan are so beautiful and fashionable, which is no surprise. Fashion week was supposed to be the week after we were there, so of course Matt and I decided we needed to do some shopping ourselves :). After a quick shopping spree and a pizza lunch, we walked through Milan’s shops and modern areas to the Sforza Castle, which is a huge fortification built in the 14th century. We didn’t do a tour here, but the building is now home to art collections and museums. Even though it was only about 3:30 PM at this time, we decided to “do as the Italians do” and enjoy aperitivo. We sat in a busy square, ordered some delicious drinks (including limoncello), and had some olives and light snacks. We people watched for a few hours and it was so relaxing and funny - there are definitely some interesting sights and people in a city like Milan haha.
(Click image below for the remaining pics from the Walking Tour, including the crazy statue)
Matt at the Sforza Castle
(Click image below for more pics of Sforza Castle)
At this point, Matt wanted to walk around the Duomo area again and find our way to a different part of town. We ended up walking along the river, which was incredibly busy with cute little restaurants, bars, and a TON of people. We decided to grab another meal, because apparently all we do on relaxing vacations is eat, and were so pleasantly surprised by our find. We picked a place that looked incredibly busy, but most of the people there were in large groups, so they said they could squeeze the two of us in as long as we could eat within 2.5 hours. Matt and I are certainly slow eaters, but there’s no way it would take us 2.5 hours to eat dinner together haha! It turned out that our place specialized in charcuterie, and we ended up having some truly divine Italian cheeses, prosciutto, fruit, bread, and I could go on and on and on but basically it was heaven. Matt and I just kind of sat there speechless, gorging ourselves, and savoring every single bite of one of the most delicious and beautiful meals we had ever eaten. It was an absolutely perfect weekend in Milan, and according to Matt, one of his favorite birthdays :).
When we returned, obviously everything seemed as if it was normal. I was going to work, going to the gym, planning trips, and reading as always. But within the week, we found out that Milan was hit by the Coronavirus. This was all happening at a very strange time, as two others in my office had recently gone or were going to Florence and Rome, so none of us took it super seriously but were very strict about staying home in case we felt sick or developed symptoms. Matt and I were completely healthy for the two week infection period and subsequently decided to take another quick weekend trip at the end of February/beginning of March (blog coming later), but there was still no general sense of urgency about the virus in other parts of Europe. Indeed, Matt’s parents were coming to visit during the second week of March, and while I am SO glad they came and we got to see them, they had to cut their trip short because the situation with the virus escalated so quickly. We were planning on going to some castles the next day, but over night received calls from the US that Trump had ordered all US citizens to return from abroad. Even though the situation was clarified a few hours later, Matt’s parents frantically looked for tickets and returned home, where they were then quarantined for two weeks before being able to return to work.
Luckily, we have all been healthy so far, but Matt and I have been quarantined since this time. The day the Kerns left Europe, I went into work for the last time, and luckily grabbed everything I needed “just in case.” Within the next few days, we were trying to determine whether we needed to return to states, what to do with Matt’s visa which would soon expire, and how I could continue my PhD. I really can’t explain how stressful the entire situation was - this is a completely unprecedented time, and it will not be clear whether we made the correct decisions for awhile, but I am very glad that we decided to stay here and stay together. We got everything sorted out, and as I said above, I have been working from home, watching “Breaking Bad” for the first time, and reading loads of books (if anyone needs recommendations, I am VERY confident on the many that I have). Matt and I have been going on long walks through parks (while socially distancing as well), celebrating holidays alone, and eating gourmet food courtesy of Matt every evening. Though this all has been depressing and very hard to be away from our families, there are a few things for which I am so truly grateful:
The kittens are living their best lives - they absolutely love quarantine. Having mom and dad home all the time has been the greatest gift. Their hobbies include sleeping on top of us as often as possible, walking through Zoom meetings I have for work, and learning how to play catch with twisty-ties on bread bags. I’m so glad we brought them here as they are an endless source of love.
Working out from home has been…difficult
Naps are a family affair in our apartment
(Click image below for a LOT of cat pics from Quarantine)
2. I still have a job and a steady income. I know that I’m in the minority here, and even though I lack the mental capacity to work as much as I’d like to, it also keeps me focused and gives me purpose, which I am eternally grateful for.
3. BOOKS. I love books. That is all.
4. My health - despite a lot of migraines from sitting much more and working on the couch, which really messes with my neck and gives me awful headaches, we are still being as active as we can. We work out at home and go on long walks almost every day. I hit a 25 lb weight loss goal at the beginning of quarantine and have maintained it, though it feels like that’s due to me losing muscle mass from not being able to go to the gym and lift. Still, I’m proud of my health and my body and it’s been a big deal for me.
5. My mom. This period has been extremely difficult for her with regards to me being super far away and her not knowing what to do. She has been very supportive of us and me finishing my PhD. She has put my needs over her sense of security and showers me with love with 20-30 phone calls a day. I love you, mom.
6. Matthew. As I read all this back, I realize that in a weird way, this is all a love letter to Matt. He has been my rock through this period. He has taken care of me every single day in one way or another and is a true teammate. We still don’t know if we can have our dream wedding in August, but more importantly, I’ve learned that we will have our dream marriage. (Click images below for more pics of our Easter dinner, some of the other amazing meals Matt has made, and picturesque views from our many walks around Munich)
Hopefully, life returns to normal at some point, but certainly not before we can maximize public safety and health. I’m so happy that we are in Germany, whose political leadership through this has been inspiring. We feel very safe here and are lucky to be in a country who prioritizes life itself AND quality of life (people are still getting paid ~60% of their salaries here, even when business is completely shut down). It’s interesting to read how everything is going in the US, and while so much of us wishes we were at home with family, and in Matt’s case at home golfing, we still love it here and we still love being together (well, I do - you may want to ask Matt at a later date lol).
Until next time,
Alexandra