Drunk in Milan

Note: This blog entry was started while I was in Milan but I didn't get around to finishing it.
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Wow, I seem to have discovered a partial love for wine since arriving in Milan... 2 bottles in 2 nights (with the help of Li Min) and I just bought a third for tonight. Is it normal for your face to be numb before going to bed?

Milan has been a great break in my vacation. I've barely done anything since arriving here on Saturday. I've done some half-assed touristy things with Li Min, and today was my day to hit the "sights," but honestly, Milan is rather dull!

On Saturday I arrived at 11:30 and met up with Li Min. We haven't seen each other since April 2006 when I left Hong Kong. It's crazy how time flies. I got settled into her apartment and we ended up going out for a walk. Mainly this was time for her to acquaint me with the transit system since getting to her apartment from the train station requires taking a subway and bus.

The weather was ridiculously hot and humid. We ended up going to an aquarium (suggested by Alyssa) and then walking around a local park. There was some kind of big fitness expo going on in the park - and I felt like collapsing while watching the people. There were multiple exhibitions where people were exercising in the park - in the full sun. There was spinning, aerobic dancing, etc. I was sweating just watching them! There were also lots of booths promoting health products, healthy living things, etc. I was also amused by the Hare Krishna parade that was jumping around handing out free cookies. We ended up coming back to the apartment and watching movies and drinking wine.

The next day we lazed around (again, it was deadly hot) until nearly noon. Then we forced ourselves to go out and check out a famous Italian cemetary - it was famous because the graves are so ornate and crazy. Seriously, these weren't just plaques and markers - there were giant obelisks, sculptures, crypts, etc. I'm rather taken aback by how much money people put into them. It was also interesting seeing what meant what to different people - like, why did Mr. So and So and his family want a sculpture of a fake mountain with two ox and farmers to mark their grave?

After the cemetary we wandered over to Milan's canal (who knew Milan had a canal) and got some gelato. We really had no interest in doing anything but were forcing ourselves to go out. The area was rather boring though because it was Sunday and all the stores and restaurants were closed. We gave up, went to the grocery store and bought some more wine. Siestas, reading, and movies ensued.

Today Li Min had to go to school so I ventured out to do some sight seeing. I went to Milan's Duomo. Wow. It's crazy to look at! It's done in the "gothic" style and there's no mistaking it. It is so ornate and "lacy" looking! The inside, if there weren't so many people and lights, would be creepy because it's really dark and there's no painting or frescos really... It's just a giant stone interior. The other churches I've seen have had lots of colour and warmth, but this one felt a bit foreboding.

After the inside of the church, I chose to pay 5 Euros to climb the steps to its roof. (Ugh, such a long climb! And in the heat! But I was too cheap to pay 8 Euros for the elevator! LOL) The roof was awesome because you got a great view of Milan and you could see the details of the sculptures up close. My only issue was that my view kept getting obscured by my sweat!

I then moseyed through Milan's Galleria (I think its official title is something like "Vittorio Emmanuele Monument") - an old building that looks like a train station and had Prada next to a sport store and across from McDonald's... You get the idea. Outside of it, I sat next to a monument dedicated to Da Vinci and other scientists from Milan. I was trying to find the Scala (Milan's famous opera house)... I walked in circles for like 5 minutes consulting my map only to realize that I had been sitting across from it the entire time! The Scala, one of Milan's only claims to fame, is such a boring building!

After my various mishaps I wandered around some of the other famous streets and found a vendor to buy a panini from. I ended up chilling in a big pedestrian area and then went for some gelato... Or at least, I was going to, but when I saw that the prices were like 10 Euros for an effin' cup of gelato, I had to walk away!

By this point I was really lazy and just wasting time till I could go back to Li Min's. I ended up walking through an old castle ("castello") and returning to the park we had been at that weekend until it was time to return. However, I got a bit lost on my way home - I couldn't find the bus stop! I knew the bus I had to take had its route diverted due to construction, but I didn't realize that it was diverted away from the area I was currently in. I ended up walking around for like half an hour before I called it quits, took the metro to a station where I knew the bus stop was and finally made it back to Li Min's.

For people interested in visiting Milan, I'd recommend not bothering. With the exception of the duomo and an opera if you're interested, there's nothing to do! I did enjoy hanging with a friend and having no obligation to go out and sightsee!