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Travel Notes: Memories of
Milan
I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to
Milan and I have my friend Evy and her husband
Andrea to thank. They were the perfect tour guides
during my short visit to one of Italy's beautiful
cities.
On Driving:
Evy drives a car no larger than a
Yugo to maneuver through the narrow city streets.
Cozy as they are, the main purpose for having such
a small car is so you can drive on the sidewalks if
needed to avoid traffic.
On Security:
Security seemed to be an issue to
contend with. I remember walking down the street
with Evy and I had my shoulder bag tightly squeezed
under my armpit. She had warned me of guys on
motorcycles whose main preoccupation was to snatch
handbags. With the way I held on to mine, they
would have to yank my arm off too.
I also noticed the five locks and
bolts on their apartment door. I wondered if it was
a standard feature or if they had been victimized
in the past to cause such paranoia.
On Sightseeing:
We went to the famous Milan
Cathedral, an architectural work of art. Everyone
wants a photo taken in front of this landmark. Of
course the pigeons have taken over the whole area
in front of the cathedral and if you want a photo
taken, be prepared to be swarmed by the
domesticated birds. I made a mistake of buying some
bird feed from one of the vending dispensers and as
I held the feed in my hand, I felt I was in Alfred
Hitchcock's "Birds" movie. I was totally surrounded
by the winged creatures who all tried to peck at
the bird feed in my hand. Evy almost fell to the
ground laughing and I was freaking out wondering if
I had any bird droppings on me.
On Dining:
Be prepared to eat massive
quantities of food. We ate at a restaurant which
had a truly Italian atmosphere.The tables looked
like picnic tables which were perfect for big
families or large groups of friends.
After lighting the candle on the
chianti bottle now covered with wax drippings, the
server came back with a bread loaf tucked under his
armpit. The armpits must be the favorite part of
the body in this part of the world. He put the
crusty bread on the table, not on any plate or
napkin. Andrea then reached out to grab the loaf
and broke it off into smaller pieces and held one
in front of me. I looked at the armpit-clutched,
hand-held piece of bread and tore off a small piece
which I shoved in my dry mouth and where it stayed
lodged in my throat until I could wash it down with
some wine.
Andrea ordered pizza and a few
minutes later, out came three large pizzas - one
for each of us. For a person used to eating no more
than two slices of pizza, I was a little
overwhelmed with trying to finish the whole pizza
so as not to upset my hosts. Halfway through, the
waiter brought what looked like spaghetti with
sauce as the second course. And then came the veal
scallopini, more bread and more wine. I felt like
John Candy and Chris Farley put together in a
gluttinous state. How can they eat like this
everyday? I was getting worried about how we would
fit into the little Yugo-like car.
Surprisingly, I did not experience
a feeling of being extremely full.The meal was
orchestrated in such a way where everything seemed
to settle very well. It was also a very relaxed
dinner as we talked, laughed, drank wine and ate
slowly for maximum digestion. It was a lesson I
learned. Take your time and enjoy your food and
company. Nothing is important at mealtimes except
your food and those you are sharing it with.
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Rating: 
Great to visit with friends.
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TRAVEL
NOTES
Kathy
Llamas is a
freelance writer / photographer and President of KL
Communications and Marketing Network.