Milano

I went to Milan this weekend with some friends: Science Nathan, Janette, Eva, Chris and Sue, and Donata. It was great. In fact, it was like this:

I was thinking of writing about this in my usual style, but as I considered what that would look like for a weekend full of stuff happening, it would come out more like a novel than a blog. So, you're going to get the relatively short version. More details are available to anyone interested and bearing chocolate.

• The 5:50 AM train was not easy, but it was worth it. Let's just say when we did finally get to the land of shoes and coffee, we were ready for some caffeine. It's the same as that 6 AM flight to London with Easy Jet. When I book it, I think, "well, that way we'll have the whole day! And it's 15 CHF cheaper!". Every time I take it, though, I promise myself I will never book it again. Empty words, as it turns out. Even with getting back from Brussels the night before and only getting a few hours' sleep, it was worth it. Good company makes a big difference.
  
• The first time we decided to split up to explore, we met by the white tree at the duomo (main cathedral). Between some serious crowds, dead cell phones, and the lure of the perfect picture, we lost track of each other a couple of times, and that tree turned out to be pretty helpful. First it was "you know, the tree with all the flowers on it at the end of the duomo [pointing]". By the end of the second day, it was just, "see you in an hour". Just when it was starting to feel like home, we had to leave *sniff*.
  
• I was determined not to buy any shoes. I was resolute. I was not going to capitulate. And then I saw red loafers, and it was all over. They are beautiful, and, as yet, I have not had any regrets, second thoughts, or misgivings. I have, however, wondered what socks one should wear with red loafers and jeans.
  
• If you're going to the canal district for dinner, call ahead and make a reservation. Otherwise, when you ask for a table for seven they will actually just laugh at you. When it really hurts is when they start calling in the kitchen staff and, in one case, other diners to share in the fun. I think this may be mostly my fault. We got there when there was not much traffic, and went to the restaurant suggested in Donata's book. I was in the mood for seafood, and they only had a couple choices, so I asked if we could take a look at a couple more places and then come back if we didn't find a better-looking menu. Well, we did find a couple that were better and a bunch that were worse, but wherever we asked, there was no room. By the time we got back to the first place, there was no room there, either. Of course, there may not have been any room there to start with. We did end up getting into a nice little pizzeria, after "15 minutes". I don't know enough Italian to be able to translate every kind of fish that may be listed at a restaurant, but I do know enough to be able to translate 15 minutes into Swiss time...
  
• Church in Italian is fun, but can make you feel a little bit sleepy.
  
• Wear comfortable shoes if you're going on a trip with me. I really wanted to go out on Saturday night, but, according to Nathan's estimate (and, as the only one in the group who used the word "ångström" in normal conversation over the course of the weekend, we have little reason to doubt his methods, even if we don't know them) we walked about 20 km on Saturday. Between leaving home at 5:30 that morning, having the 4-hour wait between when we left the city center to go get supper and when we started eating, and the fairly good amount of walking we did, I was actually pretty happy just to get back to the hotel.
  

In other news, here's what I noticed, fashion-wise:

• Italian men are still putting in a serious effort to out-do the women. Not a good move, boys.
• There are shorts/nylons/boots (together) everywhere. Everywhere! It was terrible.
• The low-rise jeans thing was also, frankly, out of control. I saw way more plumber-butt this weekend than I had asked for.
• Skinny jeans with boots have been back for a couple of years. Skinny jeans with heels or flats (!) are starting to appear now, too. This is not good news, unless your legs account for approximately 2/3 of your total height.
  
• The boots that are being worn, though, are getting better and better. Less chunky, sleeker - very nice.
• The mullet trend I noticed last spring in Firenze with Hopper is still in force. It still seems relatively confined to Italy, but they have not given up hope.
• There are a lot of polka dots making the scene. Really, guys - come on!
• Donata spotted some great shoes in Vivian Westwood's boutique - they are formed with "toes" on the end. Pretty cool, pretty interesting, very much her.

I still need to post a song that Chris taught us, for which I will be forever in his debt: "Wicked, Awesome, Cool". It will come, but it may take a couple of days.