End of the List, 26Aug, Day 13

With the help of my earplugs I slept in until almost 11, ate some cheeros for breakfast, threw some laundry in the machine, and then hit the road. Today I wore my new shoes instead of the old black nikes because my left foot has been hurting a bit and I don’t know if it’s because the shoes are old, or if it’s protesting to walking so much.

I worked my way out to the northwest quadrant of Milan to see the cemeteria monumental: a somber collection of monuments behind an impressive marble façade tribute to Milan’s deceased. In a way it reminded me of the cemetery in Buenos Aires, but the monuments appeared more ornate, and the large trees planted in gravel cast shadows making me glad I was there in broad daylight. After a brisk walk to the end and back I was ready for a new genre of sightseeing and headed for the other main park in the city.

The Giardini Pubblici is a large wooded area with a few duck-ponds, a playground, and various other delights -including pony rides, the museum of natural history, and a planetarium. However, by now I was more interested in finding a gelato than watching the carp swim aimlessly around the pond or the teens kick a soccer ball back and forth. I headed south and found myself in the marrow of the fashion district for the second time. I discovered via della spiga last Friday on a different promenade which began with the questura office.

Della Spiga is a street closed off to traffic and lined with the most in vogue. Here one can find shoes priced over 350€ and garments carrying tags approaching 1000€, and I don’t think they would respond positively to an attempt at bargaining for a lower price... It’s amazing to think that someone will buy a pair of shoes for more than I could sell my car for. Man those kids got one heck of a deal on the car!

I scratched the museum of archeology and a few more churches off my list while enjoying a chocolate and coconut gelato. I have promoted coconut gelato to my new favorite flavor, displacing straticcheli and tiramisu. Meanwhile, my list of tourist attractions and historical monuments is getting short unless you include museums and other indoor activities. However, I’ve been reserving the museums for winter, or a rainy day.

Finally I returned to the Duomo to check the schedule of Sunday masses because it would be downright sinful to miss a service there when I’m living within walking distance. I entered the cathedral to find a mass in progress, but I’m going to try to return tomorrow morning when there should be less tourists taking photos as they roam the periphery.

I bought another sirloin to cook in my frying pan, threw some noodles, salad, bread, and called it a dinner. I thought I might be able to season the meat with pesto, but it didn’t really work out.

I went to bed gazing at the flashes from lightning illuminate the city.