27 May, Day 20, Stradivarius and Cremona

Saturday night’s surprise encounter
Night photos: Castello Sforzesco
Stradivarius
502 steps
Shaking spiral staircase
Mantova again
Mutant Clam
Broken Umbrella
Italian Rock Music: Binario 3

23 May, Day 16, AC Milan

I went to the Navigli with the Sicilians to meet their friend Luigi and watch the championship soccer game between AC Milan and Liverpool. I was surprised that the Sicilians seemed to be unanimously cheering for Liverpool. We ordered some pizzas and

Melee at the Duomo
Airhorns
Saw the Spanish crew
The drunken guy
Pink flares
Carrying the cow

21 May, Day 14, Story time

I had dinner with my neighbors tonight. Sometimes they remind me of my grandparents –when they were younger. I didn’t think the food was much to speak of, but I enjoyed hearing some stories about living in Naples during WWII until they got repetitive. They included: housing the troops in exchange for food and medicine, when the flying fortresses flew over the city and blocked out the sun, being rescued from the wine cellar when their house was bombed, the contraband markets, liberation by the Americans, and many others. Then the discussion shifted towards the predictions of a hot summer and global warming. I was very surprised to see Dante had a book about Entropy by Rifkin. I learned about this author during college, but was surprised to see one of his books translated into Italian, much less at the house of my neighbors. I guess they’re more educated than I first assumed…

20May, Day 13, The Warmth of the Sun

I feel like I’m due for an entry but don’t have many travel-adventures to try to poeticize. I’ve kept pretty busy through the week and had plans that fizzled this weekend. I met with the Fullbright coordinator at the US embassy on Thursday and then joined the Sicilians for dinner and then met a couple of their friends in Milan afterwards. Fabrizio cooked up a delicious mix of baked beef sprinkled with breadcrumbs, in a pan of tomato puree, buffalo mozzarella, and some secret herbs and spices. I admit that despite my acute schnozzola, I couldn’t identify any the fragrance aside from the oregano (which is easy).

It seems like learning English has become a fashion trend these days so I find I’ve been hanging out with the Sicilians a lot more these past 2 weeks. But they’re fun…

I met Emiliano and some other friends for an aperitivo at Piola on Friday. I was surprised to find Giuliana had returned from France for the weekend and made an appearance in Milan tonight. I met two of my French friends Alexis and Eric afterwards to go out to a bar. I feel like I relate to them better than a lot of the other people I’ve met here. I think being foreigners we have something intrinsically in common. I’ve also noted some interesting differences between Italian mindsets and my own, but I’ll let that discussion ripen a bit before posting.

I was planning to go to Liguria this weekend to visit Portofino or another beach. But the plans fell through. I saw Leonardo for a few hours in Genova. He’s a Brazilian classmate from the language school I attended in August. I returned to Milan Saturday night to go to a club with the Sicilians and a few of their pretty lady-friends. I had a good time until I got tired being extroverted. Then the fatigue began to weigh on me and I think I might’ve napped for a few minutes on a couch before the others were ready to go home. With the exception of last Sunday (12 hours), I haven’t slept more than 5 or 6 hours a night since I left the US. I don’t think I can blame this on jetlag anymore, but I haven’t found a cause for me to wake up early even when I’m staying up late.

I feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve done any traveling. I think the last significant trip was to Spain: about a month ago. I’m attending a party on a tram on Friday. (I know that sounds bizarre. But it has potential to be good.) Maybe I can try for Portofino again on Sunday. I’ll look for a decent airfare tomorrow to get farther a field in June. I had big travel plans to see 4 big destinations in Italy before July, but the longer I wait the more appealing it becomes to string them together into one trip to waste less time going back and forth.

15May, Day 8, Looking back and forward

I sipped some Moscato D’Asti grappa on ice and read through the entries of my first 10 days. This grappa comes from grape skins used to make champagne and taste much less like JP8 (jet fuel) than some of the others, but I have no doubt that you could still use it as a degreaser. I still have a vivid recollection of those sparkly first days in Italy. Reliving the back entries was almost a spiritual experience. I’m glad I came here. But I’m reminded of a poem I read in high school by Robert Frost about, “Something golden never stays.” I wonder if rereading the poem will yield the same message as it did back then. I’ll cut the mushy stuff because I nearly fell asleep at the lingua bar this evening. I would like to suck the rest of the juice out of this experience and begin my next great endeavor. I would like something that can trump this experience. I just have to discover what it is… Suggestions?

Calculate YOUR Carbon Footprint

The results surprised me!

http://www.zerofootprintoffsets.com/calculator.aspx

12May, Day 5, Superbikes

I woke after 5PM today. I hope this event signifies the end of my jetlag…

Since it was way too late to do anything that I planned on doing today I decided to go for a long jog to try to make sure I was tired enough to fall asleep at a semi-reasonable hour. The destination would be the Monza racetrack: about ¾ hour jogging each way. They’re having the superbike competitions this weekend, and I thought I might try to sneak into the pits for a close up look at the racing teams like I did for F1. The races were over and most of the people had already left by the time I arrived. I perused the public areas for a while before convincing the guard to let me onto the track for, “just a minute.” –Which stretched into about a half hour. The superbikes are cool, but there was much less activity that when I was here after formula one. Each racing team had four to six bikes in their garage. Most of the bikes were disassembled as the teams replaced any worn parts, and cleaned any deposits from inside the engines, but they were not practicing changing the tires like they do for F1. I think if I got there sooner I might’ve been able to seen them practice refueling, but I don’t think they do the tires for motorcycles. I saw the pilot of Honda on my way out. A group of people gathered around him for autographs and photos, but I didn’t have anything to sign and wasn’t very interested anyway. I jogged most of the way home, but walked the last 10 or 15 minutes because I didn’t want my feet to get blisters in case there would be dancing later tonight.

Ricardo called a minute after I walked in. He was at my door to pick me up within 20 minutes. Tonight we would go meet a few of his friends here from Sardinia. I’m hoping to go there within the next few weeks, and hoped this might be a good contact to make. Unfortunately, the girls were some of the most lifeless I’ve met in quite a while. I was the one to have just run about 10k but they were the ones acting tired! To make things harder the two of them were notorious mumblers and I could hardly understand the few words they spoke. Too bad…

9,10 May, Ups and downs

Language partner, 8 months overdue
Turkish crew and Cameron Diaz
Dance
Cinderella nights
(The other 1/2 of the experience)
Stay?

Mark’s Local Tourism Recommendations

A few people have been asking about visiting, so I’ve posted some details on some of the local attractions.


Milan is a buzzing city with hidden charms to be discovered. Allow 1-2 days
Piazza Duomo: look to the ceiling for one of the nails believed to come from the original cross. Climb to the roof for a panorama of the city and Alps on a clear day. (Consider packing a picnic lunch.) Facing the cathedral, turn to your right, cross the piazza, and climb the steps for a view overlooking the piazza. Check for art show on display in the gallery near the Palazzo Reale while you’re there.

Brera: The pinoteca is my favorite museum in Milan. From here you can wander many small and cute streets where you may want to pause for a panino or café as you head east towards the fashion district centered at Via della Spiga and Via Montenapoleone.

Castelo: Milan has a sprawling castle filled with museums. Entrance is free on Friday afternoons. Otherwise I’d say it may not be worth going in. Behind the castle is the Parco Sempione where you can go for a stroll and watch the locals play soccer in the grass.

Basilica Saint Ambrogio: is my second favorite church in Milan. From here you can walk east on via de Amicis to the roman columns in front of the Ciesa San Lorenzo. You may want to wander south towards the Navigli (canals) but don’t expect to find Venice.

Cemiterio Monumental: The cemetery has an impressive façade, and some large mausoleums inside if you’re into that sort of thing.

The Last Supper: Leonardo DaVinci’s Cenacolo should speak for itself, but requires a reservation to gaze upon it for 15 minutes.

La Scala: I haven’t been inside yet, but it’s supposedly one of the best opera houses in the world.

Como is pretty posh for a lakeside town. Allow ½ to 1day
Trains from Monza take less than an hour to reach the lake. Get off at the Como san Giovanni station and walk down the steps towards the city center. Admire the duomo before turning left (north) towards the water. Stroll the boardwalk to the right and check ferry times to bellagio. Continue to the inclined railway (funivia) that can take you up the mountain to the village of Brunate for some spectacular views.

Brunate has 2 panoramic overlooks to get a view over the lake. If it’s a clear day you can get a view of Monte Rosa and the alps off in the distance. Although there is food for sale, I haven’t found a good restaurant that comes with a view so consider packing a picnic to eat while you admire the scenery.

Plan on a full day if you also take a ferry stopping at the villas along the shore on the way to Bellagio. From there you can walk through the fetching little town (going north) to stand at the notch of the Y-shaped lake to see water on 3 sides of you. Consider taking the boat to Lecco for different views on the way back. Trains from Lecco can bring you Milan.

Bergamo is a surprisingly ancient city to exist in this age. Allow ½ to 1 day
Local trains from Monza take less than an hour. Then buy a bus ticket to take a bus to the old city of Bergamo Alta instead of climbing the hill by foot. Your bus ticket is valid for an hour. If it’s a clear day take the funivia (inclined railway) to the west up to San Vigilio for a 360 panorama. If you don’t waste time, you can use the same bus ticket you took to get from the station. Then get lost in the old section of town as you work your way back east towards the fort. An alternative or addition to going out to San Vigilio is to climb one of the towers in the center of the city. Stop somewhere for a bite to eat. Bergamo has some of my favorite italian dishes. Polenta is common and a type of ravioli, (I think it’s called casonsei) are worth trying. Across the town is a castle that was used as late as the world wars.

Lago Maggiore uses a string of mountains to stitch the water to the sky. Allow 1 Day
Although Como is better known, I think Lago Maggiore is more attractive. But it is farther away. From Monze you need to change trains in Milano Centrale or Porta Garibaldi to get to Stresa or Arona.

Stresa:
Walk down to the water and stroll the shore. You’ll find captains offering you passage to the nearby islands. (I haven’t visited them yet.) But the cable car (funicolare) to Mottarone is worth the trip on a clear day. You may want to stop half way up at the Alpine garden, but be sure to continue all the way to the top. From here a short hike to the peak will take you to one of the best views combining water and mountains around. You may want to pack a picnic or snack on some local cheeses and other specialties at one of the refugios (ski lodges).

Arona:
Arona has some quant streets and cafes on the water. They’re worth including in your search for the perfect gelato while you admire the castle on across the water. Consider continuing your walk about a half hour past town to climb the rocca or colossus for a better view.

Monza is my little city. Allow a few hours
There’s a nice duomo with some sort of crown-relic that I don’t remember the history of. The quant streets lined with shops but attract crowds on weekend afternoons. A large park north of the center provides an opportunity to escape from the hustle of Milan unless they’re having the Formula 1 races there.

Farther away
2+ hours: there are many other worthwhile day trips including: Tornio, Genova, Sermione on Lago di Garda, Mantova, and Verona if you don’t mind spending more time traveling.

3+ hours:
In just over 3 hours you can be in Venice, Florence, or the beautiful Cinque Terre of Liguria. Each requires weekend or more to do them justice. A weekend in Florence could easily stretch into almost week in Tuscany to see Siena, Pisa, Lucca, and San Gimignano. Or you can go the other direction going under the Alps to Switzerland to reach Zurich. With a car you can head north or west to see some of the more famous mountains in the Alps. The Matterhorn is just over the Swiss border. (It’s called Cervino in Italy.) Check it out on google earth! Monte Bianco on the French Border to the west is just as impressive, and the drive though the Val da Aosta is dotted with castles.

4+ hours:
Rome is almost 5 hours by train from Milan, but it is worth the trip if you have at least a couple days. –Especially if you’re continuing south from Firenze or Tuscany. If not, I would consider flying.

8 May, Day 1, Season 3: Evaporating Daydream

I struggled to think of a title for season 3. After 234 days in Europe I’m beginning to feel that the freshness of the experience may be starting to go stale. It’s becoming easier to take the "charm" of living on the “frontier” for granted as I become more distracted by the scooters leaning on their horn and flipping each other the bird as they skip in front of the traffic jams by driving in the lane for oncoming traffic.

My return was uneventful aside from a foul smelling old man sitting across the aisle on my flight from Ft. Lauderdale to Philly. To make things worse he brought along a tin of malodorous chicken salad that took him most of the flight to slurp down because he didn’t have a spoon.

I feel like there should be more to write, but I’m tired. Maybe later…

27April, Day 108, Return to the USA

I’m on my way home again for a week to catch up with the family, attend Eric’s wedding, and have some time for reflection on my priorities. I feel like this discourse on life goals and direction has been nagging at me more than it should. I would like to clarify my vision and take action to modify my position and actions. I saw a visionary opportunity to compete in the new X-Prize to design and build a commercial-ready passenger vehicle that can achieve 100 mi/gal. This could be a chance to make history. It is a project lofty enough that it could transcend mundane motivation of working to pay the bills by working instead to achieve a worthy goal perfectly aligned with my manifesto. This is a challenge that I could attack it with passion until the trials in 2010 and maybe beyond. In spite of these great motives I certainly don’t have the capital to undertake this endeavor alone. Who can I find with a pocket deep enough to sponsor a team before I dust off my thermodynamics books?

My departure from the old country today has been emotionally bland. I didn’t feel the mysterious regret that took me by surprise last time I left. Maybe because I know I’ll be back soon and all of this deliberation about moving on has me looking farther ahead.

Travel has been surprisingly smooth. I had some concerns that a 1-hour connection in Rome could be a problem if I had to retrieve my luggage and revisit security, so I arrived an extra hour early hoping to get on an earlier flight. I did, but it was unnecessary anyway. One point of interest is that a guy next to me looked like an aged Marlon Brando. I felt a slightly chagrined by the other Americans in the airport but don’t really have an explanation other than that some of them must be here on an AARP trip and loud old people aren’t my preferred company. I can’t wait to be home!