Back on the right track

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I’d first like to respond to a question as to whether I’m having fun. For the most part, I’d have to say yes. But having fun wasn’t my only goal; I also wanted to experience more of the world, and to try living away from home again after my experience in Connecticut. I’m homesick, but I’m doing well. Korea is still an extremely scary prospect, so I’m not quite prepared to declare myself ready to move to the far ends of the Earth. If nothing else, I’m appreciating my home country much more. But Bernice, I’m still looking for that hamburger.

Speaking of being homesick, Erin and I received an e-mail from David stating that he had succumbed to his homesickness and returned home to Scotland. We had already changed our hostel plans in Rome to meet up with him again, but those are easily cancelled. Erin and I both wish him the best, and hope to meet him again on our future travels.

Our first goal for yesterday was to find a tourism guide or other publication that would include a map of the metro system, as unlike other cities, Milan does not have free copies readily available. Once we got our bearings, our first stop was the Duomo Cathedral. We were greeted into the square by a merry group of African immigrants offering us bracelets. Erin got to exchange Italian insults with an extremely persistent one, and I got to grin ignorantly. Once free from our stalker, we moved on to the ever-present pigeons. There is a food cart in the square with which to stock up on popcorn and other salty fair, and the pigeons are quite accommodating in flocking to whoever has said products.

The cathedral dates from the 14th century, and it is amazing. Entry into the cathedral is free, and a trip to the top costs 6 euros a person for the elevator, 4 euros a person for the stairs. The pictures will hopefully communicate that the cost is well worth it. After the cathedral we went in search of Starbucks, but the locals looked at Erin like she was asking to purchase a child. We looked online today, and it would seem that there is no Starbucks in all of Italy. The cup that Erin saw must have been a mirage.

We again purchased tickets to a city tour bus, and rode around for a bit. There isn’t actually all that much to see here, if you don’t want to shop at Gucci, Prada, and so on. The Last Supper mural is here, but we discovered that it can only be visited by appointment.

The day ended with us stopping by a local Blockbuster and buying a used copy of Mr. Bean’s Holiday. Erin liked the movie; I didn’t. He had a lot of the same problems that we’ve had, but he didn’t handle them at all like we did. We gorged ourselves on Ringos and popcorn in lieu of dinner.

We continued the bus ride today and visited a cemetery dating from the 19th century and a church dating from the 4th century. There are some really well preserved bodies inside the church. Erin was bothered most of the day by eye problems, and threw her contacts away early on in the proceedings. The result was that we wandered about town like my parents, sharing one pair of glasses when either of us needed to see. On our way to dinner, a nun on the metro tried to help Erin discover Jesus, who has apparently been riding the Milanese subway on an endless loop all this time. We somehow found an Italian restaurant owned and operated by Chinese people. Don’t ask me how we managed that one.

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Comments

[Ruth]

thank you for letting all of us enjoy your adventure. I am having a great time reading your log. Maybe you should think about becoming a writer of some type. Your doing an awesome job. We miss you and take care of you. Ruth