Buon Natale, Milano!

Merry Christmas and a Happy 2011 to all my lovely readers!

Let me start by saying that I was never very interested in visiting Milan. It's just something I had never thought about or desired. But I had a great time for two reasons: because it was Christmas and because I got to spend it with my friend Damiano and his whole family: his dad Carlo, his mom Patricia, his brother Oscar, and his friend Qing, who is his classmate in London and was also visiting.

I was supposed to leave for Milan on Thursday 12/23 in a 4pm flight from Madrid. But I overslept so I missed all the buses and trains that could have gotten me to Madrid in time. I pride myself on how good I am with alarms and waking up on time for stuff, even on minimal sleep. So you have to understand how exhausted I must have been for this to have happened (I hadn't slept very well the past couple of nights). Anyway, I switched my flight to Friday at 7am and left for Madrid that very day on a 6:30pm train. I arrived in Madrid close to 9pm, and went straight to the airport. I didn't feel like paying an extra 50 or so euros for a hostel, so I decided I would sleep in the airport. The terrible night of semi-sleep that I had on the concrete floor only added to my tired state. But finally morning came and after a sleep-filled trip (which, by the way, left an hour late) I finally made it to Milan. I took a train from the Milan airport to Milan center, where Damiano picked me up and took me to his home.

There, I met: Carlo, his father. He is a retired electrician who volunteers doing electrician work for a non-profit. He is the cook of the family and did most of the cooking while I was there and for Christmas Eve dinner. Patricia, his mother. Sweet woman, retired pre-school teacher with a talent for pencil sketches, which are hanging throughout their flat. Qing, Damiano's classmate in London, originally from Shanghai. I was glad I was not the only non-Italian in the group because this meant we both asked tons of questions but didn't look as dumb and both were "the tourists" always stopping for pictures. My first meal in Milan was cooked by Qing. She made something that tasted to me like Mongolian pork and grilled bok choy. Delicious. Finally, Oscar, Damiano's older brother, who studies some sort of finance/account managing in Milan.

After lunch, Damiano, Qing, Oscar, and I went out to explore the center. First we went to Santa Maria delle Grazie church, which was mostly destroyed during World War II, but was now restored to much of its originally glory. I, being the Papist that I am, was dying to see Il Cenacolo (The Last Supper, which is housed in the dining room of the church monastery). According to the story, during the WWII bombings, while everything around it was destroyed, Il Cenacolo was the only part of the church left intact. Glory! But what Damiano failed to mention before is that seeing it requires reservations months in advance, so we continued our trek After seeing some more churches, we also stopped by Castello Sforzesco, a 14th-century castle which was one of the biggest military forts in Europe, used during Milan's many battles with other Italian cities and with foreign invaders. The castle was also badly damaged during WWII, but has now been fully restored. It is now used for museums and art galleries. Finally, we arrived at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the center of Milan's high-class shopping and one of the oldest shopping centers in the world. Entering the Gallery, which is cross-shaped with shops extending in all four directions, is comparable to walking down Main Street in Disneyland. You are bombarded by people walking in all directions, bright lights everywhere above you, and the sensation that this place is larger than life. Of course I didn't buy anything in this very expensive center, but just window-shopping in this area is an experience in itself.

Finally, we made it back home around 7:30pm, in time to get ready for Christmas Eve dinner. We were expecting several family friends, for a total of 14 people at dinner (big, but nothing compared to the Mexican holidays I'm used to). A long table was set out quite lovely, and after everyone had arrived we settled into our spots. Dinner started with an endless array of antipasto- everything from tuna pate to grilled peppers to salmon cakes to pigs in a blanket. Naturally, wine and bread were ever-present and obligatory. Qing and I weren't aware that this wasn't "dinner" and ate to our heart's content. But this was Christmas and we were in Italy, so there was plenty of extra space in our bellies. After appetizers and short break, we had the first main dish. We had two types of beef ravioli: a plain dish and a sort of sweet tomato sauce ravioli. Both very delicious, and very Italian! This time, the break was much longer, about 30 minutes or so. Then the second dish was brought out: roasted duck! I'm not much of duck fan, but this was deliciously prepared and perfectly seasoned. And for some reason, duck seems very Christmasy anyway. Finally, dessert time! We had two desserts. The first was marrons glàce, or chestnut cream. It's a white cake cut into different layers and shaped so that it looks like a Christmas tree, and the center is filled with the delicious (and addicting!) chestnut cream. We had this for dessert on Christmas Eve, and as there was plenty left over, we had it for dessert for several meals after. Fine by me! The second desert was chocolate "salami," a chocolate-fudge like concoction filled with rice crispies. It's called so because it's shaped like salami. Yes, it's very obviously phallic. Yes, jokes of this nature were made. Yes, I am a 14 year old boy.

Dinner, which started about 8:30, ended a little after midnight (Christmas!). Now, it was time for presents! Gift-giving was very un-personalized, which means that I also got some of the goods, even though nobody knew me. First, one of the guests, who works at some kind of publishing house and gets of tons of books for free, brought gift-wrapped books and distributed them to everyone. I got two medieval mysteries. Of course, they're in Italian, so.... Second, we had the Christmas lottery. Here, several gifts were set out, each with a number. Each person picks a number out of a bag, and you get the corresponding gift. First, I got a woman's wallet, so they let me pick again, since there were several gifts left over. My new gift was a small kitchen scale. Useful, I guess =P After gift-giving, everybody started leaving and the sweet siren song of bed called my name. After cleaning, we went to bed. It was about 3am (much earlier than I'm used to for Christmas). After several nights of not sleeping well and the night I'd had before, the bed seemed like the most comfortable in the world and I had the best sleep I've ever had.

Next morning, I woke up pretty late (12ish) and it was time for more gifts! This time, it was the gifts that the family had bought for us! I hadn't bought any gifts, but I had brought them some turròn, traditional Spanish Christmas candy, which they loved! I got a fancy pen set from Parker, which apparently is a very famous Italian brand. Sweet! After lunch (homemade lasagna!!!), we went to take Qing to the train station, as she was leaving to spend the rest of her break in another part of Italy, which another London classmate. After dropping her off, Damiano, Oscar, and I went to explore some more. This time, we went to Il Duomo, the Cathedral, which is the second-largest church in the world, after Rome's cathedral. Standing outside the Cathedral is an awe-inspiring and humbling experience. Its tall spires, which always shine like they're covered in jewels, look the building look like something out of Lord of the Rings. And I was particularly impressed by the semi-permanent scaffolding, which gives the building a dangerous and deadly air. Unfortunately, the inside is quite ordinary and not as impressive. Apparently you can climb to the Cathedral terrace a the very top, which offers a breathtaking view of the city, but it was raining, so no go. After this, we went to the Museum of Nine-Hundred, a 20th century modern art museum. The most interesting thing I learned here was that the Futurists were an Italian art movement characterized by their twisting and distorting of reality with shape, color, and movement. They were also associated with the Fascists. Figures. This day drained us and we drove back to their flat, where after dinner Damiano, his friend Nathan (who joined us at the museum and for dinner), Patricia, and I settled down to watch an Italian documentary about gay parents. I never escape the gayness in my life =)

Sunday, my last full day in Milan, was another long and exciting day. After lunch, Damiano and I went back to the Castello Sforzesco. The time before, we had admired its contours from the outside. This time, we went in. First, we saw a short exhibition of Milanese history through photography. I took so many pictures on this trip that Damiano said that someday my pictures will be displayed in this exhibition. Second, we went into the Museum of Ancient Art, a collection of antique Roman art and sculpture, into the Furniture Museum (which is exactly what it sounds like), and finally into the Picture Gallery, a collection of Italian Renaissance art. I definitely prefer older art to modern art, so I enjoyed this more than the Nine-Hundred. The castle has several more museums, such as the Egyptian Museum, Museum of Prehistory, Museum of Musical Instruments, but we didn't feel like looking at more stuff, so we left and got some gelato! Even though it was raining and freezing, one of the things I had to do was eat Italian gelato. We went into a small and crowded shop (always a good sign), and I ordered a scoop of chocolate and a scoop of coffee on a cone, topped with whipped cream. The combination of all three flavors is heavenly. After this we met a few of Damiano's friends and headed to the Palazzo Reale, the Royal Palace, which, like everything else in every old city, is now used for art and cultural exhibitions. We were lucky enough to be there for the temporary Salvador Dali exhibit, "Il Sogno si Avvicina," or "The Dream is Approaching." There were several other exhibitions, but we opted for this one. Like I said, I'm not much of a modern art guy, but I consider being able to see a Dali show such a privilege that I was thrilled and really enjoyed it. My favorite was Landscape with Girl Jumping Rope. There's something just so haunting and beautiful about it. After this, we went to dinner at a traditional pizza parlor. One of Damiano's friends, Giorgi, told me that pizza is not as good in Milan as it is in other parts of Italy. But it tasted perfectly to me, and it was real Italian pizza!

The next day, Monday, was my departure date. After a delicious lunch of pasta Bolognese, more bread, and more wine, we headed to the center, where I took the train to the airport. My flight was at 5:45pm (again, it took of an hour late) and I got to Madrid around 9pm. I would again have to sleep in the airport and take a bus or train to Socuèllamos Tuesday morning, as none are available at night. And thus, exactly the way it began, ended my Milanese Christmas.

Days here: 57
Currently reading: El Ùltimo Catòn by Matilde Asensi