Milan
Milan’s Milpanesa airport is in the middle of nowhere. It is, however, well connected to the city by shuttle buses and trains. It was 10ºC when we stepped outside the plane, which after days of sub-zero temperatures in Amsterdam felt quite cozy. The sun was shining brightly and in the distance we could see snow-capped Alps. I was momentarily overcome with memories of our trips to Bhutan and Ladakh.
Not wanting to be stuck in traffic, we skipped the 10€ direct bus service from terminal 1 and took a shuttle to terminal 2 to catch the train to the Milan Central Station. The Milan Central Station is quite grand and had a Louvre like palace-museum feel to it. We took a metro from here to our hotel in the historic center of the city.
Outside our hotel was this graffiti that made it very clear how welcome the austerity measures were.
After a delicious pizza lunch at a quaint local restaurant we walked to Piazza del Duomo to see two of Milan’s most prominent attractions — the Milan Cathedral and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.
The square was abuzz with tourists (and pigeons). Evening light was illuminating the gothic façade of the cathedral beautifully.
The stained glass work inside was quite exquisite but as it was too dark for a decent picture, I let my phone remain in my pocket.
The Galleria was nothing like I had seen before.
It’s an old shopping mall dating back to the 1880s and has all those big-name glitzy Italian brands (Gucci — check, Prada — check, Lladró — check; you get the drift) that cost a fortune but seemed right at home here (well, Milan is their home).
That evening we walked chasing random landmarks on our tourist map but didn’t reach anywhere particular. By the time we got back to our hotel we were so tired that we just procured some bread, cheese and fruit from a Carrefour next door and slept early.
We somehow managed to carry our aimlessness into the next morning and found ourselves amidst modern under-construction buildings and noisy traffic.
Then in the middle of a quite, unassuming, residential area, we came across this gateway.
After a refreshing coffee break at a neighbourhood cafeteria we managed to orient ourselves and get to the Sforza Castle — an old 16th century citadel right out of a fantasy novel, complete with a moat and drawbridges.
The citadel had a large attached park where we spent some time walking in the bright afternoon sun. It must be the “in thing” in China these days to get married in picturesque European cities. We came across two couples having an ostentatious photo shoot in their wedding dress with a small group of friends and relatives.
After lunch at a nearby café (where for dessert I ordered Hazelnut ice-cream and the wife ordered an espresso and mixed the dregs into my ice-cream because she was feeling inventive), we walked back to Piazza del Duomo. The buildings around the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele might house mundane offices, banks and a post office but they look every bit as regal as the mall.
Some buildings of the University of Milan happened to be on our way to the hotel from here. Their intricate façade of red bricks and terracotta (and the pressing need to find a loo) drew us in.
The building was equally impressive inside with a cloister and a huge statue at the end of a corridor that spooked us a little (I half expected to see it come to life with fire burning in its eyes, and chide us for having trespassed).
Before going to the hotel we wanted to tick another landmark off and Rotonda della Besana — a squat, round building — does look rather curious and inviting on the tourist map. It turned out to be precisely what was advertised — a circular, columned courtyard with a small park and church at its center. We walked a circle and left for our hotel.
The next day we took a day trip to Turin but that place deserves a post of its own. We returned that night and headed straight to Piazza del Duomo in search of a restaurant and despite not quite finding what we were looking for, I am glad we did head there because unbeknownst to us, it was a full-moon night. And while the façade of the Duomo is artificially lit every night, it is quite a spectacle with the moon thrown into the bargain.
(The phone camera was a letdown but I hope it conveys some sense of what it was to stand there.)
We left Milan next day in the afternoon. Parts of Italy remind me so much of India of my childhood (or perhaps a place I used to imagine in childhood), that it always makes me sad to leave. Not to mention it’s the only place where you get a perfect cup of coffee every single time.
Photoblog: Photo #7
I took this picture on a snowy morning in January. There used to be ugly graffiti on the wall where the portrait of Vincent van Gogh now is. A new organic food chain store has come next door, and I suspect it was commissioned by them.
You might also enjoy this effort by photographer Tado Cern to create a photograph out of van Gogh’s self portrait.
You and I and gro-cer-y
The wife and I met online several years ago. We are from the same city but at that time both of us were working in different parts of India. We must’ve met in person a handful of times when studies took her to another country and so we were back to staying in touch online again. We’ve been together after marriage. Despite knowing each other well (or so we thought), the first few months of the marriage were a rocky ride. Both of us were used to having a lot of personal space from years of having lived alone. And while I think we were quite respectful of that, just the new experience of being someone around all the time, must have been unsettling. As time passed, we’ve grown fonder of each other. Our annoyances have been sandpapered out. I’ve become a bit liker her and she’s become a bit like me.
With each passing year, it is also getting harder and harder to stay away from each other. I sometimes crave solitude, but when I get it, I grow a little listless within 2-3 days. Everything becomes a daunting chore, especially doing groceries and fixing yourself one decent meal. I do get through books a lot faster, but I think her absence is too dear a price to pay.
She is coming back tomorrow after 2 weeks, and I cannot wait to be with her again.
p.s. The Dutch word for a bachelor is vrijgezel, which literally translates to companion free. I heard it the first time as ‘Free Gazelle’ and was quite amused at the connotation of a bachelor being free as a gazelle. The wife would see some truth in it as she insists that bachelors live like animals. I am inclined to agree - no wonder I had to take a day off from work to get the house to resemble the house she had left behind.
p.p.s. Recommended listening
Photoblog: Photo #6
There was something about yesterday’s picture that was not sitting well with me. Since weather-wise, today was virtually identical to yesterday, I decided to give that tree by the intersection of river Amstel and Prinsengracht another shot (pun intentional). A combination of me being there a little earlier and the day being a little longer meant that the light today was better. My familiarity with the surroundings also helped. I think the shots below are an improvement over yesterday:
With a subject like this, I had to try a black and version:
Still not perfect, but I am somewhat pleased.
Photoblog: Photo #5
We got a bright and sunny day in Amsterdam after many days. I was feeling quite restless in the office so I stepped out for a coffee. Along the way I saw these hauntingly beautiful trees by the Amstel river but since I was quite short on time, I couldn’t quite admire them. I returned again at sunset:
I’ll finish two years in Amsterdam shortly and I still find that every day here is full of such wonderful surprises.