I'm Back


(At this point, I was reunited with my computer after two months of non-stop travelling, and I began writing travelogues from my handwritten notes. The date at the top of each passage reflects the date of the original journal entry.)


SATURDAY, March 10, 1995.

While we were sipping schnapps at Walter's house after dinner on Wednesday night, he mentioned that he doesn't understand the American fascination with watching the OJ Simpson trial on live-TV. I explained that OJ was a football hero, very popular, in movies, on TV, in commercials, and that now that he's on trial for double murder, everyone's interested.

"But nothing really happens, it's boring to watch," Walter rebutted.

"Ah," I said, "but something might happen. Everyone's watching to see if something will happen. It's the drama."

I paused briefly, and then it slipped out. "It's like baseball."

Everyone laughed.

Walter added that he doesn't understand baseball either.


MONDAY, March 12, 1995.

From Zurich, I headed south for a few fun days in Milan. For all I've heard about its emphasis on fashion (how appropriate after seeing Pret-a-Porter just a few days ago in Bern), I didn't find the Milanese particularly well dressed. Though, I did find an abundance of expensive fashion boutiques, as well as hip, more moderately priced clothing shops which might feel at home in the East Village.

I saw the Cathedral with its abundance of pointy spires. Looking at it made me think, "I wouldn't want to fall on that from above." I enjoyed and admired the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuelle II across from the Piazza del Duomo. The impressively high glass ceiling of this covered mall lets in plenty of light and really creates a nice outdoor feeling with the comfort of shelter. Out the other side of the Galleria, I visited the Teatro alla Scala - called by Let's Go "the world's premier opera house." While I'm sure that the performances far out do the production of Peter Grimes I saw in New York, I found the theater (while impressive) a let down from the Big Apple's Metropolitan Opera House.

Photos of Milan

Photos of Milan

On Friday night, after a pizza and an extra tasty glass of beer, I headed out to look for a "folk music" bar that I'd read about. En route I got to explore the night life area near Breva, though I was a tad on the early side. The street vendors were still laying out their wares, and the Tarot card readers were with their first clients or still setting out their stools. In a bar where I stopped for a cappuccino, the bartender spoke to me insistently in obnoxious, forward English about Boston. What some people think they know about the U.S.! When I finally found the bar Iwas looking for (Biblo's), it looked like a dark smelly bar with a pricey cover so I decided to skip it.

Saturday morning, I stumbled across an art fair in Piazza del Duomo. One guy had some colorful paintings that I really liked of various places in Italy - some of which I am proud to say I recognized - Lucca, San Gimignano, and Venice. I spoke with him briefly (in Italian), and told him I thought his work was beautiful. He gave me some info with pictures and even a free postcard!

Of course, I spent time just exploring the city and a few minutes pondering about the burn mark from an iron once left too long on my hotel room's floor. I found Milan clean, modern, and well-organized - especially by Italian standards. For some reason, I couldn't eat enough cheeseburgers at various Burghys all around the city. Yikes! What a strange obsession - at least I was "washing" them down with gelato.



Copyright 1997 by Bradley Edelman
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