With reports of 103 degrees in Seattle (!) I’ve been relieved that it’s “only” been in the upper 80s and lower 90s here in Milano. Both the weather report and the sky this morning spoke of coming rain, so I headed out early for a bike ride along the canal. The coming rain storm has [...]

“Let there be light.” “Lights. Camera. Action.” “Bring all the sun in.” It made no sense to me that I was feeling forever sleepy, always time to take another nap… I’m way over jet lag. I’ve been sleeping well. Getting my exercise. Healthy and eating well. But I just couldn’t seem to wake up! It [...]

There he was, head-to-toe, in orange both light and dark! A camera on the lap is less obvious, unless it has flashing lights on the front. “Red-eye reduction” on an orange-dressed man?

Erin and Pete are in Switzerland now, “lounging” for a couple of days (or at least not pushing quite as hard). They’re storing up energy for a plenty-high mountain pass they anticipate soon. If you want to read THEIR version of their time in and then out of Milano, here’s a little link to their [...]

A big rule in exploration: don’t settle on a “favorite” too soon! (A favorite route. A favorite menu item. A favorite way of doing things. A favorite cheese!) Favorites provide the comfort of familiarity, but run the risk of becoming routine and squelching the exploration of new things. I have “favorite streets” that I do [...]

Sitting at a restaurant in the Naviglio District (along the canal) I glanced out and saw “Number Seven” (man wearing orange pants). Grabbed my camera and set it on the window sill to get a couple of shots. The first one was a blur. Darn. But the couple and their little girl came back and [...]

I had wondered what responses I would encounter after Obama’s recent election. What references would I find? All over Italy, EVERY store in a given city launches a sale on the same day, cutting prices by 30-70%. I saw this sign, and immediately knew the reference… And with the recent G8 Summit, I was seeing [...]

The other day, when I wandered in search of bread, I walked all the way home and came south along Porta Ticinese, which I hadn’t seen before. I was surprised to find the columns and arch right there in the middle of the neighborhood, adjacent to San Lorenzo Maggiore Basilica. Sometimes I’ll just turn a [...]

This was simply playful, and I couldn’t resist. I had been walking along Porta Ticinese, just north of home.

“Maureen, we’re still in Milan. Can we come crash on your floor tonight?” “Better yet, my couch folds out into a queen bed.” Erin and Pete, whom I had met in the morning along the canal bike trail, got sidetracked at the duomo and castello for the day. They hadn’t made it out of the [...]

Out for a good ride this morning, down along the canal 17 kilometers (10 miles) south of Milano. Mid-80s and the temperature was fabulous. I needed to get my heart rate up and my blood moving. I stopped for a short break at a decorative bridge. Aside from a couple of fishermen at the canal [...]

Ahhh! Number 6! Mr. Orange Pants caught my attention and I grabbed my camera. Got one full body shot of him in his blue, pinstripe shirt and off-white linen jacket before he stepped into his PINK Smart car. Cool!

BREAD: I went 3 metro subway stops north and took off walking east trying to find a bakery that Viola Restaurant had told me about. I don’t think I found it, but I did find a small loaf of dark, multi-grain bread and some green-olive-bread-sticks. HEALTH FOOD STORE:  Continuing my quest for bread, I asked [...]

OK. I want all the men I know in the U.S. to go out and buy orange pants! I’ve seen 5 men in 5 days wearing orange pants. They’ve ranged from fluorescent bright to muted salmon. One guy was even toting an orange messenger bag to match. I haven’t been quick-on-the-draw with my camera, and [...]

This is my current favorite meal, either at home or at Viola Ristorante. A very simple but fabulous salad, perfect for hot days: a bed of fresh arugula, slices of bresaola, shaved pecorino in this case (or parmigiano), fresh tomato, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh ground salt and pepper… and this time I modified the [...]

One of the Sunday street markets of antiques and collectables lines the narrow, crooked, cobbled Via Fiori Chiari. I had found the listing online and it seemed like a nice way to spend a Sunday morning. Almost as soon as I came up out of the subway, I was faced with the Piccolo Theater and [...]

Forgive me, but… with pasta, white bread, pizza, focaccia, etc. it’s all WHITE FLOUR! I’m searching the city for a bakery nearby that sells a dense, moist, multi-grain bread. This is the closest I’ve found in a store, but it’s still too light and fluffy. (The really light breads dry up in a day and [...]

With cheese like this, who needs butter? This chevre is lovely.

Absolutely wild thunder, lightning and a drenching rain in the middle of the night last night, following several days of 100-degree, thigh-sticking, humid weather. When I looked out this morning, the pavement was dry(!), and the leaves were moving in a breeze. Good day for a bike ride! After my morning ablutions and a good [...]

Little did I know that these chocolate-dusted (and, therefore, cough-inducing) pastries were FILLED with, what else?! Chocolate and Vanilla Creme. This is not an uncommon breakfast for an Italian-on-the-go. (How about stay-at-home Italians? What are they eating for breakfast?) Pastries fresh from Spezia Pasticceria are accompanied by a little shot of espresso and, poof, you’re [...]

Sweet or Savory? Based on appearances, these little cracker/cookies could have gone either way. Unfortunately, I was in the mood for a little, sweet cookie, so my stomach overruled my mind.  Wandering around the grocery store, of course all the labels and packages are in Italian. How do I know what I’m looking at and [...]

Who would take a perfectly lovely life and tossed it up in the air, only to move halfway around the world to a completely unknown life?! To have done this, and to make it work, requires inner resources that at times feel stretched pretty thin. But I also acknowledge that, through one blessing and another, [...]

My mosquito bites are driving me pazza! No, that doesn’t mean I feel like I’m covered with tomato sauce and cheese, but maybe that’s exactly the home remedy I need at 4 in the morning! Quick! Someone blog me your tried-and-true remedy.  I have a friend that swears by vinegar, so I’ve been lying in [...]

The mural right across the grassy patch from the “Ozmo Mural“.

Posters of the G8 participants have been in all of the subway stations, during the time leading up to the G8 Summit that was held in L’Aquila this last week. These were on rotating displays, that changed every few seconds. At one moment, I caught a glimpse of Obama displayed next to Berlusconi, and it [...]

Here’s an imperative for all of us, created in tilework in the Metro subway here in Milano. (Darn, I didn’t note which subway stop… It might be Monte Napoleone.)

Another early evening ride along the canal on a smooth bike. A beautiful temperature and gorgeous light.

There’s just something about this huge Maybelline ad sky-high against the duomo that doesn’t quite fit.

I just liked this!  (Is that a highly stylized “ciao”? Or a tag? It could be both.)   And here are other portions of the same sign:

Sabato 4 luglio • Saturday, July 4  Journal Entry Wandering Via Monte Napoleone… How will I survive here without my sewing machine? I might BURST! Jil Sander and Kenzo have such details. Insets. Glorious fine fabrics. Combinations. Sander is pared. Kenzo is playful. And they both do it damn well. I tour Milano with my [...]