Getting to Know You

The best way to get to know a city is to walk it as much as possible. This is my theory, and it works very well except for in places like India, in which many cities have no sidewalks and many people surrounding and following you for various reasons. Today I put theory into practice and walked around Milan for 7.5 hours or so, with short stops for food, bathroom, and in historic buildings. My feet hurt. This is about the 5th day in a row that I spent over 5 hours walking, which is good, but also getting a mite painful.

The plan was to hit as many churches as possible. In part, this is due to Husband's loathing of church visits. It is also because museums are all closed on Monday, leaving me with the option of seeing lots of interesting midevil and Renaissance churches or shopping at luxury fashion houses. My day thus included viewing many people (and bones of people) who have been dead for hundreds of years, plus some very cool mosaics, and some not great works of art. My limited knowledge of art does not include a cultivated appreciation for works from Northern Italy.

Also, I stopped into a hospital built in the 1400s and 1600s, which is now a university. I think that was my favorite site. A small collection of medical instruments was even on display. Except my favorite site might have been a medival plaza with a well from the 1500s and some fascinatingly well-preserved buildings from the 1400s.

I am transfixed by visiting places that are from Ye Olden Dayes. It's hard to stand in a place like that and not feel the years and years of human use. Going back in time for a day - as a fly on the wall who happens to understand whatever fahcocked language was in use at the time - would be so interesting. Dark and pungent times, indeed.

Happily, Husband will have the afternoon off tomorrow, so I will get to spend more time touring with him. We plan to go to the roof of Il Dumo, to the science and technology history museum, and to a Renaissance-era palazzo. While he has his morning meeting, I hope to cram in a visit to another museum. (It has Lucrezia Borgia's hair!) Tonight, we are having dinner at an anti-pasta buffet of some sort, then I am going to pass out.