Fun Changes in Milan

I was in Milan less than a year ago and a couple of little things have changed since I've been away. Wanted to share them with you so here we go!

1) Il Duomo
This is really THE main thing to see in Milan. The reason is that Milan was heavily bombed during WWII, so there really isn't much old stuff still standing. Thankfully, Il Duomo still stands! When I was in Milan last year, this is what it looked like:



As you can see, it is mostly blocked by that big board. They are cleaning it up! Now it looks like:






They are making progress! If you look closely, the board shows you the progress they have done in the past few years. They are almost done!




2) The Bull

To the left of Il Duomo is another section of Milan that wasn't blown up. There are murals on the ground and the most popular is one of a bull. Don't ask me why but someone from who-knows-how-long-ago said that if you put your heel on the testicles of the bull and rotate, it will bring you good luck! Of course, I couldn't miss the chance!



Good luck! Good luck! I take it all! ;-)








And what does the bull look like last year?



See? So many people have done it that it has a hole in it! And now?








Now the hole is MUCH deeper! (OUCH! Poor bull. ;-) )


My sister said that every year they fill in the hole and every year, a new hole is created. Funny huh? In Italy!





Anywayz, those are some of the few changes in Milan that were really obvious and I wanted to share! :-)

Useless Fact #2!

DID YOU KNOW...

The uniforms the Italian police wear were designed by Armani??

I couldn't believe it! But if you look it up, it is true!

And here I thought the officers looked good because they were Italian. Guess it's their uniform! ;-)

Another! Uuuuse-less fact!



(Here's an example of the uniform. The white belt is definitely a nice touch. Good job, Armani! :-) )

Photo Album #1: MILAN!

Some have been wondering exactly what I have been up to. I think photos are the best way to show where I've been, what I've seen and have done. After all, for me, my photos are my memories!

Below you will find a link to my photo album. Right now I have only been able to upload the first part of my trip, which is Milan! More to come. Enjoy! :-)

http://picasaweb.google.com/melissacappiello/WhileInMilan

Everyone Meets a Psycho

I think every person in every trip has a run in with a psycho. Usually it is never intended. It just sort of happens. Sometimes you come out shaken, but in the end, you always laugh. Here's my story:

I was visiting a museum in Rome, walking around and looking at ancient sarcophagus, when my cell phone rang. It was my cousin who wanted to talk about tonight's plan. I scurried to a secluded corner and started talking to her when suddenly I hear a voice behind me. "Excuse me!" I turned around and in front of me stood this lady. I don't remember much of the lady other than an impression: short kidna purplish hair, a long dark purplish dress, and really thick dark green eyeliner over small eyes. She starts telling me,"Excuse me! You cannot use cell phones in a museum!"

Oh geez! I didn't know that!

"You need to go outside immediately and finish your conversation OUTSIDE!"

OK. No problem. I nooded my head and I started walking towards the door while trying to let my cousin know that I needed to hang up. After all, I didn't want to leave the museum just yet.

I also briefly thought how it was strange that a museum person didn't tell me this rule, especially when they are found everywhere. But that was OK. I obviously broke a major rule of museum etiquette since this lady was pretty upset.

Then the lady said, "I am going with you! I am going to MAKE SURE you go OUTSIDE!" Then she starts to follow me, continuingly repeating how I needed to go outside and how she's going with me. And she is getting louder and louder. So imagine me on my cell phone, trying to walk out of a room, with this lady following me and yelling into my ear how I need to go outside, while I am trying to tell my cousin that I have to go, but I can't hear her because this lady is yelling in my ear! I started getting a little frustrated but, in between the lady's snapping, I was able to let my cousin know I would call her back after I finish the museum.

I press the end button, show the lady my cell phone is off, and start walking away. I've hung up the phone, I've stopped talking, so the problem is solved, right? Wrong!

Then she hissed, "Who do you think you are?"

... Who do I think I am?

"Who do you think you ARE!" Then she starts yelling! In a museum! "YOU ARE IN A MUSEUM! YOU CANNOT TALK IN A CELL PHONE WHILE IN A MUSEUM! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!!!!"

Now mind you, I have absolutly not said ONE WORD during this whole "conversation". The only time I've spoken was to let my cousin know I had to go. I couldn't believe it! I just stared at her. I had hung up the phone. What else do you want, lady? And more, even the people who where with her were telling her to calm down. When she didn't, they walked away from her, embarrassed!

And she didn't stop yelling at me. She kept going and going. And honestly guys, I almost lost it. I almost let my temper rise, let her have it and told her who I am. Almost. But I didn't. Because the truth is, I looked at her and I felt sorry for her. It was obvious that she had blown this WAY out of proportion, which meant something really bad was happening in her life. She needed a scape goat and picked the girl talking on a cell phone in a museum. Though this doesn't excuse her behavior what-so-ever, I didn't have the heart to yell back at her. My sadness deflated my anger. Whatever was bothering her had to be pretty bad to make such a ruckus in a museum.

So I walked away again. And this time she didn't follow.

She did turn to a friend and in another langauge, said something. Must have been a Latin-based language because I understood what she said: "Who does she think she is?? %&£&#%$!!!"

Ah well. I didn't see her after that. And I enjoyed the rest of the museum.

By the way, do you want to know what the "cream on top" of this story is? The moment I walked away an uniformed man approached me. He worked for the museum. He said, "I am very sorry."

I looked at him and said, "No. I am very sorry. I didn't know about that rule."

"No. In museums, you are allowed to talk on cell phones."

...

HA! So all of this was over nothing.

Psycho lady. ;-)

A Joke

Here's a joke that goes something like this:

In heaven, the policemen are British, the mechanics are German, the lovers are French, the cooks are Italian, and everything is organized by the Swiss.

In hell, the policemen are German, the cooks are British, the mechanics are French, the lovers are Swiss and everything is organized by the Italians.

The more I travel, the more this is true!

Wanted to share! :-)

Useless Fact #1

In high school, there used to be a show called The Animeniacs. I rarely watched this show though there is one episode I still remember today.

I remember the episode clearly. One little cartoon guy goes up to another and says "Did you know! That a termite can live up to 40 years?" The other cartoon guy looks amazed by this fact and nods approvingly by this new information. And I too was amazed by this fact! How could a termite live for that long? Then the cartoon showed a quick flash of a little old lady termite, with glasses and wrinkles, talking to its little grand-termites. Then it flashed back to the two cartoon guys, who turned to look at the audience and said, "ANOTHER... uuuuuse-less fact."

And I started laughing. It was so funny! Mostly because it is true! Knowing how long termites live IS useless information! It is interesting, but useless. And yes, practically 10 years later, I still remember that fact and that episode.

So, what is the point of this story? Well, I've decided to have a "Useless Fact" section in my blog! It is for those random pieces of information that I encounter in my trip that are useless, but VERY interesting! :-)

Here we go!

DID YOU KNOW...

That in England, the number 1 most popular food to eat is an Indian dish? I can't remember the name exactly, but it is made of curry and chicken (coronation chicken? ).

A Brittish cook I met told me that England really didn't have a specific cousine. However, when a lot of Indians immigrated to England, the English adopted their way of cooking, especially curry. So this curry chicken dish has replaced Fish and Chips all over the country! It is the #1 food the Brittish cook at home! Isn't that interesting?

Another! Useless fact. ;-)

Mama's Boys?

I'm not sure if too many people know this but in Italy, children live with their parents until they get married. This means that, in average, they are not moving out of their homes till 30 something. My sister's Italian boyfriend and brother are perfect examples. They still live at home and both are over 30 (one over 35). This is definitely unheard of in good ol' USA. "Young adults" are pretty much asked to leave home around age 18. Or after college. Or maybe stay a couple of years after college so you can save a little $$ and move out. But there really isn't that attitude of "Stay home till you get married." It is more "Get a job, prove that you can live on your own, and THEN get married."

Now what I found REALLY interesting is that in Italy, MEN stay at home until they get married, while the women move out by themselves much earlier. Why? I know in Colombia, women should definitely stay home. Who will take care and protect them? With the underlying "we need to make sure she's 'pure' for the wedding." In USA, women are allowed to live at home longer than men, but not too long. Men definitely can't (and definitely not till 35!!!!) because people not only start to think "What's wrong with you?!", but how they are not independent and, worse, a "Mama's boy."

So I decided to find out. Why are Italian men staying at home and girls don't? I asked around and here's what people say:

Some say: Men don't move out because they want to be babied their whole lives. When they get married, they expect their wives to replace their mothers who cook, clean and do everything for them.

Other's says: In Italy, men have a very strong and even unhealthy attachment to their mother so they don't want to leave. They stay at home until they find someone who can take care of them like their mother. And even then, they'd rather be with their mother.

A German friend who's lived in Milan for many years. Here's what she says:

When you live with your parents, you get all the perks: free rent, free food, free TV, free laundry service, everything! And while you work, you get to save (or spend) as much as you want, in traveling, food, anything! However, for men, they get a perk. They get their independence. Italian men are allowed to go out and party, come home late as they want, do whatever they want without their parents saying anything. Women, on the other hand, do not. Their parents will always ask where they are going, what they are doing, put rules and limitations. So women have to pick between two things: comfort or independence. And usually they pick independence. So, men live at home. And women move out earlier.

My aunt from Colombia who has lived in Italy for 25+ years says:

In Italy, buying a place is outrageously super expensive and jobs don't pay well at all till you are in your 30's. It is not so much as they are "Mama's boys" but that there is no reason to move out when they have their independence and live well. Why move out to a little efficiency with no living room and pay so much money to barely survive, when you can live well at home until you can afford your own place? There is also no pressure from the parents to move out - they like having their kids at home. She also says that women and men face the same thing. She doesn't see more women moving out than men. This is something all Italian youths face.

And as for the Italian boyfriend who is a perfect example? He just shrugs and says "Bo" (aka: who knows). I told him everyone's opinion and he agrees with all of them, so....

Who is right? Who knows! Maybe everyone is right at some degree. You decide! :-)

Ps. Couldn't help myself. I had to ask. The thing is that in USA, women consider it a problem if a man lives at home because, well... where do you go and "do it"? To a hotel? Every time? Too expensive. Under their mother's roof? I don't think so! So I had to ask the Italian boyfriend. And he said "...I'd take them to the lake house."

OK. What if you don't have a lake house? Or anything else like that. Then what?

"Umm.... when your parents aren't home."

You mean you have to sneak it around? Do it more at your parent's convenience than yours?

"Yes."

In other words, it is like high school but for 20 more years. Wow.

PPS. I told this conversation to my Mom and she said "So they do it the old fashion way. When we had to stay at home."

The old fashion way.

hahahhahahahaa!!!! :-)