This morning I woke up and went to Italian class by metro as usual. When I got off the metro at Cadorna I got the newspaper to stare at for 5 minutes stumbling over words tripping on each line yet it was when I fell that is when I started picking things up.
After school I picked lunch up at Luini's, an inexpensive but great tasting panino place near the Duomo. This place sends your taste buds into a frenzy of delight. Then after Luini's Emily and I explored Brera, the art district of Milan. We went into the Brera school of art which had a inner court yard with mamoth statues pointing sometimes with out arms as you pass them in the corridors. Brera has a botanical garden behind the buildings which is a piece of art in itself. Something I have noticed is that you do not just see italy you feel it. The cobblestones beneath your feet the decaying buildings paint chipping off and ivy replacing it, it is texture on texture accompanied by more texture. At times you cease to see and start to feel the colors around you.
We continued to walk and saw a huge shoe that was a bath tub decorated heel to toe in mosaic tiles. I couldn't resist going inside and I am glad I didn't cause it was pure beauty. The company is Sicis. I opened the doors and stepped into walls, floors, art, baths, even people that were covered in mosaics. I had never seen anything like it. Large walls covered in specifically placed designs.
We walked around some more and found a small park called Giardini Perego near borgonuovo and via Giardini, off the yellow line stop Montenanapoleane. It used to be a monastery garden thus explaining the beautiful moss covered statue towering over a playground accompanied with a backdrop of graffiti. Emily and I swung on the swings enjoying the calm of the place together with the sunshine which was greatly appreciated after so many mundane gray days. A small blue eyed toddler waddled in his blue coat over to the statue.
Coming back around to the duomo I hopped back on the metro to go home. Ate lunch and then got ready to go sign up for classes. Then Katie and I met kim to go shopping west of the duomo in search for a pair of black boots. Every shop has SALDI which means sale slapped all over it. The ironic thing is that I can't even afford the things on sale. Apparently two times a year, including january and february, all of milan goes on sale with the past seasons lines.
Katie and I headed home and then stopped at Wagner the stop before ours. I walked around the piazza there and saw a man with parrot in a cage strapped to his shoulder. I laughed at the spectacle and continued on. I eventually made my way back to the Cremeria Bounarroti the place I found yesterday. I really like this place cause it has pastries, coffee, gelato and good music. They played U2 yesterday and then Frank Sinatra serenaded me today to a tune of "I've got you under my skin."
To my amazement, and amusement, the man with the parrot came into the cremeria. Sqauwking as he made his entrance, the white bird commanded attention as it passed the old ladies engulfed in their fur coats. He definitely attracted the attention of the three male servers, who held a conversation in italian, albeit a basic converstion, but enough to make me jealous of a parrot for its superior intellegence.
As I sipped my macchiato I watched the man feed his parrot the apertivo food through the cage then wander to the front of the store then back again. When I wasn't laughing at the sheer ridiculousness I was sketching the desserts they have there. There are so many and they are all so interesting in their own way.
I don't know why but it upset me a little when vincenzo tried to talk to me the small waiter just told him "Lei e inglese," which means She is English. I guess it was a nice gesture but at the same time he didn't even give me a chance to speak or try to converse in italian. He just said you can't talk to her cause she doesn't understand. I do feel so stupid here like a five year old. I know what to say sometimes but when I go to say things I butcher them. I think that is why when I was leaving the shop and I got to talk with the owner, Victor, it made me so happy. I wore a stupid smile all the way home because of it, maybe the parrot contributed to the happiness as well.
Vincenzo, the man with the bird, gave the picture to a lady server there and she came over to me and told me how beautiful it was in italian. The waiters informed her that I only spoke english but then she told them that I understood and she gave me a chance, and I did. Then all the servers, vincenzo and the parrot gathered around me to see the sketches I had done and they inquired about my writing as well. I read it in english and one waiter who had served me the day before one of the only ones that spoke english translated some. He isn't fluent but he speaks english well.
Walked home, talked with my roommates as they got ready to go out for the night clubbing. I shared my adventures of the day, with the sketches as a reference, to Monica. I am blessed.
