Heading to Milan and a concert of all things

A similar issue today: late check-in at the new place means we need to kill some time. So we decided to do what we did in Genoa: find public parking near the center of Milan and walk around for a few hours.

The drive to Milan from Fidenza was about two hours. We didn't have a firm idea of what we wanted to see in Milan, but there was a massive, ornate cathedral that looked pretty cool even to Bella and me, so we used that as our parking goal. We found an underground garage practically right beside the cathedral (Duomo di Milano), and as it turned out, the cathedral is right beside the big famous shopping district that most tourists visit when they go to Milan: Galleria Vittoria Emanuele II.

Construction on the cathedral started in 1386 and it took six centuries to complete! That alone is mind-boggling. They charge tourists to go inside, so we just admired it from the outside, which is overwhelmingly impressive.

Right next to the Duomo is perhaps one of the oldest and most famous shopping malls in the world. Officially named after the first king of Italy, it is commonly just called the Milan Galleria. Even if you don't plan to shop at the high-end stores there (Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, etc.) just admiring the iconic glass and iron roof and the incredible mosaic tiled floors is worth a walkthrough. Fun fact: in the 90's there was actually a McDonald's in the Galleria. When their 20-year lease was up for renewal in 2021, the Galleria did not renew it (probably because they realized having a McDonald's between Prada and Louis Vuitton kinda cheapened the experience a bit). McDonald's sued but withdrew its suit when it was allowed to build a restaurant near the Galleria. Now there's a second Prada store where the McDonald's used to be.

We spotted some tourists putting their heel on a mosaic and turning around three times, and we remembered seeing that on a Rick Steves episode, but we couldn't remember what the significance was. Bella did it anyway. It turns out that that mosaic is the bull of Turin, which is depicted with large testicles. People spin on it for good luck to improve fertility. Tourists have wanted fertility so much, in fact, that the poor bull's testicles are now gone and there's just a smooth divot in the floor where everyone spins on their heel. Someday when Bella has children, I'll think back to that bull of Turin, and the brave sacrifice he made for the continuation of my family tree.

We found a place to eat (outside the Galleria) and had a light lunch of gnocche and pizza.

We still had some time to kill, so we walked to the Milan botanical gardens to give Cristina an hour to collect plants (in her app). Turned out all we could handle was about 40 minutes. It was just too hot. So we headed back towards the parking garage, stopping for gelato.

A pinch over three hours in Milan and we were back in the car heading to our next Airbnb, north in the tiny village of Arlate. The nephew of our hosts (who live in Canada) would be our liaison. He asked for our passports via Whats App, which is required here in Italy, and he asked when we would arrive. We told him in 15 minutes. He said the keys would be in the mailbox. But when we found the place, there were no keys. We messaged him. No reply. He wasn't seeing our messages yet. So I messaged the hosts and they apologized and said they would try to ping him as well, but they use the same way as us, through Whats App. So we waited. After about 30 minutes of standing outside the gates of the condos, one of the neighbors came out and said they had our keys. So it was a bit of an awkward check-in, but we got in and got settled.

The big surprise, though, was that we got a message from the host while we were waiting to get in saying that the apartment got broken into last night. The thieves drilled a hole in the window frame and managed to get in. He was going to have the window repaired but it probably wouldn't happen before we left. So that was different.

The apartment was nice, but hot and stuffy, and no air conditioning. There was only one fan. We messaged the host about that, and in the meantime we found a small tabletop fan on the top of a bookshelf. That was also the one he eventually suggested. Because of the break-in, our host suggested we keep the windows and shutters closed at night. Oh boy. Hot and closed-up. A recipe for a great night's sleep!

Before we left Florida, Bella had noticed that an music artist she knew of, Alec Benjamin, was performing in Milan on the same day we were arriving, so she bought tickets for me and her to go to his show. I had asked our host for help in getting to the show from the Airbnb, and it was decided that driving would be easiest. To give ourselves enough time for the drive, grabbing a bite to eat, and getting into the venue, we wanted to leave pretty much as soon as we got our bags dropped off. Cristina continued to settle in, and Bella and I headed back into Milan.

The neighbors were outside having a conversation (most likely about the break-ins, which affected more than just our place) so after we left, Cristina met the neighbors and before you knew it, she was being invited to have dinner with Luca and Adele, and their 13-year old daughter Suzie.

With Bella as my navigator, we made it to Fabrique, a nightclub where Alec Benjamin was performing. It's in an industrial zone, so lots of warehouses around it, but we found a good free parking spot and then found a pizza place to have a little dinner. At one point I asked Bella if she thought I would be the only one at the concert over the age of 40 and she said "hmm, maybe." But once we got inside the venue, there were quite a few older people, so it was fine. We scouted out a good place: at the front but on the side, against some rails that could be leaned on and not blocking anyone else's view with my tall self. I'm not sure that I've ever been to a concert that started on time, but the lights went down and they started taking the stage at exactly 9 pm. Impressive.

He played for about an hour and half (until he had no more songs to play). The crowd was enthusiastic, often singing along loudly to the lyrics. I think he's bigger in Europe than he is in the States. But he and his band sounded polished and he had a good rapport with the audience. It was a great show. Fun fact: he's from Phoenix, Arizona.

After the show, we drove home, exhausted. It was hard to believe it was the same day we had walked around Milan. A very full day. Fun Fact: this day is the midway point of our entire European trip!