Ooh, is that the smell of neglect in the air! If this blog was a woman, she'd have given me the unceremonious dump by now (actually, precisely that happened to me once.. a sad story for another day). But, as they say, time flies when you're having fun, and Fun Part One was a working week in Milan.



At the outset let me say: Women of Milan, you are stunning. You can look down your supercilious noses at me anytime.



Despite a spot of November fog, it was clear that it was a beautiful city. The fabulously intricate Duomo has next to it a great big shooping centre that wuld be better off as a church or a castle. Even the McDs in it looked stylish. Style just oozes out of the cobbles, and no wonder the top fashion labels live here.



I'm a big fan of Mediterranean food, and Italy did not disappoint. Heaped plate of antipasti, followed by creamy risotto, or spaghetti with mussels, or thin-crust (the way it should be!) pizza, all washed down with plenty of vino rosso and capped with tiramisu. My god, how do the Italians stay so trim??

Another thing that struck me was how lax the Eyeties are as a people. The Indian in me loves it. When we disembarked at Malpensa airport, the immigration control booths were unmanned; two officers had to run in and shepherd the passengers back. On the way to the hotel, out taxi stopped a metre away from a three-point-turner, who hauled his pickup around with a cigarette between his lips, a mobile in one hand and no eye contact or acknowledgement whatsoever. Meals are long-drawn out, scooterists weave wildly between cars, arguments are loud and smiles, when conceded, are genuine. La vita e bella, indeed.