Learnings

The Milanese (and perhaps all Italians) wear sunglasses come what may - day, night, sun, shade, they have them on.

The locals try to confuse travellers such as I by speaking English then Italian then English then Italian. Then English. Fact. They do this deliberately I'm quite sure.

If you go to a bar between around 5:30 and 8 and order a drink (which is customary), it unlocks the doors to free food.

The Milanese wear coats and scarves and sometimes gloves when it is 17+ degrees C and sunny. Maybe they paid so much for their designer clobber that they can't bring themselves to remove them. Or maybe they are just very cold people.

I didn't bother getting my permesso di soggiorno yesterday and the police didn't kick me out or shoot me. I think taking the laidback attitude and not bothering is the way forward.

The unfriendly person who was neither Italian or English turns out in actual fact to be Italian. I was sure he said he didn't speak Italian or English and then I heard him speak perfect Italian later in the day to someone else. I'm still shunning him.

The Milan Beer Festival starts today. Here in Milan, a festival of beer! A festival, featuring beer, in Milan, in a meatsuit? Surely not...

Seeing as I'm here in Milan and like beer I might have to go along. Although I don't have a meatsuit, but my inside sources tell me it's a red herring. And what's more, it's not just today but the whole weekend.

That's enough learning for the moment. But I do need to learn some Italian football words, pronto, in order to improve the football watching, beer drinking experience. (I admit the football and beer parts are the main bit but I'm aiming for the top.)

From now on I'll be wearing sunglasses and going to bars in the early evening much more. I think this fitting into the culture thing is going to work out just fine.