[Itinerary Page]The daily diary of a wandering restaurateur
May 25 - Heading to Milan
All good things must end ... and so, too, our Italian Odyssey of 2005. It has been nearly three weeks in a lovely country. We have stayed in interesting places, seen interesting sights and met interesting people. We have slowed our pace and regained some important equilibrium. We have eaten far too well, far too often. We have sampled the wines and found them good ... very good.
On the other hand, we have not done near the amount of hiking we thought we would. We did not go around with estate agents looking for property to buy as we planned (but while we were on the trip, we did entertain the idea of what it would be like to move here and that put a very different spin on the experience.) We did not get to see half the places we had on our list to see ... and that is fine. They will be there for the next time.
Some of the more linear among you may argue that there will not always be another trip -- that at some point we will have taken the last one, even if we don't realize it at the time. They are right, of course, but our goal is to enjoy each trip as much as possible ... and that does not always mean doing or seeing more. Sometimes it can mean sleeping until 10am and never leaving the house.
The idea is that every day WE decide -- not some pre-determined itinerary -- what constitutes a good time for that day. This is totally consistent with the idea that your business should work for you, not the other way around. Just making a commitment to take a trip like this every year is part of that mindset.
As we said goodbye to the wonderful Villa Tiboldi and rolled out through the Piemonte hills toward the Milan airport, it seemed like we had just arrived. The trip to Malpensa was not without its minor adventures, though.
On the way to Milan, we missed our exit on the autostrade. Rather than backtracking, we decided to work our way cross lots to the airport. We were making good time through the small towns when the traffic just stopped. After sitting in the hot sun for nearly half an hour, we followed a few folks who had headed down a little levee road between the rice paddies. We figured that they were locals and knew what they were doing. We only managed to get out to the main cross road where we were all stopped by the police. The road was temporarily closed for a major bicycle race.
Another fifteen minutes of waiting and then it started. First a police car or two, then increasing numbers of corporate vehicles covered in advertising, then more motorcycles, team vans and other support vehicles. Finally, in a blur of color, several hundred riders streamed by. For three or four minutes the flow of bikes, bodies and flashing color was literally dizzying. As quickly as they came, they were gone and we continued our journey, alas without any photos of the racers. We were so caught up in the moment that it didn't even occur to us to grab the camera.
An old ad once touted that "getting there is half the fun." It may have been true once, but not any more. BEING in Europe is fun. GETTING TO Europe is a pain, even in business class. Our first flight of the day was from Milan to Stuttgart, Germany where we caught a Delta flight to Atlanta. (With award travel, your route is determined by where you can find seats!) Some miscommunication in procedure between Alitalia and Delta resulted in our checked bags spending an extra day on holiday in Germany. (They finally arrived on Saturday morning, none the worse for wear ... but yodeling!)
Twenty-six hours in transit and we finally made it to Seattle at 11pm Thursday night. Neighbors had dropped our car in an airport lot that morning, and with no checked bags to wait for (!) we were quickly on our way ... only to sit in traffic for an hour to get across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge to home ... at midnight! Who would'da thunk it? We finally made it to the house at 1am ... (almost) too tired to sleep!
In the next few days I may find time to go over the daily diaries of the trip, make some additions and corrections -- perhaps even add a photo or two. (Mercifully, we only put a few shots a day into this report.) Who knows? Maybe next year you can join us for another adventure. Until then, Ciao from Bill and Genie.
© 2005 Restaurant Doctor