Xmas has been and gone. I was invited to Paola's family for Xmas lunch - which was very nice. Very similar to our celebrations of holidays - a lot of excitement, food (stuffed chicken, a spinach pie, a gnocchi soup, and of course, a big panettone (traditional Xmas cake, yeast cake with dried fruit in it) and many more things), and in general a good atmosphere. The prayers at the beginning are obviously different, and we don't really have a holiday where gifts are exchanged so diligently (it must be difficult to find nice and new gifts to give every year). Everyone gives gifts to everyone else. I got some nice infusions to drink (orange and frutti di bosco - fruit of the woods) and a small Xmas cake.
The stores were packed before the holiday - and everywhere gifts were packed very nicely in gold, silver, red and green. The city is decorated - a big Xmas tree (poor tree) is standing in the Duomo square all lit up. lights are hanging everywhere. In the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele the dome is covered with little blue lights (I suppose some pictures would be good here but I haven't taken any... - I found these pictures on flickr taken by a guy named Giorgio http://www.flickr.com/photos/girogio/2098108545/). On the 25th and 26th everything was closed - although flowers could be bought - the streets practically empty. A unique experience in this noisy city.
On Thu. and Friday I went to work. Hardly any phone calls or mail. A good time to throw away stuff I found in my office from 10 years ago. One guy called up to ask what he needs to do if he wants to move to Israel and work there. hmmm.... I explained things to him in Italian - me being the only one there to talk to him. Yes, I can understand and even say things in Italian so people understand. However, it's a struggle. Constantly being in a situation where I'm not sure I've understood what was said, or being sure I chose the right words for my question or answer. In Italian, like in Hungarian, there is a courtesy form - third person, and one has to remember to use it and not the simple - you, like you would in English or Hebrew. My situation here is better than in Hungary - it took me about two years to get to the same level of understanding of Hungarian. Also, here, usually people understand some English so you can say - Vorrei (= I would like) un subscription or parking tickets or whatever and they know what you're talking about. They then go on to answer in Italian but at least if I'm not sure about the initial term I can say it in English. Then you've got to figure out how to use whatever it is you bought. I just bought the Milanese version of an "easy park" machine, but I've got to use a dictionary to figure out how to make it work. I discovered the telephone I bought for home doesn't have an answering machine (Although initially I thought it did - I think I confused it with the telephone numbers' memory...). I keep being worried I won't understand things and probably some of the time I don't so I've got to really push myself to ask for things. Today was the first time I bought things from the dairy inside the supermarket - up until now I only bought things already wrapped. I still remember not finding the ground meat in Hungary - they make it on the spot when you ask for it, you can't just point and say - I want this. So for months I went around with a little piece of paper on which was written how you say - "I would like ground meat" in Hungarian... My next "big" project in this sense will be to buy a GPS for the car. I'm not sure I know the terms regarding this but I hope to figure it out (by the way, if you use a GPS and have recommendations - on a brand or on some feature - do let me know). Another thing that happens to me with languages I don't know too well - I need to really concentrate to understand, so a lot of the time I hear conversations but don't understand, I'm also a lot more aware of the tone of things rather than the content because of this. I remember in Hungary I knew I needed to tune in whenever the words for trade or economics were used, the rest of the time - it was quality time with myself. Italian is closer to English so I'm more aware of what's being said - at least I know what the topic is, and also my Italian is probably better than my Hungarian was (I'm forgetting a lot of it now...) - so I understand more. I hope, with time, my understanding will be better. I probably need to insist at work that I'm talked to in Italian and also answer in Italian but I keep "escaping" and using English. I suppose because I don't want to make mistakes - and there are a lot of mistakes to be made - the Italian grammer is pretty difficult... many tenses and forms some of which I barely understand when you're supposed to use them and how.
and finally, I've got a cold. Nothing major but definitely a cold. I hope it doesn't get much worse on the plane. I'm trying to take it easy so that I feel better before the flight. It's not pleasant to fly with a cold. Sometimes it gets much worse because of the pressure or the temp. or something. I hope not to spend the entire time at home being sick. Looking forward to seeing you. and finally - Happy New Year to everyone.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
A new car, an alarm and painting the balcony
I am happy to announce that I am the proud owner of a new car! Today I went to take it from the dealership. It's a black Toyota Yaris. Maybe it's good it's a small car - the parking place for it is so tiny I could barely get it in without rubbing the sides of the car (for those who visited me in Hungary and were impressed by the smallness of the parking space? this one is smaller...). But, it's a parking place, in Milan not something to be sneezed at. If you remember one of the reasons I moved a bit farther out was so that I'd have this precious parking place. and I managed to fill the car up with some diesel - only 10 euros because I couldn't figure out how to pay with my credit card in this self service gasoline station, another woman who was there filling up her car seemed to think it isn't possible to pay with a credit card in that station. So I'm counting on these few liters to last a bit (maybe like the in the Hanuka miracle for 8 days...) until I figure out how to fill up the car - or find a serviced gasoline station. I know this is not fascinating stuff to read but I'm writing it anyhow so you get a feeling a bit of how my life is here. Small things like filling up cars become major issues (or at least, time consuming and a bit nerve racking). I also got to work with the car, parked it (we've got special places for diplomatic cars over there) and got home in one piece. I wasn't sure where my parking place is so I stopped at every corner in the underground garage and tried my remote until I found the right place.
Speaking of remote controls - I've now got three remote controls - one for the car, one for the garage and one for the alarm system in my house (yes, as of yesterday I'm well protected in my home). Also, I've got a million keys - 3 for the office, 5 which I use regularly to get in and out of my apartment and building, and an additional 5 or six keys that open various other doors in the building - the storage room, the electricity room, the bikes' room, etc. I feel like those guys in the old churches and their graveyards going around with a lot of keys rattling on their belt....
What else? I've just come back from a conference in Amsterdam. I haven't been there for about 11 years. It's a great city a lot of fun. How does one describe fun? I'm not sure. To begin with everyone there speaks English, which is a relief, the city is very pretty (although it was very cold - the wind adds a chill factor to the already low temp. of around zero...), there are a lot of nice stores to buy things in, and in general a pleasant atmosphere. We stayed at the Victoria Park Hotel across from the central train station which was very nice. We ate A LOT, but the food was good, especially the Dutch version of french fries, which you can eat with various dips - most Dutch people eat them with Mayonnaise. Also the stroopel cookies are nice - they've got this caramel filling inside which is divine. and the cheeses - like any serious European country the Dutch have some excellent cheeses - the Old Amsterdam was very nice. We played a "City Game" on Sun. - it's like a treasure hunt, you go around Amsterdam and answer some questions on various subjects and also send back proof you've been to the various points you were sent to. In the summer I suppose this game is a lot of fun because the city IS very nice but when it's so cold it's hard to be out for 3 hours like this - all you're thinking of is a nice hot cup of coffee... (I remember my first winter in Budapest I was walking around the city in the dead of winter with a friend, it takes a while to realize that when the temp. is this cold you stay inside and only venture out when it's absolutely necessary, another thought that struck me was that it's probably better I ended up in Italy and not in Canada from this point of view, I expect I would have been very miserable there because of the darkness and cold).
Two things bothered me in Amsterdam - the first is the fact that smoking is still allowed there in public places, when you get used to smoke-free environments it's not a nice experience to get back to the hotel stinking of cigarette smoke. and the second thing is seeing the ladies in the red light district. It's like a butcher's shop - meat on sale. At least, the Dutch say, they're not standing on the streets and are supposed to be "clean", they get examined regularly and are enjoying relatively good working conditions. But it's depressing to see young girls on display like this. One of the people in our group pointed out that it's weird to see the working girls and a few meters away from them - a church.
Tomorrow we're having a small Xmas celebration at work. I've just baked a cake in honor of the occasion. After attending the Jewish ceremonies (I went to a candle lighting ceremony at a synagogue here (Beth Shlomo) followed by a dinner with nice Kosher food (it appears they have an Israeli chef who makes very nice food) the night before I left to Holland) I will now attend a Christian event. It's a bit strange, today I got a small gift from the wife of the Gabay of the synagogue in honor of the festivities, and it seems the Jewish people also send and receive Xmas cards or at least exchange New Year greetings.
Anyway, things are grinding to a halt in anticipation of the holiday next week. A good time to catch up on my mail at work and to take care of things that otherwise get put aside. My eyes are closing so I'll end here. Happy Xmas to those celebrating Xmas and many greetings and good wishes for the New Year.
P.S. 1 for those wondering about the state of the ceiling in my balcony - I am happy to announce that the work is finished and my balcony is now beautiful! a few flowers in the pots when spring comes will make it a lovely place to sit in (barring mosquitoes...).
P.S. 2 two pictures of me in Amsterdam, taken by Yoni:
This is me just before eating a nice juicy steak....
This is me getting ready to leave the restaurant and face the cold...
Speaking of remote controls - I've now got three remote controls - one for the car, one for the garage and one for the alarm system in my house (yes, as of yesterday I'm well protected in my home). Also, I've got a million keys - 3 for the office, 5 which I use regularly to get in and out of my apartment and building, and an additional 5 or six keys that open various other doors in the building - the storage room, the electricity room, the bikes' room, etc. I feel like those guys in the old churches and their graveyards going around with a lot of keys rattling on their belt....
What else? I've just come back from a conference in Amsterdam. I haven't been there for about 11 years. It's a great city a lot of fun. How does one describe fun? I'm not sure. To begin with everyone there speaks English, which is a relief, the city is very pretty (although it was very cold - the wind adds a chill factor to the already low temp. of around zero...), there are a lot of nice stores to buy things in, and in general a pleasant atmosphere. We stayed at the Victoria Park Hotel across from the central train station which was very nice. We ate A LOT, but the food was good, especially the Dutch version of french fries, which you can eat with various dips - most Dutch people eat them with Mayonnaise. Also the stroopel cookies are nice - they've got this caramel filling inside which is divine. and the cheeses - like any serious European country the Dutch have some excellent cheeses - the Old Amsterdam was very nice. We played a "City Game" on Sun. - it's like a treasure hunt, you go around Amsterdam and answer some questions on various subjects and also send back proof you've been to the various points you were sent to. In the summer I suppose this game is a lot of fun because the city IS very nice but when it's so cold it's hard to be out for 3 hours like this - all you're thinking of is a nice hot cup of coffee... (I remember my first winter in Budapest I was walking around the city in the dead of winter with a friend, it takes a while to realize that when the temp. is this cold you stay inside and only venture out when it's absolutely necessary, another thought that struck me was that it's probably better I ended up in Italy and not in Canada from this point of view, I expect I would have been very miserable there because of the darkness and cold).
Two things bothered me in Amsterdam - the first is the fact that smoking is still allowed there in public places, when you get used to smoke-free environments it's not a nice experience to get back to the hotel stinking of cigarette smoke. and the second thing is seeing the ladies in the red light district. It's like a butcher's shop - meat on sale. At least, the Dutch say, they're not standing on the streets and are supposed to be "clean", they get examined regularly and are enjoying relatively good working conditions. But it's depressing to see young girls on display like this. One of the people in our group pointed out that it's weird to see the working girls and a few meters away from them - a church.
Tomorrow we're having a small Xmas celebration at work. I've just baked a cake in honor of the occasion. After attending the Jewish ceremonies (I went to a candle lighting ceremony at a synagogue here (Beth Shlomo) followed by a dinner with nice Kosher food (it appears they have an Israeli chef who makes very nice food) the night before I left to Holland) I will now attend a Christian event. It's a bit strange, today I got a small gift from the wife of the Gabay of the synagogue in honor of the festivities, and it seems the Jewish people also send and receive Xmas cards or at least exchange New Year greetings.
Anyway, things are grinding to a halt in anticipation of the holiday next week. A good time to catch up on my mail at work and to take care of things that otherwise get put aside. My eyes are closing so I'll end here. Happy Xmas to those celebrating Xmas and many greetings and good wishes for the New Year.
P.S. 1 for those wondering about the state of the ceiling in my balcony - I am happy to announce that the work is finished and my balcony is now beautiful! a few flowers in the pots when spring comes will make it a lovely place to sit in (barring mosquitoes...).
P.S. 2 two pictures of me in Amsterdam, taken by Yoni:
This is me just before eating a nice juicy steak....
This is me getting ready to leave the restaurant and face the cold...
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
strikes (again) and a few other things
I haven't had time to write lately. Maybe enjoying the internet at home too much?
Anyway, last friday we had a strike here again of the public transportation. This time it was for real (the Italians have this thing where you never know what kind of strike it's going to be - i.e. a real strike, where there are no trams, buses, subways, or just a make believe one where you can't figure out for the life of you what strike they're talking about exactly).
Through this last strike I discovered that it takes approx. one hour to walk from the center of the city to my apartment. Not bad but I'm beginning to get tired of all this walking, to say nothing of the time spent doing all of it.... However, it's an ill wind that blows no good - I've lost about 3 kg since i got here. I'm not sure if this was necessary, but all this walking definitely helped my figure.
You might be wondering why I didn't wait for a lull in the strike (the strikers are very accomodating this way - so the workers can get to and from their work place, the strike stops during the rush hours and then resumes again - so the capitalists (and those who don't have cars yet, like me....) will suffer)? I got a call from the custodian of our building (there is a kind of doorman here who is called custodio) that two guys have come to take a table to be fixed. The two guys were supposed to call before they came and let me know that they're coming but they didn't. So I rushed home and was sure they would either leave or be very angry with me for making them wait for an hour. Neither. There they were happy as can be waiting for me. My colleague says he's not surprised - if they went back to their office they would be sent on another job, this way they sit around waiting for me and do nothing....
In the evening I got back to town OK. Attended an event organized by the Milano Province. It took place in a beautiful palazzo - Isimbardi which used to be owned by a very rich Milanese family by that name. I recommend visiting it.
Then I went to have dinner with the Jewish family I know (for those who remember - the rich family I met when I just came here). The subways weren't running. So I took a bus. I asked the driver if he goes to their area and he said yes. Then he started going in the opposite direction. It took me a few minutes to realize this and many min. before I found a bus going in the other direction (because even though the sciopero = strike in Italian was supposed to be over there were no subways). I didn't take a taxi because there were many people trying to catch one and not enough taxis to go around. The bus took forever to get to where i was going. At some point I got off it and took a taxi. Arrived one and a half (!) hours late to the dinner.... Luckily, the lady is a very nice one, she kept me some food and they didn't seem to mind too much that I was so late. I took a taxi back to the apartment on the way home (the subways weren't running again, and frankly, I'd had enough...).
On Sunday morning, there was no strike but on the other hand we had a marathon here. I went to the airport to meet the Israeli minister of health and ended up walking home again because there were no trams to be had. A lot of walking....
In the evening two of my workers came to dinner. I walked to the supermarket to get some water bottles (like I once said, without a car, even getting 6 bottles of water from the supermarket becomes a project).
What about my car? I transferred money for it today and need to figure out which insurance to take (why did it take so long? needed some exemption from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which only got here today). But hopefully, very soon, I'll be driving again. I wonder just how difficult driving and more importantly, parking in Milan is - like my aunt said, quoting her Sicilian neighbor, most Italians hardly use their cars, they only admire them in the garage.... I know for sure that those I know here, either use public transportation, bicycles or scooters. We'll see.
What else? I attended an event organized by Keren Ha'yesod here to mark the 60th anniversary of 29th Nov. 1947. They had an Egyptian Magdi Allam talk there. He's a big fan of Israel and a radical critic of Islam. For this reason has to go around with 6 bodygaurds because his Islamic brothers want to kill him... another interesting speaker was Fiamma Nirenstein. It wasn't easy for me to understand them but what I did get was interesting. The Jewish community in Milan (who filled the hall where this event took place - around 1,000 people participated in this event which was competing with a basketball game of Maccabi Tel Aviv in Milan the same evening) is a very warm, rich and confident community. Big supporters of Israel.
Today I attended the lighting of the first Hanuka candle in a central square in Milan. Ben Izri, our minister of health mentioned before, lit the candles. It appears he used to be a hazan. He did it very nicely. We talked to a Jewish woman during the ceremony - she was crying, she told us that she is an Aushwitz survivor and it was a very emotional moment for her to see the Hanuka candles lit by an Israeli minister in a main square in Milan. Hag Sameach to everyone.
Anyway, last friday we had a strike here again of the public transportation. This time it was for real (the Italians have this thing where you never know what kind of strike it's going to be - i.e. a real strike, where there are no trams, buses, subways, or just a make believe one where you can't figure out for the life of you what strike they're talking about exactly).
Through this last strike I discovered that it takes approx. one hour to walk from the center of the city to my apartment. Not bad but I'm beginning to get tired of all this walking, to say nothing of the time spent doing all of it.... However, it's an ill wind that blows no good - I've lost about 3 kg since i got here. I'm not sure if this was necessary, but all this walking definitely helped my figure.
You might be wondering why I didn't wait for a lull in the strike (the strikers are very accomodating this way - so the workers can get to and from their work place, the strike stops during the rush hours and then resumes again - so the capitalists (and those who don't have cars yet, like me....) will suffer)? I got a call from the custodian of our building (there is a kind of doorman here who is called custodio) that two guys have come to take a table to be fixed. The two guys were supposed to call before they came and let me know that they're coming but they didn't. So I rushed home and was sure they would either leave or be very angry with me for making them wait for an hour. Neither. There they were happy as can be waiting for me. My colleague says he's not surprised - if they went back to their office they would be sent on another job, this way they sit around waiting for me and do nothing....
In the evening I got back to town OK. Attended an event organized by the Milano Province. It took place in a beautiful palazzo - Isimbardi which used to be owned by a very rich Milanese family by that name. I recommend visiting it.
Then I went to have dinner with the Jewish family I know (for those who remember - the rich family I met when I just came here). The subways weren't running. So I took a bus. I asked the driver if he goes to their area and he said yes. Then he started going in the opposite direction. It took me a few minutes to realize this and many min. before I found a bus going in the other direction (because even though the sciopero = strike in Italian was supposed to be over there were no subways). I didn't take a taxi because there were many people trying to catch one and not enough taxis to go around. The bus took forever to get to where i was going. At some point I got off it and took a taxi. Arrived one and a half (!) hours late to the dinner.... Luckily, the lady is a very nice one, she kept me some food and they didn't seem to mind too much that I was so late. I took a taxi back to the apartment on the way home (the subways weren't running again, and frankly, I'd had enough...).
On Sunday morning, there was no strike but on the other hand we had a marathon here. I went to the airport to meet the Israeli minister of health and ended up walking home again because there were no trams to be had. A lot of walking....
In the evening two of my workers came to dinner. I walked to the supermarket to get some water bottles (like I once said, without a car, even getting 6 bottles of water from the supermarket becomes a project).
What about my car? I transferred money for it today and need to figure out which insurance to take (why did it take so long? needed some exemption from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which only got here today). But hopefully, very soon, I'll be driving again. I wonder just how difficult driving and more importantly, parking in Milan is - like my aunt said, quoting her Sicilian neighbor, most Italians hardly use their cars, they only admire them in the garage.... I know for sure that those I know here, either use public transportation, bicycles or scooters. We'll see.
What else? I attended an event organized by Keren Ha'yesod here to mark the 60th anniversary of 29th Nov. 1947. They had an Egyptian Magdi Allam talk there. He's a big fan of Israel and a radical critic of Islam. For this reason has to go around with 6 bodygaurds because his Islamic brothers want to kill him... another interesting speaker was Fiamma Nirenstein. It wasn't easy for me to understand them but what I did get was interesting. The Jewish community in Milan (who filled the hall where this event took place - around 1,000 people participated in this event which was competing with a basketball game of Maccabi Tel Aviv in Milan the same evening) is a very warm, rich and confident community. Big supporters of Israel.
Today I attended the lighting of the first Hanuka candle in a central square in Milan. Ben Izri, our minister of health mentioned before, lit the candles. It appears he used to be a hazan. He did it very nicely. We talked to a Jewish woman during the ceremony - she was crying, she told us that she is an Aushwitz survivor and it was a very emotional moment for her to see the Hanuka candles lit by an Israeli minister in a main square in Milan. Hag Sameach to everyone.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Internet - finally, and painters
OK, guys and dolls, I am now connected to civilization at home - the internet and the telephone have been installed. As usual there's a story to tell. Whenever you think that things can't get any stranger/funnier/more irritating they actually do... So, here briefly are the highlights of the last few days (yup, it took quite a while to install).
After changing the appointment time three times in the same day two very young guys of the Max and Morris type arrived - one with tattoos up both his arm and the other with his pants falling off. They started working and said that since I don't have the usb for wireless at home (which they didn't tell me I would need, I thought they would bring it with them, there was an old apparatus of the company in the apartment for the wireless that couldn't be used) - they announced they would check their laptop to see if the line is working. I said no way and promptly connected my computer close to the fixed connection. Then they said I needed a username and password to access. I said, which username and password, no one sent anything. I asked them to call their office and get it, no they can't. this is secret information and they can't ask for it. We started arguing but nothing helped. There was no way I was getting the precious username or password. So they left. One minute after they left the connection promptly went - both computer and telephone were not working. I called the service got disconnected once tried again - the answer is - the phone will work tomorrow, for the internet I need the username and password. My explanations that it seems that something else is wrong didn't fall on receptive Italian ears (imagine that during the whole time, I'm talking in Italian, added fun...). So with this I went back to the office and to a lovely recital given by an American opera singer (her name escapes me) organized by KKL. Got back late and looked at my silent computer and felt very frustrated.
The next day, came the painters. Ah, what do they have to do with the internet? They don't, they are taking care of my balcony. There was a leak in my balcony and it made the ceiling look not very lovely. I told the owner of the apartment to fix it so he said the fixers will come... The first time they came they spent the whole Sat. fixing the ceiling. When I say whole I mean whole - from 8 till 4 in the afternoon. When they finished the first time, I asked what's left to do, they said - just to paint. How long would you imagine it takes to paint a ceiling of a not very large balcony? two hours if you're not a professional is my guess. So when on the day before I was told they were coming to work I figured two hours max and they're finished. But like in the eternal stand up of the gashashim and their take on painters, life isn't that simple. They get here yesterday, I ask them (just to make sure, you know) how long will it take. They look at me and say, all day, and all of tomorrow. I said to them, you're out of your mind, why so long, they say, it needs to be insulated and then painted. and this takes two days to do?, yup, they said. So, when you're lost, you're lost. Called the owner of the apartment told him they're crazy and settled down to watch the guy spend the whole day working on my ceiling. Funny, this all took place while it was nice and wet because it's been raining here pretty badly. I was told that insulation needs to be done when it's dry... We'll see.
Anyway, in the meantime, since the phone didn't start working miraculously as promised and the internet was still dead I called the cable company again during my stay at home. This time I used the strategy learnt from hard experience in Hungary. My first sentence when the phone was answered on the other side was - is there anyone there who speaks English? This is usually a good strategy since those who speak another language tend to be smarter and more, how shall I say, more aware and helpful. I got this guy on the phone that pretty quickly realized that something wasn't right. He promised to have it fixed in 24 hours and he said he would also send a complaint regarding Max and Morris. I must say i wasn't terribly optimistic but he did sound kind of forceful and that he actually knew what he was doing. He was also very easy with my username and password, seems it's not a state secret after all. This company, although, once you're installed gives you good service is nutorious for it's bad customer relations. In the meantime, Michela was doing her thing at the office - you see, as you can probably guess, we know the CEO of this company as well. After trying the regular way, we went to his assistant.
To go back to my painters - they finished their job "early" and by two thirty had left (not clear when they're coming back for more, we'll see). Since I've got guests (my first, and the weather is absolutely horrible), I rushed to the supermarket to buy some things for them. while there, at three i get a call from the cable company saying that in 20 min. techinicians are coming to check things. I rushed back home not believing my good luck. A nice Albanian guy was waiting for me (how do I know he's Albanian? he had a strange "r" in Italian so I asked him and he said he's from Albania). He was much nicer than Max and Morris. He checked and found that like I said (by the way, in our computer unit in Jerusalem they learnt the hard way that when I say something's not right, it usually isn't, but these guys don't know me yet, hopefully we won't have close contact and they won't have to learn....) there was a faulty cable that wasn't connected properly. Once it was connected - no need for my username and password, it actually started working on its own. Oh, what joy!
Two minutes after they left I got another phone call from the cable company saying that they received a call from Michela and are checking in.... I informed them that they can relax, things have been fixed and we are now in business. We also have a special person to talk to in the company if I've got any problems of any kind.
If this all sounds vaguely familiar this is because what happened here is exactly what happened in the bank when I arrived. Until you use your contacts and get very angry things don't move... Totally unnecessary in my mind, but there you have it.
Got to run. I'll send my numbers, etc. in a mail, you're welcome to call, write, and so on.
After changing the appointment time three times in the same day two very young guys of the Max and Morris type arrived - one with tattoos up both his arm and the other with his pants falling off. They started working and said that since I don't have the usb for wireless at home (which they didn't tell me I would need, I thought they would bring it with them, there was an old apparatus of the company in the apartment for the wireless that couldn't be used) - they announced they would check their laptop to see if the line is working. I said no way and promptly connected my computer close to the fixed connection. Then they said I needed a username and password to access. I said, which username and password, no one sent anything. I asked them to call their office and get it, no they can't. this is secret information and they can't ask for it. We started arguing but nothing helped. There was no way I was getting the precious username or password. So they left. One minute after they left the connection promptly went - both computer and telephone were not working. I called the service got disconnected once tried again - the answer is - the phone will work tomorrow, for the internet I need the username and password. My explanations that it seems that something else is wrong didn't fall on receptive Italian ears (imagine that during the whole time, I'm talking in Italian, added fun...). So with this I went back to the office and to a lovely recital given by an American opera singer (her name escapes me) organized by KKL. Got back late and looked at my silent computer and felt very frustrated.
The next day, came the painters. Ah, what do they have to do with the internet? They don't, they are taking care of my balcony. There was a leak in my balcony and it made the ceiling look not very lovely. I told the owner of the apartment to fix it so he said the fixers will come... The first time they came they spent the whole Sat. fixing the ceiling. When I say whole I mean whole - from 8 till 4 in the afternoon. When they finished the first time, I asked what's left to do, they said - just to paint. How long would you imagine it takes to paint a ceiling of a not very large balcony? two hours if you're not a professional is my guess. So when on the day before I was told they were coming to work I figured two hours max and they're finished. But like in the eternal stand up of the gashashim and their take on painters, life isn't that simple. They get here yesterday, I ask them (just to make sure, you know) how long will it take. They look at me and say, all day, and all of tomorrow. I said to them, you're out of your mind, why so long, they say, it needs to be insulated and then painted. and this takes two days to do?, yup, they said. So, when you're lost, you're lost. Called the owner of the apartment told him they're crazy and settled down to watch the guy spend the whole day working on my ceiling. Funny, this all took place while it was nice and wet because it's been raining here pretty badly. I was told that insulation needs to be done when it's dry... We'll see.
Anyway, in the meantime, since the phone didn't start working miraculously as promised and the internet was still dead I called the cable company again during my stay at home. This time I used the strategy learnt from hard experience in Hungary. My first sentence when the phone was answered on the other side was - is there anyone there who speaks English? This is usually a good strategy since those who speak another language tend to be smarter and more, how shall I say, more aware and helpful. I got this guy on the phone that pretty quickly realized that something wasn't right. He promised to have it fixed in 24 hours and he said he would also send a complaint regarding Max and Morris. I must say i wasn't terribly optimistic but he did sound kind of forceful and that he actually knew what he was doing. He was also very easy with my username and password, seems it's not a state secret after all. This company, although, once you're installed gives you good service is nutorious for it's bad customer relations. In the meantime, Michela was doing her thing at the office - you see, as you can probably guess, we know the CEO of this company as well. After trying the regular way, we went to his assistant.
To go back to my painters - they finished their job "early" and by two thirty had left (not clear when they're coming back for more, we'll see). Since I've got guests (my first, and the weather is absolutely horrible), I rushed to the supermarket to buy some things for them. while there, at three i get a call from the cable company saying that in 20 min. techinicians are coming to check things. I rushed back home not believing my good luck. A nice Albanian guy was waiting for me (how do I know he's Albanian? he had a strange "r" in Italian so I asked him and he said he's from Albania). He was much nicer than Max and Morris. He checked and found that like I said (by the way, in our computer unit in Jerusalem they learnt the hard way that when I say something's not right, it usually isn't, but these guys don't know me yet, hopefully we won't have close contact and they won't have to learn....) there was a faulty cable that wasn't connected properly. Once it was connected - no need for my username and password, it actually started working on its own. Oh, what joy!
Two minutes after they left I got another phone call from the cable company saying that they received a call from Michela and are checking in.... I informed them that they can relax, things have been fixed and we are now in business. We also have a special person to talk to in the company if I've got any problems of any kind.
If this all sounds vaguely familiar this is because what happened here is exactly what happened in the bank when I arrived. Until you use your contacts and get very angry things don't move... Totally unnecessary in my mind, but there you have it.
Got to run. I'll send my numbers, etc. in a mail, you're welcome to call, write, and so on.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Adventures on the way from Florence, buying cars, museums
Haven't written for a while. Got a lot of things happening. No time to write. But the good news is that barring "force major" on the 20th of Nov. I will be connected at home to the internet (halleluya!!)and will be able to write more and talk to you through messenger, skype or whatever.
In the meantime, some of the recent excitements - First, looks like I just bought a black diesel, shift, Toyota Yaris. Why black? that's the color they had available, why diesel? I'm told it's much more economical (and with oil costing 100$ a barrel this is definitely a consideration....). shift? it seems Italians are not into automatic cars, why? according to them only the handicapped drive automatic and if I want to sell the car here later, looks like I'll have to live with this (not the end of the world for me). Why Toyota? I'm told it's a good, reliable car. We'll see. If all goes as planned I'll have the car on Dec. 5th. and then I can start crisscrossing Europe. In the meantime, I'm using the public transportation, which isn't too bad, some of the time.... Which brings me to my next story:
I went to visit my friends Petra and Renato in their village near Florence last weekend (Petra studied Italian with me in Florence eleven years ago). They live in this lovely place right over a pretty Tuscan valley with a magnificant view. We travelled around, went to a small artists' village, talked to a gold jeweller, enjoyed autumn in Tuscany (beautiful, if you're wondering). Had a great time there (great food and great company). Getting there was fine. Took the Eurostar, sat comfortably, got there on time. On the way back, as it was a holiday weekend all the trains were packed. The one I was supposed to take was coming from the South of Italy (which it seems is nutorious for late trains...). I was told it would be three and a half (!) hours late. I found out there would be an earlier train that didn't require having a reserved seat. This means that the train was PACKED with people. I stood for two and a half hours in a narrow corrider with two Chinese girls squashed against me. A unique experience. On top of this, took the scenic route back to Milan - visited every city on the way.... It took me 8 hours to get back from Florence to Milan (normally it should take about 3 hours). The moral of this part of the story? Travel only with Euro Star or make sure you've got a reservation on a train not coming from the South.... or don't go on a holiday weekend (although I'm very glad I went, haven't seen Petra in 7 years and we probably won't meet again till the spring so...).
On the recommendation of my brother I went to see a David Lynch exhibition here in Milan. Tres Bizarre!! is what I can say after seeing it. I knew I was probably not in the right place for me when I saw the young punky types who came to see the exhibition. Strange music, pictures, and exhibits. Too strange for me, unfortunately.
A place I liked more is the Museum Poldi-Pezzoli. Here is what one web site had to say of this place:
Museo Poldi-Pezzoli - Via Manzoni 12, Milan, ItalySituated in north-east Milan, the Museo Poldi-Pezzoli is a private museum that was established by Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli and opened to the public in 1881. The building itself is a good example of a late 19th-century aristocratic residence in Milan and both the exterior and interior are well preserved. Inside the museum are many exhibits, including Pezzoli's fine collection of sculptures, paintings - many by notable artists, watches, jewellery, glass, textiles, ancient armour and much more.
I like these kinds of places because I like private collections - you see things that someone collected because he/she liked these things - be it pictures, statues, etc. and you can see their preferences, even if it's just that they liked bright colors or something. It's more personal. The Frick Collection in NY is like this as is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.
What else? Next week I'll be in Dusseldorf to attend Medica - an exhibition of medical equipment and appliances. We will be promoting Israeli companies and helping them meet relevant Italian companies.
As always, I'd love to hear from you. Do write. Have a great weekend.
In the meantime, some of the recent excitements - First, looks like I just bought a black diesel, shift, Toyota Yaris. Why black? that's the color they had available, why diesel? I'm told it's much more economical (and with oil costing 100$ a barrel this is definitely a consideration....). shift? it seems Italians are not into automatic cars, why? according to them only the handicapped drive automatic and if I want to sell the car here later, looks like I'll have to live with this (not the end of the world for me). Why Toyota? I'm told it's a good, reliable car. We'll see. If all goes as planned I'll have the car on Dec. 5th. and then I can start crisscrossing Europe. In the meantime, I'm using the public transportation, which isn't too bad, some of the time.... Which brings me to my next story:
I went to visit my friends Petra and Renato in their village near Florence last weekend (Petra studied Italian with me in Florence eleven years ago). They live in this lovely place right over a pretty Tuscan valley with a magnificant view. We travelled around, went to a small artists' village, talked to a gold jeweller, enjoyed autumn in Tuscany (beautiful, if you're wondering). Had a great time there (great food and great company). Getting there was fine. Took the Eurostar, sat comfortably, got there on time. On the way back, as it was a holiday weekend all the trains were packed. The one I was supposed to take was coming from the South of Italy (which it seems is nutorious for late trains...). I was told it would be three and a half (!) hours late. I found out there would be an earlier train that didn't require having a reserved seat. This means that the train was PACKED with people. I stood for two and a half hours in a narrow corrider with two Chinese girls squashed against me. A unique experience. On top of this, took the scenic route back to Milan - visited every city on the way.... It took me 8 hours to get back from Florence to Milan (normally it should take about 3 hours). The moral of this part of the story? Travel only with Euro Star or make sure you've got a reservation on a train not coming from the South.... or don't go on a holiday weekend (although I'm very glad I went, haven't seen Petra in 7 years and we probably won't meet again till the spring so...).
On the recommendation of my brother I went to see a David Lynch exhibition here in Milan. Tres Bizarre!! is what I can say after seeing it. I knew I was probably not in the right place for me when I saw the young punky types who came to see the exhibition. Strange music, pictures, and exhibits. Too strange for me, unfortunately.
A place I liked more is the Museum Poldi-Pezzoli. Here is what one web site had to say of this place:
Museo Poldi-Pezzoli - Via Manzoni 12, Milan, ItalySituated in north-east Milan, the Museo Poldi-Pezzoli is a private museum that was established by Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli and opened to the public in 1881. The building itself is a good example of a late 19th-century aristocratic residence in Milan and both the exterior and interior are well preserved. Inside the museum are many exhibits, including Pezzoli's fine collection of sculptures, paintings - many by notable artists, watches, jewellery, glass, textiles, ancient armour and much more.
I like these kinds of places because I like private collections - you see things that someone collected because he/she liked these things - be it pictures, statues, etc. and you can see their preferences, even if it's just that they liked bright colors or something. It's more personal. The Frick Collection in NY is like this as is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.
What else? Next week I'll be in Dusseldorf to attend Medica - an exhibition of medical equipment and appliances. We will be promoting Israeli companies and helping them meet relevant Italian companies.
As always, I'd love to hear from you. Do write. Have a great weekend.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
My container has finally arrived
I'm very happy to announce that I've been reunited with my stuff!! Also, I've discovered that I have a lot of stuff and that though the apartment in Milan is bigger than the one I have in Israel, somehow, the one in Milan doesn't have enough storage place.... So, I'll probably have to buy some cupboards or something to store stuff in. No drawers in the closets. A lot of hanging space, some shelves.
I've discovered also that if there's a siege tomorrow, I have enough cosmetics/soaps etc. to keep me for at least a month or two....
I wonder where I'll put all the kitchenware I have? These are the existential (spelling?) things I'm dealing with right now. Very tired. A lot of boxes and things to unpack but all in all as stated in the first sentence - I'm very happy to have my stuff.
The unpackers where very nice. They moved things for me in the house, took things down to the cellar and garage (heavy things - sofas and beds from the 4th floor down), but most of all were calm and helpful. Which was nice. They came with this elevator thing which takes things up to higher floors, a lot better than carrying these things on backs through narrow stairways.
I've also started the process of getting a telephone and internet in the apartment (hurray the readers mutter to themselves...). It took about 7 calls to the cable company but it seems we might just be in business sometime next week. I will update of course.
Nirit sent me an article saying the Italians might want people to register their blogs and pay for them.... (for those who read Hebrew here's the link) I hope this doesn't happen. Can they do such a thing? I was always told that there are effective ways around such barriers? If people can blog from Iraq and Burma I suppose from Italy it would be a piece of cake....
Gotta go. One table lost one of its legs on the way from Israel to here. Paola might help me with a name of a welder.
I've discovered also that if there's a siege tomorrow, I have enough cosmetics/soaps etc. to keep me for at least a month or two....
I wonder where I'll put all the kitchenware I have? These are the existential (spelling?) things I'm dealing with right now. Very tired. A lot of boxes and things to unpack but all in all as stated in the first sentence - I'm very happy to have my stuff.
The unpackers where very nice. They moved things for me in the house, took things down to the cellar and garage (heavy things - sofas and beds from the 4th floor down), but most of all were calm and helpful. Which was nice. They came with this elevator thing which takes things up to higher floors, a lot better than carrying these things on backs through narrow stairways.
I've also started the process of getting a telephone and internet in the apartment (hurray the readers mutter to themselves...). It took about 7 calls to the cable company but it seems we might just be in business sometime next week. I will update of course.
Nirit sent me an article saying the Italians might want people to register their blogs and pay for them.... (for those who read Hebrew here's the link) I hope this doesn't happen. Can they do such a thing? I was always told that there are effective ways around such barriers? If people can blog from Iraq and Burma I suppose from Italy it would be a piece of cake....
Gotta go. One table lost one of its legs on the way from Israel to here. Paola might help me with a name of a welder.
Friday, October 26, 2007
On strikes and containers not arriving - or so they say
So, I'm sleeping in my apartment - got some bed linen from Paola and Enrico, it's very clean. I spent 6 hours yesterday getting it ready for the arrival of my container today. But, early signals were given yesterday that all is not well in Genoa. Some strike or other and someone not willing to sign some papers releasing my container. But we were all being optimistic about it. Things were supposed to solve themselves out this morning.
Got up in the morning, it was raining, I think it still is. The people with the elevator car were there waiting early in the morning. Standing under big umbrellas. Very patient. and we waited. I put some things in closets, cupboards, etc. But, nothing happened. No news from Genoa. The guy signing the papers there was not doing his thing this morning. or so we were told. Time passed. I went to the office. At some point Michela said, let's see who we know in the customs (because the claim was that they were on strike). Finally, she got up to a very highly ranked colonel who promised to help (for those who didn't read the previous chapters or know Michela - she was the one who got the bank to cash a bankers' check for me by calling the corporate manager, she can move mountains when necessary). He did help, and we got the papers signed or whatever, but by this time - it seems the movers had had enough for one day (it was three by then) and wanted to go back home for a hot meal and some rest. So, the container is supposed to come on Monday. At least, like Michela said, we got to know some high ranking officials in the Italian Customs Authority....
How am I managing in the apartment you might be wondering? (my father says this is like in the great TV show - 'allo 'allo, to quote Rene - you might be wondering what I'm doing here....) Like camping out. Had good training in the scouts and in the army. Things are OK really, it's very quiet - no TV, no computer, and empty, there's an echo from the walls, I've got a cup and a plate, and some plastic cutlery. A pot to heat some water for coffee and tea, a big supermarket (the biggest in Milan, it seems) about 5 min. walk away from me, I've got electric appliances, an i-pod thanks to my uncle and some friendly neighbors down below. Not too bad, really. It would have been nicer with my stuff, but I'll have to live with things as they are. I I really need to do a wash. wonder where I'll hang the clothes......
I got to experience two strikes this week - one, at the airport, following which I arrived back in Milan at 3 a.m. in the morning from Rome and now this. I'm not so sure what happened today was absolutely unavoidable. Probably, just the Italian Bureaucracy at its best.
More luck in the future. Hopefully. I'm signing off here. Do write.
Got up in the morning, it was raining, I think it still is. The people with the elevator car were there waiting early in the morning. Standing under big umbrellas. Very patient. and we waited. I put some things in closets, cupboards, etc. But, nothing happened. No news from Genoa. The guy signing the papers there was not doing his thing this morning. or so we were told. Time passed. I went to the office. At some point Michela said, let's see who we know in the customs (because the claim was that they were on strike). Finally, she got up to a very highly ranked colonel who promised to help (for those who didn't read the previous chapters or know Michela - she was the one who got the bank to cash a bankers' check for me by calling the corporate manager, she can move mountains when necessary). He did help, and we got the papers signed or whatever, but by this time - it seems the movers had had enough for one day (it was three by then) and wanted to go back home for a hot meal and some rest. So, the container is supposed to come on Monday. At least, like Michela said, we got to know some high ranking officials in the Italian Customs Authority....
How am I managing in the apartment you might be wondering? (my father says this is like in the great TV show - 'allo 'allo, to quote Rene - you might be wondering what I'm doing here....) Like camping out. Had good training in the scouts and in the army. Things are OK really, it's very quiet - no TV, no computer, and empty, there's an echo from the walls, I've got a cup and a plate, and some plastic cutlery. A pot to heat some water for coffee and tea, a big supermarket (the biggest in Milan, it seems) about 5 min. walk away from me, I've got electric appliances, an i-pod thanks to my uncle and some friendly neighbors down below. Not too bad, really. It would have been nicer with my stuff, but I'll have to live with things as they are. I I really need to do a wash. wonder where I'll hang the clothes......
I got to experience two strikes this week - one, at the airport, following which I arrived back in Milan at 3 a.m. in the morning from Rome and now this. I'm not so sure what happened today was absolutely unavoidable. Probably, just the Italian Bureaucracy at its best.
More luck in the future. Hopefully. I'm signing off here. Do write.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Rome, strikes, getting back in the middle of the night
So, went to Rome yesterday. Everything went fine workwise, did have the rare opportunity to ride from the airport to Rome with a taxi driver talking on two mobile phones and writing (aside from driving, of course). Rome is congested in the most unbelievable way and public transportation is not very efficient.
I got to the Fiumicino airport in the evening - around eight thirty. There, after checking in I sat reading at the gate. Shortly before the boarding time a group of angry passengers descended on the gate where I was waiting for my flight back to Milan. The passengers were from a previous flight which didn't go. So, they got to take "our" plane or something (they had the police there to make sure that none of the passengers would try anything funny with the attendants) and we were told to wait for another flight which will depart at 23:45 but to Malpensa not to Linate (which is a smaller but closer airport in Milan). The flight left at 00:20 and arrived at 01:20. From Malpensa a bus took us to Linate (an hour's ride). There, the airport was closed (probably the reason they sent us to Malpensa which was still open) and no taxis. I called one of the companies - they said that they can't come but a few minutes later when they realized there were about 40 of us waiting for taxis they appeared quickly and drove us to where we wanted to go. I got back to the hotel at 03:00 a.m. in the morning! instead of at 23:00. Welcome to Italy and its strikes - my first trip to Rome and this is what happens. 4 years of travelling from Hungary to the Czech Rep. never had something quite as grand as this... not even close.
So, now I'm exhausted. But on the happy side of things - I'm moving tomorrow to my apartment. I'll have to haul two heavy suitcases, one small one and one shopping cart from the hotel to the apartment but otherwise, I hope it will be OK. The first night will be an adventure because the container is only coming on Thu. Why? the city of Milan needs to approve the standing of the truck on the road for a few hours and this permit takes time to acqire (luckily only two days, not three weeks). So, I will borrow some linen and towels from my friends (who will be my neighbors) and hope for the best.
I hope after that to connect myself to the internet, telephone, and also buy a car. In the meantime, I will walk with my bright red shopping cart from the supermarket to the apartment....
ve ba le'zion go'el.
and one other comment - I went to the Brera Pinacoteca - only so so. A lot of Madonnas with Bambinis, a few interesting "Last Suppers" (not the Leonardo one, others tried out this subject as well - I liked the one done by Rubens). Again, a museum where the order was not clear to me - in one room there were mosaics from the middle ages on one side, archealogical relics from the the first century B.C. and pictures of Picasso and Modigliani on the other. Go figure. I haven't yet....
This will be a short entry. Got to go and rest before the big upheaval tomorrow.
I got to the Fiumicino airport in the evening - around eight thirty. There, after checking in I sat reading at the gate. Shortly before the boarding time a group of angry passengers descended on the gate where I was waiting for my flight back to Milan. The passengers were from a previous flight which didn't go. So, they got to take "our" plane or something (they had the police there to make sure that none of the passengers would try anything funny with the attendants) and we were told to wait for another flight which will depart at 23:45 but to Malpensa not to Linate (which is a smaller but closer airport in Milan). The flight left at 00:20 and arrived at 01:20. From Malpensa a bus took us to Linate (an hour's ride). There, the airport was closed (probably the reason they sent us to Malpensa which was still open) and no taxis. I called one of the companies - they said that they can't come but a few minutes later when they realized there were about 40 of us waiting for taxis they appeared quickly and drove us to where we wanted to go. I got back to the hotel at 03:00 a.m. in the morning! instead of at 23:00. Welcome to Italy and its strikes - my first trip to Rome and this is what happens. 4 years of travelling from Hungary to the Czech Rep. never had something quite as grand as this... not even close.
So, now I'm exhausted. But on the happy side of things - I'm moving tomorrow to my apartment. I'll have to haul two heavy suitcases, one small one and one shopping cart from the hotel to the apartment but otherwise, I hope it will be OK. The first night will be an adventure because the container is only coming on Thu. Why? the city of Milan needs to approve the standing of the truck on the road for a few hours and this permit takes time to acqire (luckily only two days, not three weeks). So, I will borrow some linen and towels from my friends (who will be my neighbors) and hope for the best.
I hope after that to connect myself to the internet, telephone, and also buy a car. In the meantime, I will walk with my bright red shopping cart from the supermarket to the apartment....
ve ba le'zion go'el.
and one other comment - I went to the Brera Pinacoteca - only so so. A lot of Madonnas with Bambinis, a few interesting "Last Suppers" (not the Leonardo one, others tried out this subject as well - I liked the one done by Rubens). Again, a museum where the order was not clear to me - in one room there were mosaics from the middle ages on one side, archealogical relics from the the first century B.C. and pictures of Picasso and Modigliani on the other. Go figure. I haven't yet....
This will be a short entry. Got to go and rest before the big upheaval tomorrow.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Visits, container, apartment
Had two visits this week from Israel - work, though. One, from the security and the other concerning the promotion of Israeli companies participating in Medica in Germany. I think the visits went OK, but it's been a very tiring week.
In between, I'm studying Italian - pronouns, and conditional... aaaagggghh. Italian is not hard to understand (at least the day to day things, I have problems with very formal letters and reading the serious newspapers but the day to day things are OK) - since a lot of the words are the same or similar to words in English (I'd say about 40%) or at least have the same general meaning (so at least you know what the subject of conversation is, a luxury I didn't have when I first came to Hungary, for example). However, the grammer, being based on Latin, is not easy at all, and is hard to understand and more than that to implement (which is the whole point of the exercise). But, on the up side I can say that people here appreciate it very much if you try to speak Italian and are willing to forgive the mistakes you make. I just have to be less afraid to make these mistakes.
My container has arrived in Italy. It's currently in Genoa waiting for customs clearance (paperwork from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). In any case, whether I get the clearance or not (I mean, I'll get it eventually in any case) I'm moving out of the hotel (haleluya!!!) and into the apartment on the 24th. I'm really looking forward to this. Also, it's gotten cold here all of a sudden (well, I suppose it's expected really, it being Oct. already....) and I really need my winter clothing. I'm just about surviving right now with what I brought with me and a few things I've bought. but if it gets much colder I'll have to buy stuff to keep warm. Two of my workers have bad colds (the third one was sick last week). I hope I don't catch it, too.
On Sun. I'm going to hear a Gershwin concert. The same orchestra which played last week (did I write about it? don't remember. Anyway, it's a young orchestra, called La Verdi, not fantastic but quite OK in an unpretentious sort of way). They give concerts on Sun. at 11:00 in the morning or at 16:00 in the afternoon which is are nice times to hear music.
On Mon. going to Rome for the day (it will be very long - from 6:30 in the morning till about midnight). But, it's high time I see the embassy there. Then, Thursday, probably, Turin, unless the container decides to come on this day. We'll see.
and a car. Got to look for one. I hope I have some time to do this next week. Luckily the public transportation here is not bad at all so I get along quite nicely even without one.
That's all folks. Will write more soon (maybe from my own computer at home....).
In between, I'm studying Italian - pronouns, and conditional... aaaagggghh. Italian is not hard to understand (at least the day to day things, I have problems with very formal letters and reading the serious newspapers but the day to day things are OK) - since a lot of the words are the same or similar to words in English (I'd say about 40%) or at least have the same general meaning (so at least you know what the subject of conversation is, a luxury I didn't have when I first came to Hungary, for example). However, the grammer, being based on Latin, is not easy at all, and is hard to understand and more than that to implement (which is the whole point of the exercise). But, on the up side I can say that people here appreciate it very much if you try to speak Italian and are willing to forgive the mistakes you make. I just have to be less afraid to make these mistakes.
My container has arrived in Italy. It's currently in Genoa waiting for customs clearance (paperwork from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). In any case, whether I get the clearance or not (I mean, I'll get it eventually in any case) I'm moving out of the hotel (haleluya!!!) and into the apartment on the 24th. I'm really looking forward to this. Also, it's gotten cold here all of a sudden (well, I suppose it's expected really, it being Oct. already....) and I really need my winter clothing. I'm just about surviving right now with what I brought with me and a few things I've bought. but if it gets much colder I'll have to buy stuff to keep warm. Two of my workers have bad colds (the third one was sick last week). I hope I don't catch it, too.
On Sun. I'm going to hear a Gershwin concert. The same orchestra which played last week (did I write about it? don't remember. Anyway, it's a young orchestra, called La Verdi, not fantastic but quite OK in an unpretentious sort of way). They give concerts on Sun. at 11:00 in the morning or at 16:00 in the afternoon which is are nice times to hear music.
On Mon. going to Rome for the day (it will be very long - from 6:30 in the morning till about midnight). But, it's high time I see the embassy there. Then, Thursday, probably, Turin, unless the container decides to come on this day. We'll see.
and a car. Got to look for one. I hope I have some time to do this next week. Luckily the public transportation here is not bad at all so I get along quite nicely even without one.
That's all folks. Will write more soon (maybe from my own computer at home....).
Friday, October 12, 2007
Signing THE contract, museum of science, Italian lessons
So, I'm happy to tell you that I signed the contract for (what will be) my rented apartment here in Milan. I'll be going into it on the 24th of Oct. Hopefully, my stuff will have arrived by then but this remains to be seen. It was supposed to be shipped today from Israel and arrive at Genoa by the 19th. I know the schedule is tight but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be OK.
You may be wondering if I stood behind my promise to trot in the Terry Fox Trot. I did. It was a lot of fun although I did go on my own in the end (a friend who was supposed to come didn't feel well). Like everything else, also when Italians do sports they are very elegant, they've got these nice sports clothes that they wear. Some even dressed their dogs with the Run's shirt. I have some pictures but they're in the telephone and I haven't figured out the technology of downloading them onto the computer (I have, but the computer is warning me that dire things will happen if I activate it... and since I've had many problems with computers here lately, I'm not risking it) so you'll have to take my word for it.
Last weekend I also went to check out the Science Museum. It's OK, but I've seen much nicer museums of this kind - such as the transport museum in Luzern or the Air and Space museum in Washington, DC. I think its not interactive enough. and also, it's a sort of mishmash of things, the museum is not organized in any logical sequence that I could understand, and you can go from checking out telephones and how they work to looking at photos of fashionable people in Milan, to some reproductions of pictures from the renaissance and then to musical instruments. The connection? I didn't get it... What were very interesting to see however over there were reproductions of Leonardo Da Vinci's models. Really a pleasure to see how his mind worked. That was worth the whole visit as far as I'm concerned.
I've started to take Italian lessons. I took two this week. We're a group of 7 women. Why only women? I don't know. We were the ones who signed up. We've got someone from Slovakia, Brazil, Portugal, Spain, Romania, and I don't remember from where else. Looks like a nice group. I hope I manage it because the lessons start at 6:30 in the evening which is a bit hard for me.
Yesterday I went to a gala dinner in a palazzo in Como. Very fancy. We had dessert at 23:30 at night. I'm not built for this, my stomach shuts down around 21:00 max... But we did some good work promoting WATEC there so I think it was worth it. Italians are very easy going and so it's nice to work with them.
Finally, what do you think about Al Gore winning the Nobel Prize? I read somewhere that his own electricity bills are very high (30,000 USD a year...) But like Yoni said, the fact that he spends a lot on electricity doesn't mean that we don't have a problem regarding the environment. Still, I'd be happy if he practiced what he preached, would sound more sincere to me.
That's all folks for this edition of my blog.
You may be wondering if I stood behind my promise to trot in the Terry Fox Trot. I did. It was a lot of fun although I did go on my own in the end (a friend who was supposed to come didn't feel well). Like everything else, also when Italians do sports they are very elegant, they've got these nice sports clothes that they wear. Some even dressed their dogs with the Run's shirt. I have some pictures but they're in the telephone and I haven't figured out the technology of downloading them onto the computer (I have, but the computer is warning me that dire things will happen if I activate it... and since I've had many problems with computers here lately, I'm not risking it) so you'll have to take my word for it.
Last weekend I also went to check out the Science Museum. It's OK, but I've seen much nicer museums of this kind - such as the transport museum in Luzern or the Air and Space museum in Washington, DC. I think its not interactive enough. and also, it's a sort of mishmash of things, the museum is not organized in any logical sequence that I could understand, and you can go from checking out telephones and how they work to looking at photos of fashionable people in Milan, to some reproductions of pictures from the renaissance and then to musical instruments. The connection? I didn't get it... What were very interesting to see however over there were reproductions of Leonardo Da Vinci's models. Really a pleasure to see how his mind worked. That was worth the whole visit as far as I'm concerned.
I've started to take Italian lessons. I took two this week. We're a group of 7 women. Why only women? I don't know. We were the ones who signed up. We've got someone from Slovakia, Brazil, Portugal, Spain, Romania, and I don't remember from where else. Looks like a nice group. I hope I manage it because the lessons start at 6:30 in the evening which is a bit hard for me.
Yesterday I went to a gala dinner in a palazzo in Como. Very fancy. We had dessert at 23:30 at night. I'm not built for this, my stomach shuts down around 21:00 max... But we did some good work promoting WATEC there so I think it was worth it. Italians are very easy going and so it's nice to work with them.
Finally, what do you think about Al Gore winning the Nobel Prize? I read somewhere that his own electricity bills are very high (30,000 USD a year...) But like Yoni said, the fact that he spends a lot on electricity doesn't mean that we don't have a problem regarding the environment. Still, I'd be happy if he practiced what he preached, would sound more sincere to me.
That's all folks for this edition of my blog.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Hair cuts, Hari Krishna, and books
So, I went and got myself a hair cut. It was cut by Alain Winters. He's Belgian and very gay. He decided my hair is too serious and needs to be more a-symetrical. Here are the results (shorter than I wanted it but you know barbers - you tell them not to cut too much, you get home, discover half your hair has disappeared - but luckily mine grows fast). I think it's nice. Very European.... (oh, and don't get alarmed by the "after" picture, it's just that I took the picture myself and didn't know where to look and when to smile, I promise to change the picture when I have a better one - I wanted you to see the effect right after the cut - I tried about ten times but didn't manage to get it right...):
Before (taken at the office one day):
After (taken at the hotel):
As this is an experiment in blogging - you'll have to bear with me while I try out the technology...
In addition to getting my hair cut, I visited my first church yesterday - Sant'Amrbogio, the patron saint of Milan. You can see his remains - dressed up and with two other saints flanking him (spooky...) - in the crypt of the church. This custom of not burying people but leaving them on display is a bit strange to me (saw it also in Brno where Franciscan monks were left in boxes above ground) . There were some people praying there, singing very nicely. The church acoustics are very good.
I also went to two good english bookstores. There are 4 stores some nicer than others (there were books in Spanish, French, Russian, German, even Portuguese in one store). No used bookstores. Seems this is not "the thing" here. People don't like used books. Got a very funny book called "Lost in translation" with funny quotes from all over the world from planes, hotels, etc. (I've seen some of them before on the internet, but many were new) making some hysterical mistakes in English (I suppose I make some mistakes myself but nothing like those quoted in this book..). I had to stop reading it on the train - I was laughing so hard people were staring at me.... I also got a book about Louis the 14th and his women - the women in the life of the Sun King, by Antonia Fraser. Looks good.
Milan is nice in the sense that it is a very cosmopolitan place - and so has bookstores in English, a newspaper in English for tourists, many people here speak at least some English and so on, but because it doesn't have too many tourist attractions (compared with Rome or Florence) there aren't so many tourists around, which makes the place less crowded and you don't see so many groups of tourists going after umbrellas.... (their guide). I think I'm going to like this place...
Today I went with Paola to eat at a Hari Krishna place. I went to a place like this in Hungary with Hagit. Like everything else in Milan - even the Hari Krishna place here is elegant. They're centrally located and the food is good, vegetarian, but good. You sit with other people having lunch there in tables of eight. The price is reasonable and it's better than what you'd would get in a fast food place here - which costs the same.
I was planning to go to visit a friend in a village near Florence today, but because rain is expected - the trip will take place next weekend. If it doesn't rain - I'm thinking of going to Bergamo (a small town east of Milan) which I hear is nice and/or take part in the Terry Fox Run here (I won't run, I'll walk). Terry Fox Runs take place all over the world at this time of the year in memory of Terry Fox who went across Canada while he was sick with cancer, with an artificial leg, to raise awareness to the illness. Money raised on these runs are given to cancer research, hospitals, etc. You can read more about this here.
Looks like I'll start taking Italian lessons next week. High time. I understand a lot but am afraid to speak and make mistakes. Luckily, although I said that many speak English, many others don't so I'm forced to use the language.
and since I'm attaching pictures today - here are two of the hotel room:
.JPG)
That's all folks for this edition of my blog. Have a nice weekend.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Antique Market and waiting for a public transport card
This last Sun. I went with Paola and Enrico (her husband) to a monthly antique market in Milan (for those interested it takes place on the last Sun. of every month). It was very nice. Along the canals in Milan (yup, there are a few canals here - they used them to bring in supplies and equipment to the inner parts of the city). I'm not a big antiques person but this was a very pleasant market (I'm told that with me it's usually the people I'm with who determine whether I'm going to like something or not, so maybe I liked it also because of the company). i didn't see much Judaica there but Paola said that sometimes there are Poles who have some things (she commented that she doesn't want to think where or how they came about the things they're selling... a good point). We also went to eat in a special kind of bazar organized by the church - they prepare home made food - pies, cakes, and the Italian version of the Hungarian Langos (a kind of fried pocket of dough filled with Mozarrella and tomato paste), it's cheap and was actually quite nice. They use the money to support their welfare or social projects.
and I also had a chance to enjoy Italian Bureaucracy this week. I purchased a monthly card to use on the public transportation. First you have to fill in a long form in Italian - giving all your personal details, then you stand on line (or sit) for an hour and wait as 50 other people get served, then comes your turn (and I was there first thing in the morning, after I left there were even more people). For 40 euros I now have a monthly card (10 for the ticket, 30 for the rides). To compare - a similar ticket (weekly) which I got in the metro in France took all of 5 min. to acquire. On the bus in Israel it takes less than a minute. However, the public transport system here (especially the subway) is efficient and fast, and you can get around very easily (again, mostly to places close to the metro lines, but also others are quite easy to get to). Interesting that in Israel the buses still don't have a schedule, they come when they come. Even in relatively unorganized Italy, the buses come according to schedule... this card should be good for 4 years, so hopefully I won't have to stand on any more lines regarding this over here.
We're off on the second Succot holiday. I'm going to have a haircut tomorrow. Let's see what happens.
Got to run. Do write. Hag Sameach.
and I also had a chance to enjoy Italian Bureaucracy this week. I purchased a monthly card to use on the public transportation. First you have to fill in a long form in Italian - giving all your personal details, then you stand on line (or sit) for an hour and wait as 50 other people get served, then comes your turn (and I was there first thing in the morning, after I left there were even more people). For 40 euros I now have a monthly card (10 for the ticket, 30 for the rides). To compare - a similar ticket (weekly) which I got in the metro in France took all of 5 min. to acquire. On the bus in Israel it takes less than a minute. However, the public transport system here (especially the subway) is efficient and fast, and you can get around very easily (again, mostly to places close to the metro lines, but also others are quite easy to get to). Interesting that in Israel the buses still don't have a schedule, they come when they come. Even in relatively unorganized Italy, the buses come according to schedule... this card should be good for 4 years, so hopefully I won't have to stand on any more lines regarding this over here.
We're off on the second Succot holiday. I'm going to have a haircut tomorrow. Let's see what happens.
Got to run. Do write. Hag Sameach.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Oriana Fallaci a pool and shopping
Im using the computer at the hotel so don't have much time to write. Today, I went to see an exhibit on the life of Oriana Fallaci, the Italian journalist who lived a very interesting life, went to dangerous places like Vietnam, Lebanon and other places and wrote about them, interviewed Sharon during the Lebanon war and many others. She became very anti fundamentalist Islam after 9.11 Seems she was also a big feminist. Fascinating life. A few links to more info about Fallaci: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriana_Fallaci, http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/06/05/060605fa_fact
I also went yesterday with Paola to a pool she goes to, not far from where I hope to be living soon. It's a very nice gym center and I hope to be able to subscribe and go there once I'm settled.
Since my stuff isnt here and it's getting cold, I went shopping today, bought an Italian suit in an outlet of Max Mara. Nice stuff and not terribly expensive.
Tomorrow I hope to go to an antique's market near the canals here (navigli).
So you see I keep busy. Monday - it's back to work... but only for two days. Hope you're all well.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Raining in Milan
It's raining here in Milan and it got cold all of a sudden. I don't have much clothes for colder weather. I will probably have to go out and buy stuff, shoes and shirts with long sleeves - unless it gets warmer again. I don't imagine that my stuff will arrive fast enough for me to get to my winter clothes in time, but who knows? miracles happen sometimes.
Today I went with Gili (the one whom I met on the street - sister of Ronit from the Export Institute, studying here) to an interesting exhibition of photographs by Gian Paolo Barbieri - a big fashion photographer. He's taken countless pictures for Vogue with beautiful, famous models whom he got all dressed up and staged them in special ways. I liked his black and white pictures better, something almost startling about his color photos (very vivid colors). The thing is - the people photographed are so beautiful - and most of us aren't, it's depressing that these become the standard of what's beautiful. There were also some great photos of Audrey Hepburn, Nurayev, Sofia Loren, Angelica Houston. Interesting.
It's fashion week here, as I already mentioned and there's this ad on the streets of this model who is suffering from anorexia - the ad is actually against these same standards of beauty and slimness which make models eat too little, use drugs and so on, in an effort to stay thin enough to fit the standards required.
What else? Am reading Meir Shalev's "Al Yona va Na'ar" (on a pigeon and a young man). I've never read Meir Shalev's books before. I'm told he has better books than this one, but so far I'm enjoying it very much. His use of Hebrew is great and it also feels like he's properly researched the topics he's writing about.
Am still eating ice cream. Out of this world. It seems the Italians have gone into the European mode of winter regarding ice cream - no ice cream, you might catch a cold....
Tomorrow, I'm going to check out the English book stores (maybe I should be reading in Italian?!) there seems to be 4 or 5 bookstores dedicated to books in English. Might also go to a pool with Paola.
Got to run. Bye for now.
Today I went with Gili (the one whom I met on the street - sister of Ronit from the Export Institute, studying here) to an interesting exhibition of photographs by Gian Paolo Barbieri - a big fashion photographer. He's taken countless pictures for Vogue with beautiful, famous models whom he got all dressed up and staged them in special ways. I liked his black and white pictures better, something almost startling about his color photos (very vivid colors). The thing is - the people photographed are so beautiful - and most of us aren't, it's depressing that these become the standard of what's beautiful. There were also some great photos of Audrey Hepburn, Nurayev, Sofia Loren, Angelica Houston. Interesting.
It's fashion week here, as I already mentioned and there's this ad on the streets of this model who is suffering from anorexia - the ad is actually against these same standards of beauty and slimness which make models eat too little, use drugs and so on, in an effort to stay thin enough to fit the standards required.
What else? Am reading Meir Shalev's "Al Yona va Na'ar" (on a pigeon and a young man). I've never read Meir Shalev's books before. I'm told he has better books than this one, but so far I'm enjoying it very much. His use of Hebrew is great and it also feels like he's properly researched the topics he's writing about.
Am still eating ice cream. Out of this world. It seems the Italians have gone into the European mode of winter regarding ice cream - no ice cream, you might catch a cold....
Tomorrow, I'm going to check out the English book stores (maybe I should be reading in Italian?!) there seems to be 4 or 5 bookstores dedicated to books in English. Might also go to a pool with Paola.
Got to run. Bye for now.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Succot and apartments
So, looks like I've found an apartment. I've decided to take the one that's a bit farther away from the office, where Paola lives. It's got parking and a park nearby, it's quiet (really quiet, not the closed windows type of quiet) and the buildings are relatively new (about 5 years). I hope I'll be warm enough in the winter and not hot in the summer. Also, hopefully, I'll be happy there. Now I've got to deal with the approval of the security people, signing a contract, and getting my stuff. I hope this goes smoothly. I'll be happy to leave the hotel. There's nothing wrong with it - just seems I'm not really a hotel person (I meet many business people, mostly men, who don't seem to mind hotels, for me there's something very impersonal about them that doesn't make me very happy). Also, I'll be much closer in town than before which is also nice. These trips back and forth to Milano Due are not my cup of tea (which, by the way, hasn't changed from the time I was in the army schlepping back and forth from J-lem to Tel Aviv and back, at least at the beginning).
Looks like winter or at least fall is here. It started raining in the middle of the night - lightening, thunderstorms, and a lot of rain. and the temp. dropped considerably. The lights kept turning on and off in the hotel room. creepy. There seems to be a leak in my office from a terrace above our office. Hopefully, it's nothing major (we will have to deal with it during the holiday it seems so we don't come back and find a lake here. Also, I really don't want my new computer to get wet...). It's fashion week in Milan and there are many well dressed people walking around (actually, everyone seems to be well dressed here...). I hope it doesn't get too cold before my stuff arrives - I'll have to buy at least fall clothes otherwise.
That's about it. I hope to go see a photo exhbition and something on Oriana Fallaci (i hope that's how the name is spelt). In the meantime, hag sameach to everyone. and do write. I really like getting your comments, mail, etc.
Looks like winter or at least fall is here. It started raining in the middle of the night - lightening, thunderstorms, and a lot of rain. and the temp. dropped considerably. The lights kept turning on and off in the hotel room. creepy. There seems to be a leak in my office from a terrace above our office. Hopefully, it's nothing major (we will have to deal with it during the holiday it seems so we don't come back and find a lake here. Also, I really don't want my new computer to get wet...). It's fashion week in Milan and there are many well dressed people walking around (actually, everyone seems to be well dressed here...). I hope it doesn't get too cold before my stuff arrives - I'll have to buy at least fall clothes otherwise.
That's about it. I hope to go see a photo exhbition and something on Oriana Fallaci (i hope that's how the name is spelt). In the meantime, hag sameach to everyone. and do write. I really like getting your comments, mail, etc.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Apartments and a few other things
Hi Folks,
I wrote some things yesterday but they actually disappeared (it was a draft but seemed to have gotten lost somewhere inside the blog system). This will be a short entry because I've got to go back to the end of the world where my hotel is and it takes forever in the evening.
I'm still searching for an apartment. The two apartments which were serious candidates turned out to be noisy - motorcycles, trams, buses, cars, and.... church bells. I was told that this is life in the big city so I said, OK, but one can live on a side road, not ON the main street... So the search goes on. There is also the issue of the "box" a parking place for a car - the woman from the tourism office gave up on a car, but I don't think I want to give up on this one. And, the question of air conditioning - they're coming to the realization here in Milan that one does need air conditioning. That it's hotter than it seems and one would be happier if one had air conditioning in one's apartment....
Tomorrow I give my first presentation - which is another reason why I need to start the trip back to the hotel - so I can get a good night's rest and also prepare myself for this presentation. I hope it goes well.
Other than this - there are a million things to do here, workwise, I'm trying to keep track of everything.
The ice cream here definitely lives up to my expectations...
Shana tova to everyone, gmar hatima tova. and thanks for bearing with me, being patient with my very brief replies and reading my blog. I promise to go back to writing more extensively once I'm settled in a place of my own.
I wrote some things yesterday but they actually disappeared (it was a draft but seemed to have gotten lost somewhere inside the blog system). This will be a short entry because I've got to go back to the end of the world where my hotel is and it takes forever in the evening.
I'm still searching for an apartment. The two apartments which were serious candidates turned out to be noisy - motorcycles, trams, buses, cars, and.... church bells. I was told that this is life in the big city so I said, OK, but one can live on a side road, not ON the main street... So the search goes on. There is also the issue of the "box" a parking place for a car - the woman from the tourism office gave up on a car, but I don't think I want to give up on this one. And, the question of air conditioning - they're coming to the realization here in Milan that one does need air conditioning. That it's hotter than it seems and one would be happier if one had air conditioning in one's apartment....
Tomorrow I give my first presentation - which is another reason why I need to start the trip back to the hotel - so I can get a good night's rest and also prepare myself for this presentation. I hope it goes well.
Other than this - there are a million things to do here, workwise, I'm trying to keep track of everything.
The ice cream here definitely lives up to my expectations...
Shana tova to everyone, gmar hatima tova. and thanks for bearing with me, being patient with my very brief replies and reading my blog. I promise to go back to writing more extensively once I'm settled in a place of my own.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Rosh Hashana and apartments
OK folks. I'm going to try and write a blog instead of sending you mails. I'm new to this media so I would appreciate your comments and suggestions to make it easier and more interesting to read.
Right now, I'm waiting to see an apartment not far from here (where is here you might ask? I'm sitting in the office typing - but I swear this is all I'm doing here, no work today). I saw a nice apartment this morning. It's in a completely different area from the other one I'm considering. It's in an old building but completely refurbished. There's a nice portiere lady downstairs who I'm told is there all the time (I think she might live there). The apartment if on the 4th out of 5 floors which would probably make the security people happier. It's got one big bedroom and one smaller, a big living and dining room. It's sunny. The owner is willing to put in air conditioning with no extra cost to me, but there's no "box" (what's a box you wonder - a special parking place for the car) - so either you park on the street or you reserve a place in a lot nearby for about 150 euros a month. It's not the best deal, but it might work. It's slightly smaller than the other apartment, or at least feels like it, but the agency is nicer (I had a Danish lady who came to show me the apartment and there's no games with the price - that is, everything's included). One other problem - it's on a relatively big throughway, no trams but quite a bit of traffic. It seems a more international area than the other area I was looking into. There are Brits in the apartment above.
What else happened since my last mail? For the holiday meal I went with the rep. of Keren Hayesod and his family to an Israeli family - some people working for Alcatel. They were a start up bought by Alcatel. There were two others from the start up at the dinner and Kabat (security guy) El Al and his family. A lot of noise but a friendly lively dinner. They did "brachot" in the way we do it because the guy is of Sepharadi origin. But we ate figs instead of dates and no pumpkin. Tons of food.
The next day I went for lunch with a Jewish family here through a connection of my uncle - the Nissim-s. I didn't ask who they were in advance which could have been a problem. Luckily, I wore a sporty suit and not jeans... They turned out to be this very rich family - in the diamond business. The flower arrangement on the table alone was worth easily more than 100 euros... To say nothing of the jewellery they were wearing. The women in the family design jewellery. They were very lively and friendly. Told me a lot about Jewish life in Milan. The food was Persian. I hope I can maintain the connection with them without being considered a gold digger. They seem to be well connected in the community.
Then yesterday evening I was invited to a kidush in the hotel by the unofficial head of the Jewish community in Milano Due (where my hotel is). The guy has been living in the hotel for... 30 years!! I don't know how he does this. I've been there for 2 and a half weeks and am having trouble dealing with it (there's nothing wrong with it, it's just so impersonal...). Anyway, he got some young Rabbi from Jerusalem who can't see but doesn't wear glasses to come over and do the hag for/with them. He had another guy come to this small Kidush. He's been living in Milano for 50 years or so. He fought in the Independence War in Israel, from Bulgaria. An opera singer. Claims to have been a friend of Pavarotti's... A bizarre occasion. I'm glad I know what to do in a kidush. The opera singer didn't which was a bit of an embarrassment. But I left before the gefiltefish...
This evening, I'm invited to dinner at Paola's. She used to work here. She's a good friend and I like her. Also, I'm going to hear a concert this evening, so some culture as well.
I went to the Ambrosio (I think that's the name) library where they have some of Leonardo's notebooks. The pages they had on display from his notes are beautiful to look at. There's also one of his paintings (the Musician) and a few other good paintings (Carravagio, Raphael, and others). The building is also nice (like many Italian buildings).
I'm sampling many ice cream parlours. Haven't found the ONE yet but all are very nice.
That's about it for now. Got to go already. Will write more soon. and I'd love to hear your comments - as always.
Right now, I'm waiting to see an apartment not far from here (where is here you might ask? I'm sitting in the office typing - but I swear this is all I'm doing here, no work today). I saw a nice apartment this morning. It's in a completely different area from the other one I'm considering. It's in an old building but completely refurbished. There's a nice portiere lady downstairs who I'm told is there all the time (I think she might live there). The apartment if on the 4th out of 5 floors which would probably make the security people happier. It's got one big bedroom and one smaller, a big living and dining room. It's sunny. The owner is willing to put in air conditioning with no extra cost to me, but there's no "box" (what's a box you wonder - a special parking place for the car) - so either you park on the street or you reserve a place in a lot nearby for about 150 euros a month. It's not the best deal, but it might work. It's slightly smaller than the other apartment, or at least feels like it, but the agency is nicer (I had a Danish lady who came to show me the apartment and there's no games with the price - that is, everything's included). One other problem - it's on a relatively big throughway, no trams but quite a bit of traffic. It seems a more international area than the other area I was looking into. There are Brits in the apartment above.
What else happened since my last mail? For the holiday meal I went with the rep. of Keren Hayesod and his family to an Israeli family - some people working for Alcatel. They were a start up bought by Alcatel. There were two others from the start up at the dinner and Kabat (security guy) El Al and his family. A lot of noise but a friendly lively dinner. They did "brachot" in the way we do it because the guy is of Sepharadi origin. But we ate figs instead of dates and no pumpkin. Tons of food.
The next day I went for lunch with a Jewish family here through a connection of my uncle - the Nissim-s. I didn't ask who they were in advance which could have been a problem. Luckily, I wore a sporty suit and not jeans... They turned out to be this very rich family - in the diamond business. The flower arrangement on the table alone was worth easily more than 100 euros... To say nothing of the jewellery they were wearing. The women in the family design jewellery. They were very lively and friendly. Told me a lot about Jewish life in Milan. The food was Persian. I hope I can maintain the connection with them without being considered a gold digger. They seem to be well connected in the community.
Then yesterday evening I was invited to a kidush in the hotel by the unofficial head of the Jewish community in Milano Due (where my hotel is). The guy has been living in the hotel for... 30 years!! I don't know how he does this. I've been there for 2 and a half weeks and am having trouble dealing with it (there's nothing wrong with it, it's just so impersonal...). Anyway, he got some young Rabbi from Jerusalem who can't see but doesn't wear glasses to come over and do the hag for/with them. He had another guy come to this small Kidush. He's been living in Milano for 50 years or so. He fought in the Independence War in Israel, from Bulgaria. An opera singer. Claims to have been a friend of Pavarotti's... A bizarre occasion. I'm glad I know what to do in a kidush. The opera singer didn't which was a bit of an embarrassment. But I left before the gefiltefish...
This evening, I'm invited to dinner at Paola's. She used to work here. She's a good friend and I like her. Also, I'm going to hear a concert this evening, so some culture as well.
I went to the Ambrosio (I think that's the name) library where they have some of Leonardo's notebooks. The pages they had on display from his notes are beautiful to look at. There's also one of his paintings (the Musician) and a few other good paintings (Carravagio, Raphael, and others). The building is also nice (like many Italian buildings).
I'm sampling many ice cream parlours. Haven't found the ONE yet but all are very nice.
That's about it for now. Got to go already. Will write more soon. and I'd love to hear your comments - as always.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)