I feel like this is simply my new Normal. Being here, doing this. It’s calm and easy. I don’t feel the need to rush and see this or that – I’m happy to just plod along. I think because I am here on my own and there is no one to share the Wow-ness with there is less Wow-ness. Not that I’m not amazed but … it just is: I am in Milan, sitting in the Duomo, writing this. It’s really fucking big – I think un-capturably big.

In the Duomo – if I couldn’t capture it’s size and scale I tried to capture it as a space for everyday worship.

This morning I was coming into town with Maria Elena and the Metro was broken in some way so we had to take the bus. We ran into a woman Maria Elena knew from her English class. We three travelled together to the Piazza del Duomo chatting in a mix of Italian and English helping one another with the foreign language – praising and correcting with patience. They were particularly pleased with “We are not born as mothers and wives.”

I haven’t travelled on my own in a long time. Even when I have – on short journeys – I think I’ve always felt a pressure (of my own making) to account for my time – a pressure to see and do in a way that I am not feeling now. I enjoy just wandering around and being.

My bicycle is still en route – the other bag has arrived in Milan but the bicycle is still in London but will hopefully arrive tonight. Although I am moving to Daniella’s tomorrow Maria Elena has said I can take delivery at her place – which is very nice of her.

Having spoken again with the bag people – here’s the frustration: they put these scannable tags on our bags when we check them in, one might think they use those and scan our bags as they move around the system and that information would be stored centrally so that when a passenger become disassociated with their luggage they can tell you where it was last scanned and where it is heading. But no. The call centre is dependent on workers at various airports putting information into the system. So Laura – calling British Airway workers in Hong Kong, and Vickianne – calling Qantas workers in Sydney – could tell me more than the call centre in Rome. It’s coming, it’s coming – patience.

Duomo
Duomo
Milano
Duomo shadow self-portrait

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