Outdoor Market

So, we didn't make it to Venice today (sigh) but that's actually a good thing because we just weren't prepared. We slept the morning in (well, Rita did - I was up early twiddling my thumbs then decided to go to "bed" at 10:30am). Today was "market" day - on Saturday, there is a big outdoor market literally across the street from our apartment. It stretches down via Papiniano (the main street by us - mostly clothes, shoes and other goods are sold here), as well as the main street by the metro station which is a few blocks away (mostly fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and cheeses are sold here). The market was going on last week when I arrived in Milan but it was ending by the time I got here so I never got a chance to check it out. I went out today around 2pm by myself (the first venture I've taken by myself since I arrived) to explore the market, and managed to rack up a few toiletries on the main street. I headed over the supermarket (yet again - I feel like I'm in one every other day) to pick up some water and aluminum foil (yes, I am going to attempt to cook something before I leave here), then walked over to get fruits. At the fruit market, I was in my glory - they had all my favorite fruits: cherries, grapes, bananas, peaches, and even watermelon. And everything was dirt cheap so I got them all (1 euro got me a bunch of about 14 peaches - and yes, I plan to eat them all). Going to the market was an interesting experience though. First, I have this little problem called: I don't speak Italian. And the metric system is different (everything is in kilos instead of pounds) so I attempt to translate in my head then order using my limited Italian. Usually it involves me pointing to what I want (unless I happen to know the fruit name in Italian - I know a few like fragola is strawberry, and uvas are grapes) then saying "quanto costa?" Lol. It gets me about halfway there. I find it interesting too that people seem to think I'm French (as opposed to African, or better yet, American). When I say I don't speak Italian, they automatically ask if I speak French and are surprised when I say I don't. The other interesting thing about going to this market in particular, is that there are a ton of people there, and it's a bit of a meat market (literally and figuratively). My friend Janessa asked me today if its true that Italian men like black women...I'm not really sure but I heard a lot of "ciao bella!" today at the market. I even got hit on by a police officer, and an African who couldn't figure out where I was from so he decided to mix languages - something along the lines of "Ciao, how are you? Can I talk to you?" The good part is that my limited Italian and obvious foreign status allows me to feign ignorance. When I keep it moving, they don't know if I didn't understand them or if I'm just ignoring them, lol.
Outside of the market, we did very little today. We ended up going out around 7pm to explore a different part of our neighborhood. Rita wanted to find this park near the apartment so we headed over there - about a 5 minute walk. There is an indoor pool there year round, as well as playgrounds, a garden, and a doggy park. Nothing like Mullaly or Franz Sigel (those of you from the Bx know what I'm talking about) - although there was tons of graffiti, which made me feel right at home, lol. Then we walked around aimlessly checking out restaurant menus and gelato shops. About 30 minutes later we realized we had no idea where we were so Rita pulled out her trusted Streetwise map and we managed to find our way home. I got my first mosquito bite (and I suspect there will be many more) on the walk home. The Wharton students who were here last summer cited the mosquitoes as one of the reasons they didn't enjoy Milan. I didn't even notice them until today and they definitely aren't stopping me from enjoying myself here. I came prepared with plenty insect repellent.
We looked into going to Venice tomorrow but one of the really interesting tours we wanted to do is completely sold out until the weekend of July 13th. We decided to postpone the Venice trip until that weekend so that we make the most of it. So instead, we're considering going to Lake Como tomorrow since there's really not a lot going on here in Milan on Sundays (most of the stores and restaurants are closed). Supposedly Como is only an hour or so away, and is relatively inexpensive to get to. We're thinking we can do a day picnic and just hang out up there. If we do go, I'll be sure to share.