From Moroccan poverty to Milanese opulence

Yesterday afternoon Elena and I went to downtown Milano. This time of year things are bustling in what is one of the most amazing shopping areas in the world. I was surprised by my own reaction to the stark contrast between the poverty and simplicity I had seen in Morocco. It's a long, long way from Milano's Galleria to Morocco's Medinas. We paid 5EUR for a small paper cone of roasted chestnuts, similar in size to the paper cones of roasted nuts I could by in Morocco for 2Dhr (less than 0.2EUR). It was hard for me to stop thinking about the people with whom I had just spent over a week, for whom a single item from a typical shop window could have fed a family for a month.

Nonetheless, Milan's main shopping area is quite spectacular. It was nice being outside, especially since we were both wiped out tired. The combination of sleep deprivation and massive overeating was taking a toll on us, and the freezing air was a welcome change.

Later last night and pretty much all of today we spent our time visiting various relatives. It's been nice seeing cousins, uncles and aunts. Tomorrow morning we are off, driving south toward Rome with no specific plans but a vague notion that we will stop in Siena and San Gimignano (neither of which has been visited by Elena), find a place to sleep somewhere, and reach Rome by dinner time.