Another weekend trip to Europe draws to a close as I sit here in Business Elite Class, seat 5F, high above the North Atlantic about halfway through the 11 hour and 14 minute flight da Rome a Atlanta. The Business class was provided thanks to my status with delta and was certainly appreciated thanks to the longer then normal transatlantic westbound crossing today, courtesy of some strong headwinds. This past trip was undoubtedly evocative of keeping my word, with respect to my decree of promising a return to Milano every 6 months. I miss it more and more every time I go back, if that makes sense (think just getting over a cut then having it become new again, this is perhaps the best (albeit graphic) way to describe the situation. Im sure many can sympathize, if not empathize with this sentiment). I arrived Thursday morning and took the all too familiar Malpensa Express train from the airport to Cadorna and after stashing my things at the Hilton Milano (right near statzione centrale and not too far from my old apartment), I spent the day with old friends and really enjoying what it feels like to spend time with a great group of people whom you haven’t seen in nearly half a year. For dinner I of course headed over to Piazza Loreto where the Chinese restaurant that once served as a weekly (sometimes bi-weekly) escape from the tomato sauces, pasta, and carb filled menus of northern italy awaited with open arms. As I have told some of you, I grew very close with the women and her family who owned this small establishment and the smile which came over her face when she saw me tells me she still hasn’t forgotten our weekly visits. This trip would differ from the last three in that this one would only see one day spent in Milano, as on Friday I would head down to Roma to visit my friend who is studying there. It always serves as a bit of relief for me that when I return to Italy I no longer need to “indulge” in the touristy things; its nice to simply go to a city you are familiar with and walk around without a clear agenda or purpose. In this way I think Milano is perhaps more like home then most places, its nice to wander through the park on a cool early spring morning in March or take a run along the canals at Navigli; activities one would normally do at home (perhaps sans the canals as a backdrop, of course). It was nice to see my friend and Roma is always a nice city, although a bit touristy in sections. On Saturday I met up with a friend studying in Spain who came over in part as a favor in return for me flying his girlfriend over from the US to visit him for the weekend. We wandered around Roma a bit and after dinner that night and a few bottles of wine (9, split between 5 people), we called it a night (which was certainly appreciated seeing as how I had to be up at 400am the next morning for my flight back stateside). So begins the longest stretch of time for that my passport will not be used and consequently me remaining in the US borders in quite a while. I do not (plan) to leave the country until May 3rd again when I head down to South America, so a good 5 weeks from now. Will it sick? I guess we will see. In other news, after 16 months my new passport is completely full and I will have to get a new one. Im both happy and sad about this, for obvious reasons. Until next time! Pictures for the curious eyes. Italian Political Rally: No matter how many times you see it, it never gets old.