Hidden Wonders

'The word mistake, Sir, is not one that appears in my dictionary' - Johnny English.

I'm sitting in my living room in Malta, and my young cousins are enthralled by this film - one of the few we have on dvd. And as I sit here at my computer, wondering how to start this particular blog, the quote pops out at me. This is because it has a similar ring to something I said a few days ago, after my first day sight seeing in Milan.

I was footsore and weary, having chosen wedges as the optimal shoe to spend the day walking around a city in. And I was rather disappointed. I'd spent the last couple of months sooo excited about this Milan trip and all I'd seen was....a city. And that's what I told my mum...

'Give it a chance' - she said
'Maybe you've not seen the right things yet' - she said
'Perhaps you've made a mistake, spend another day sightseeing' - she said.

And hard-headed as always, I said: 'No, I do not make mistakes. This city sucks'

Well my dear readers, mistake IS a word that exists in my dictionary. Because the next couple of days walking around Milan changed my mind drastically. It is a city of hidden wonders. You've got to look beyond the busy roads and irritating street pedlars and the impossibility of finding a supermarket. You've got to search for those tiny things that make it a magical city.

The aperitivos and watching the world go by:

The random planetarium in a park by the shops

The mini golf at Lake Como:

And of course, there are always the big things that truly stand out:

So there you go. Milan - a city of hidden (and not so hidden) wonders. I do recommend a visit, but don't make my mistake and wear wedges. Five miles in they become truly painful.