Rampant in Italy

Buon Giorno, and warmest seasonal greetings from Milan, where the good news is that I’ve just spent a lovely few days with the Sister and Brother-in-Law in Courmayeur, a nice little resort nestled in the shadows of the Italian Alps, some two hours away from the city. The bad news, however, is that I’ve managed somehow to blow apart my useless Toshiba Satellite laptop, which had helped me stay connected with the real world over much of the past week, but which now greets me with the dreaded BLUE error screen.

I’ve got no blinking idea what went wrong, and repair is possible only when I get back to London. There, I face the prospect of finding out that I've lost all the data I have inside my hard drive, plus the likelihood of also losing hundreds of pounds in repair bills, not to mention the loss of the laptop for quite a few days.

Here’s neither the time nor place to get philosophical about whether we’re too dependent on modern technology. Fact is, I do rely quite a bit on the laptop, especially in my current life as a student. And now, I cannot but feel quite irritated, concerned and even a wee bit miserable about what’s happened…

Things had turned out pretty nice earlier. I took a seven-hour scenic train ride from Munich to Milan some days back, traversing through Austria, after which I managed to link up successfully with the Sister and Brother-in-Law to begin a holiday together. It was extremely nice to be back with family once again.

Courmayeur is a ski resort in Italy's Valle d'Aosta region, sited just next to the French border at an altitude of about 1200m. And while there was no snow while we were there – we had brilliant skies and calm winds instead – we managed to chill out quite a bit, helped considerably by the good food - La Maison de Filippo was heavenly! - quiet atmosphere and wonderful mountain views.

Heading up from the village of La Palud to about 3400m at Punta Helbronner on board a series of cable car rides, way past the snow line, we managed to get a good view of Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest peak. The famous Matterhorn was also rather close by, near the village of Breuil-Cervina, where we encountered quite a few skiers on the mountain piste. We didn’t do any skiing, but it was rather relaxing to get out onto the snow, nonetheless.

So we’re in Milan now – city of high fashion (think Dolce and Gabbana, Valentino, Versace et al), high art, gelato, the scaffolded Milan Cathedral, the monumental Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, and Leonardo da Vinci’s monumental Last Supper. There's much to see, definitely.

At the same time, one is clearly aware that the year’s coming steadily to an end, and I’m reminded of both the pains and pleasures that I’ve witnessed this year. I give thanks for what I have. It's been a rich twelve months. But I guess I remain too much of a grounded realist, as always, to want to invest too much hope, too much expectations, even, in 2007. We’ll take each day, each week and month as they come, savouring every moment, looking ahead to what might come.

For now, Dear Readers, thank you for following me through these past few months in London and elsewhere. Thank you for your encouraging words, your thoughtful attention. Let me wish everyone a wonderful New Year and a Happy 2007. I treasure all these friendships tremendously. And I’ll certainly be in touch again upon my return to London.

Meanwhile, here are a few nice images from the past couple of days with which to end this most fulfilling year : )