Foreign, Technically - Week One
Where I went, What I Ate, What my dogs did
Last week was split between Paris and Milan, which feels like a nice way to begin.
Where I went
Milan, briefly. Highlights include the Giorgio Armani retrospective at the Pinacotera di Brera — incredible archives pieces from the 1980s through 2024 — and ringing in the New Year at the Duomo. I also went to Eataly Milano, mostly as an internal comparison to the New York version.
What I’m Up To
On a Duolingo tear — restarting my French while adding Italian and Arabic into the mix. Trying to wrap up the Catherine de’ Medici biography I started last summer on holiday. Wish me luck.
What I Bought
A Valentino bag to add a pop of color since I’m in my black ensembles era and the Shaker Case I’d been waiting exactly a month for, which finally arrived and was absolutely worth it. My neighbor gifted me a beautifully scented diffuser from Kuwaiti brand Zahi , and my mom sent me a pretty candle set from Diptyque. Apparently my love of home scents is more obvious than I thought.
What I Ate
A Bottomless Brunch at the Bulgari Hotel Milan on New Year’s Day that had no clear ending point. 10/10.
What I Made
I visited Osteria Francescana over the summer, kept the customized menus, and had one framed for my husband for Christmas. It’s really cute. I’m hanging it in my kitchen.
What I Watched
Badly in Love— A Japanese dating show loosely organized around former delinquents, which is not a sentence I expected to write or a show I expected to enjoy as much as I did.
What My Dogs Did
Spent a week in the French countryside. They come home today, which will instantly change the pace of everything.
Notes to follow, from Paris.