I'm in a bit of a procrastinating state, so I thought I'd share some stories from the other night. Unfortunately I dont have any photos :(

Saturday night was Notte Bianca in Milan. As best as I could figure out - with about the 2 questions i asked - it is some kind of celebration of spring time. It is probably the biggest party of the year in Milan, with public transport running all night long, and every piazza packed full of people. There were by far more people out than at new years or carnevale.

Our night started out around 9 when some 3 of Beanie's friends from her city arrived. Along with them also came a random guy that one of them had met on the street while asking directions. The guy was kinda strange, but nice and ended up hanging out with us all night. We drank at home for awhile, before heading out at 11. When we got to the metro there was a HUGE line of people waiting to buy tickets. I had never seen that many people at our metro stop before. It was probably atleast a half hour wait if not longer to get tickets. Beanies friends though causually made their way up to the front however, so we only waited around 10 min. When we got to the duomo the piazza was absolutely PACKED. As there was a wait to get up the stairs and out of the metro. We pushed our way along and finally made it someone close to the stage, although off on the side so we were only able to see things thanks to the huge screens. I didnt know most of the artists that we heard, the only one I recognized was Tatoo. It was a big event put on by MTV and a local radio station. Everyone was in good moods singing along and dancing to the music.

We ended up staying at the duomo for only about half an hour before heading down via Torino to the columns (one of the old city gates). On a normal day the walk would take between 5-10 min. That night it took more than 30 due to the crowds. We stopped along the way and bought some beer from one of the many people set up along the street and continued our party as we walked. When we arrived at the columns it was yet again another mass of people. We didnt even try to get out into it, but instead set up camp under the columns where a few of Beanie's friends were already at. From there we heard about some kind of big techno party out by Bovisa, and decided to go check it out. After a quick stop at a bar for more beer and hotdogs for the guys, we hoped on the tram. The tram ride only emphasized the festive air, as there was a group of people with tamberines playing and singing as we went along. We quickly joined in dancing while others who werent in quite as festive of a mood watched on. The ride went quickly, and while when we arrived at the stop we had no idea where to go, it was easy to find the place from the huge group of people going there. It was just a big game of follow the leader.

When we arrived we really werent sure what to expect. Outside the sidewalks were full of people, and as we approached we saw a big building with a long spiral cement path going up a few floors. As to be expected, it was also jam packed full of college kids. I'm not quite sure what the building was, but when we finally made our way up to the top, we arrived in a HUGE room the size of the entire floor, set up with a stage, lights, bars (and fortunately bathrooms!) I think it was around 3 am when we arrived. We dropped our coats by a speaker and set up camp nearby where we danced and drank till 7am! By then the sun had already risen, and the crowd had thinned out a bit, although there were still atleast a couple hundred people there. I would guess there was over 1000 when we first arrived (my highschool had 1,200 students, and it seemed to be more people than that!) We eventually decided to call it a night, as while there was still music playing, it had switched from the party techno to more of 80's pop.

On our walk back to the tram stop we passed by a charter bus where a group of people outside invited us to come along for the ride (jokingly of course) - but we stopped and talked to them for awhile finding out they were actually going quite near to Beanie's town. We had to wait a little while for the tram, and finally made it back to our neighborhood around 8 am. Before heading home to sleep we stopped off at a bar for breakfast. while the others got cafe, (I couldnt even think about getting one, all i wanted was my bed!) I happily munched on my first HOT cornetto (pastry). While I've eaten them plenty of times, I've never been to a bar early enough in the morning to have one fresh out of the oven. It was marvelous. I would consider getting up early another morning just to run across the street and get a hot one sometime.

around 8.30 we finally made it home, and by 9 we were all asleep. Sleep didnt last long though, as people started waking up around noon as the sun shone brightly through the window, and after a couple hours of lounging we decided to head into town in search of food. We ended up getting pizza for lunch, and sat outside at tables enjoying the sun, and too tired to move for a few hours talking. Next it was a quick wander through the center, before heading back home. By the time we got home and Beanie's friends left for their drive back, it was almost 8pm - almost 24 hours after the party started.

While it was definitely a long day, it was also incredibly fun, and different from ANYTHING I've ever done before. I cant imagine anything like this happening in america. At least in sleepy corvallis city wide all night parties dont seem to have been discovered. The way that Italians come together in the piazzas for concerts and parties, everyone together enjoying the spring time (or whatever the even it may be) is something that I know I'll miss about Italy. On nights like this it doesnt matter if you're surrounded by complete strangers, because you're all friends.