Palava in La Scala

I took my wife to the world-famous opera house in Milan, La Scala. It wasn’t to see a performance. We were in the city and you could wander around the legendary building for a small fee. That particular day I wasn’t feeling too good. I’m not sure how best to describe my illness. The best way is probably to say I had a ‘dodgy tummy!’

I’m not an Opera lover, but……

Once inside La Scala, we were both surprised we were the only people there except for a few workmen on the stage. I’m no Opera lover, but this place has magic about it. There’s a sea of red from the seats to the curtains to the separate viewing boxes spread over a couple of floors.

La Scala is laid out in a circular fashion from the stage and wherever you are you will have a great view of the performance. We were both impressed. Making it to the second floor, my poorly tummy started rumbling and bubbling. I needed to go somewhere and pretty quick! I was so pleased to see a toilet close to where I was and even more pleased that we were the only people here.

That was close!

I don’t want to go into detail, but I only just made it to the bathroom with seconds to spare. In truth, it was no more than a cupboard with a toilet and hand basin, but at that moment it was a lifesaver. I remember thinking how glad I was that we were the only visitors in the theatre as you can imagine the embarrassment the aroma would cause if there were others around.

Feeling better, I exited my life-saving seat and washed my hands. As I opened the door I was horrified! There was at least a coach full of Japanese tourists all waiting patiently to use the toilet. Two minutes earlier there was no one, not a soul. It was time to drop my head to the floor and make a sharp exit. As I headed towards my wife who was laughing her socks off by now, all I could hear were shouts of “Pooooo…. Poooo….” in a Japanese accent. I suppose Pooooo is the same in any language.

The official website of La Scala