Weekend in Milan

Friday we morning we caught a cheap Easyjet flight to Milan. Easyjet is a no frills, no fuss airline and makes even Southwest look luxiourios, but you can't argue with cheap fares! However, with a cheap airline there is always a catch....this one is that the flights usually use the smaller, more distant, airports. Our flight left from Schipol (AMS international and very handy) but landed at Milan Malpensa, about an hour from downtown Milan - by bus.

We like to use Rick Steves' Guide Books. His byline is "Experience the culture like a local - you'll spend less money and have more fun". The "less money" starts with the hotel. Kevin chose one of his cheap hotels. It was clean, functional, close to the metro and SMALL.

After checking in and freshening up a little we were off in search of food. My friend Andrea is from Milan and he gave me several recommendations, one of which was Luini's for panzerotti. It took a little effort to find but was well worth it! A panzerotti is a mini calzone that has been deep fried. I could eat 10 a day!

We then wandered past a statue of Leonardo de Vinci to the La Scalla opera house.

Leonardo de Vinci, he spent a major portion of his life working in Milan.

Me with La Scalla in the background.

We were able to get cheap tickets to Don Carlo, at La Scalla. So cheap that our original seats didn't have a view of the stage. If you stood up and leaned over the row in front of us you could see the heads of the opera singers on the right hand side of the stage. At the first intermission (about 20 minutes into the 4 hour opera) we moved down to the end where we could sit on the rail and see the actual stage, at least from center stage to stage right. We were directly above the orchestra (the trumpet section was a bunch of jokers), and so high that we could see in to the top of the chandelier. It is a beautiful opera house and was a very nice opera.

Fresco in the Galleria, in the evening.

To get the opera tickets we had to put our name on a list at 3pm and then return at 5pm to find out if we were high enough on the list. I was hungry, again (this is an ongoing theme for the weekend) so we found a restaurant in the Galleria and had risotto and pasta. Followed by coffee (espresso and a cappucino) and dessert (tirimisu and gelati). The Galleria is a covered shopping mall with frescos on the walls and a mosaic tile floor.

The duomo, lit up at 12:00am.

On our way back to the hotel (via the metro) we walked past the Duomo. It glows at night, very cool. On the metro, an older Italian woman offered me her seat - on every ride! This does not happen in the Netherlands. Come the afternoon or evening I gladly took the seat. In the morning I felt guilty, but they insisted...

View from hotel room.

Saturday morning, in search of breakfast on Via Dante.

Breakfast was included in our room, the only thing actually worth it was the cappucino/espresso we had. The "toast" and croissant came out of sealed packages...not really what you think of...

After showering we headed out in search of a cafe on Via Dante (another RS recommnedation). The town was quiet and the streets were pretty empty. We were on this same street later in the day and it was much busier. We found a cafe where we had more pastries, coffee, juice and a bathroom/toilet break. This weekend found me in need of a toilet every hour, if we weren't near a cafe I would go in to a maternity/baby store and open my coat and ask for their toilet. Who can deny a pregnant woman...

St. Bartholomew, carrying his skin.

After breakfast we toured the cathedral with Rick Steves. After touring the inside we took the elevator to the roof. Yes, you can also walk around on the roof. This cathedral is covered with statues and carvings. The roof is filled with them too.

Gargoyle drain spout on the roof of the cathedral.

Kevin imitating a gargoyle.

Flying buttresses, up close.

Me on the roof of the cathedral.

Front door to the cathedral.

After touring the cathedral it was time for lunch. We wanted to see the Sforza castle after lunch, so we made a quick stop at Luini's for another panzerotti to tide us over until we could find a pizzeria near the castle.

I loved the food here!

At lunch I needed to use the restroom, of course. I followed the signs in the pizzeria, which lef me into an alley and to the restroom. I opened the door and was suddenly reminded of my trip to Asia. The "toilet" was a porcelain hole in the ground. I am 7 months pregnant and squatting is not easy, getting back up is even harder. The "restroom" was not much wider then my shoulders and the "toilet" sat crossways. I was going to have to squat, with my face near the wall - at "pee" height for men. (Remember this is a shared bathroom). Picture a non-agile pregnant woman squatting on her heels and then having to get back up - all while trying not to touch the wall with her head, face (yes it was that close), or hands. There was no way I could hold it and wait for another opportunity...

The Sforza castle is all red brick and massive. This castle houses Michalangelo's last sculpture. It is unfinished as he died while carving it. It is a "pieta", which is a sculpture of Mary holding the dead body of Jesus. I am not into the religion behind the piece but was amazed at the detail. The legs of Jesus were almost polished where the back of Mary was nothing but rough chisel marks. It is really neat to see a "work in progress".

Kevin in front of Sforza Castle.

The moat.

The square inside the castle.

The tower.

Me outside the castle.

After seeing the castle we headed back to the hotel for a much needed nap. We had plans to meet Andrea and Francesca at 6:30 pm.

Andrea & Francesca picked us up at the hotel and we went for drinks before dinner. Dinner was at a traditional "Bolognese" restuarant. It was fantastic! Good food, good wine, good company and good conversation, what more can you ask for...

Sunday morning we had reservations to see the Last Supper at 9:30am. We grabbed a quick bite on the way there.

Church in which Leonardo's Last Supper is painted.

You are only allowed to spend 15 minutes in the room of the Last Supper, this is to control traffic and humidity, as it is deteroirating. It is painted on a wall of what used to be the dining room of the Convent.

Me outside the church.

After seeing the Last Supper we went in search of more food. After another quick bite we wandered back to the Duomo Piazza and wandered through the highend shopping streets. Along the way we stopped in the Peck Deli (very posh) to buy treats for Courtenay & Brian. We were shocked by the price of coffee beans in this place. 30 - 500 Euros for 1 kilo! The wine cellar was pretty spectacular too.

By this time we had seen most of what Rick Steves' recommended. I think a weekend is enough to see the city, maybe not eat all of its food but at least see the city. We tried to tour the Duomo Museum, however it looked to still be under construction. So we headed to the outskirts, via Metro, to see a replica of a bronze horse that Leonardo built.

Me in front of the "Horse". Leonardo's was used as target practice by French soliders. This one is a replica built by an American.

It was time to head back to the hotel to pick up our bags and head to the train station, to catch the bus to the airport.

We will definately be back to Italy!